Polonnaruwa was the second capital of Sri Lanka after the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993. It comprises, besides the Brahmanic monuments built by the Cholas, the monumental ruins of the fabulous garden-city created by Parakramabahu I in the 12th century.
Multnomah Falls is a waterfall on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge,located east of Troutdale,between Corbett and Dodson, along the Historic Columbia River Highway.
The falls drops in two major steps, split into an upper falls of 542 feet (165 m) and a lower falls of 69 feet (21 m), with a gradual 9 foot (3 m) drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as 620 feet (189 m). The two drops are due to a zone of more easily eroded basalt at the base of the upper falls.
The Tomb of Absalom (also called Absalom’s Pillar, Yad Avshalom, and Absalom’s Shrine) is an ancient monument in the upper Kidron Valley on the east side of Jerusalem.
It is the most impressive and complete of the ancient tombs of wealthy Jewish families that lived in Jerusalem during the era of the Second Temple. This entire area is a large cemetery with thousands of tombs, and this is one of the largest and the most beautiful.
Standing 22 meters high, the structure with the conical dome was identified for years in Jerusalem tradition as the burial site of Absalom, the rebellious son of King David of Israel.
Although traditionally ascribed to Absalom, an analysis of the architectural styles used indicates that the monument’s construction and its first stage of use happened during the 1st century CE, one thousand years after Absalom’s death. It’s an example of Egyptian, Oriental, and Hellenistic architecture with the lower part built on a square base with vaults for burial chambers.
The monument proper stands on a square base and consists of two distinct parts. The lower section, in the shape of a cube set on a podium, has been hewn out of the rocky slope of the Mount of Olives, while the upper part, rising higher than the original bedrock and shaped like a conical pyramid, is built of neatly cut ashlars and it is surmounted by a lotus flower carved in stone.
