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Hagia Sophia (360-537) officially known as the noble Grand Mosque Hagia

Sophia is an ancient place of worship in Istanbul, designed by Greeks


Isidore Miletus and Anthemios Tralis. It was the largest Christian church in
the Eastern Roman Empire from 1204 to 1261, and it was a church until
1453, after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire, it was
converted into a mosque. It served as the center of the religious, political
and artistic life of the Byzantine world and provided us with many useful
scientific ideas of this period.
In the first few hundred years of its existence, the Hagia Sophia boasted
some of the most sophisticated mosaics of its time. Made of tesserae of
glass, stone and ceramics, as well as gold leaf, the Byzantine works –
unlike the Classical Greek and Roman pieces that precedfavor symbolism
over realism .
The interior decoration of Hagia Sophia was also innovative. The interior is
lined with massive marble panels that may have been chosen and
designed to mimic moving water. The central dome is perched on a ring of
windows and is supported by two semi-domes and arched openings. This
creates an enormous, uninterrupted dish. The triangles were covered with
a huge mosaic of six-winged angels called hexapterygon. The two arched
openings are supported by huge porphyry columns that descend all the
way to the ground.
Despite the inevitability of moving from church to mosque with the removal
of Christian icons, Hagia Sophia continued its function as a sacred space
as a mosque called Hagia Sophia, admired by architects the world over
and considered by many to be a piece of art.
The Taj Mahal (1631 - 1648) is India's best-known and most famous
building, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to immortalize his wife
Mumtaz Mahal.

The roofs of the Taj Mahal contain some of the finest decorative arts known
in Mughal architecture. Since Islam forbids sculpture or stereoscopic
painting, the decoration consists mainly of abstract art in the form of
abstract shapes with curved lines. They used brick-in-lime mortar veneered
with red sandstone and marble and inlay work of precious/semi precious
stones.

The interior decoration of the octagon-shaped shrine chamber is


particularly complex, with nearly 30 different types of precious and semi-
precious stones appearing in the room's stonework. The entire walls are
decorated with floral and abstract patterns

In general, the architecture of the Taj Mahal expresses a beautiful sense of


harmony and balance between the individual buildings, as well as a sense
of immense peace. It is admired by architects all over the world and many
consider it a masterpiece.
Petronas Towers ( 1993 – 1998 ) also known as Petronas Twin
Towers and KLCC Twin Towers , that are among the world’s tallest
buildings. The Twin Towers, built to house the headquarters of Petronas ,
they were designed by the Argentine-born American architect Cesar Pelli .

The plan for each tower is identical , it consists of a circular structure with
88 floors and pyramid – shaped summit topped by a slender steel tower ,
both rise to a height of 452meters , each building is supported by 16 large
columns , and the towers are linked between 41 and 42 floor .

The Towers has other interesting features , the tower contain an upmarket
retail center called Suria KLCC in addition to that there is jogging and
walking paths called KLCC Park . One of the most impressive events
happened on this towers was on 15 april 1999 , when Felix Baumgartner sat
the world record for base jumping of a windows cleaning crane .

In general, the architecture of the Twin Towers expresses a beautiful sense


of harmony and balance between the individual buildings, the expression of
a sense of immense peace. Adrian Smith's masterpiece is admired by
architects all over the world.
Burj Khalifa (2004-2009) Commonly known as the Burj Dubai, that was
designed by Adrian Smith , Burj Khalifa was the tallest building since 200.

The design of Burj Khalifa is a Y-shaped structure that mimics the flower of
the desert. The building's exterior cladding, panels and aluminum profiles.

The central core of the tower rises to the top of the tower with a spire. Burj
Khalifa is intended for height and for communication purposes, the Burj
Khalifa has 163 floors and is numbered on the highest floor on the 154th
floor, and holds the Burj Khalifa standard elevator for the longest distance
at height.

Burj Khalifa has another features like Outside the tower there is fountain
system at a cost of 217 million dollar , in addition to that the 124th floor
observation deck also features the electronic telescope , which allows
visitors to view the surrounding landscape in real-time , Burj Khalifa is
surrounded by an eleven-hectare park that was designed by landscape
architects .

In general, the architecture of the Burj Khalifa expresses a beautiful sense


of harmony and balance between the individual buildings, the expression of
a sense of immense peace. Adrian Smith's masterpiece is admired by
architects all over the world.

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