- Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae
description: The Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae is a striking enormous and elegant stone structure in a high-altitude mountain of Arkadia. It is formed in a rectangular shape isolated in a rugged slope. Around the structure there are rocky hills and mid-size trees spreaded throughout the mountain. The capital of the central column is the most ancient, conserved Corinthian capital. It contains 15 columns and 6 columns on the longer side. The temple is rested on a three stepped platform with thick doric columns holding the building. The building is grey and over centuries old with the roof currently nonexistent. The temple has a main chamber made by marble.
creator: - Artichitect Iktinos (Ictinus)
source: Image 1: https://www.thecollector.com/the-temple-of-apollo-epicurius-of-bassae-the-odd-temple/ Image 2: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/978 image 3: https://apollotemple.ilia-olympia.org/en/home-2/
date: - Starts construction 450 BCE - Column and Wall construction 430 BCE - Roof construction 420 BCE - Construction completed 400 BCE
contributor: Kevin Ruiz
format: - Corinthian style
language: - Western Peloponese , Mountains of Arkardia, Greece
type: Religious

Sannai-Maruyama Longhouse
description: The largest of its kind, the building is a longhouse measured to be 32 meters in length and 9.8 meters in width, with a floor area of approximately 250 square meters. It takes an oval shape on a pitted floor. Its internal structure or skeleton consists of wood pillars, likely made from chestnut, a feature that can be found in surrounding buildings within the community. By modern standards, the longhouse's aesthetics could be described as primitive. The exterior is naturalistic, showcasing the raw materials used in its construction. Specifically, supported by the pillars is a thatched roof. As the building is slightly underground, there are stair entrances on each length of the structure; for modern accessibility, a ramped entrance is also provided. The entrances are defined by their doors, propped open from bottom to top, made of a similar material to the exterior. The building is a modern model of prehistoric, Jomon-era architecture and culture. Since the building’s recreation and opening in 1995, it has been primarily used for public education, with the site's connections to the Jomon Jiyukan (a nearby museum). In its time period, however, the original building was likely a communal space. As Jomon society became increasingly sedentary, communities such as those surrounding the structure developed. Its large size allowed these communities to gather.
creator: Patron - Aomori Prefecture Government (Acting Governor Masaya Kitamura)
source: Image 1 - 140913_Sannai-Maruyama_site_Aomori_Japan02bs5 (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/140913_Sannai-Maruyama_site_Aomori_Japan02bs5.jpg)
source: Image 2 - 140913 Sannai-Maruyama site Aomori Japan03s.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/140913_Sannai-Maruyama_site_Aomori_Japan03s.jpg)
source: Image 3 - Sannai IMG 20161009 135532.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Sannai_IMG_20161009_135532.jpg)
date: Middle Jomon (3900-2200 BC) - Longhouse initially constructed
date: 1992 - Existence of large Jomon community discovered
date: 1994 - Conservation efforts and reconstruction begins
date: 1995 - Archeological park opens with model of Jomon village
contributor: Moanna Dixson
format: Jōmon Pit Dwelling
language: Aomori, Japan
type: Public

Fuego Escobar Cafe
source: Image 1: https://gr.polomap.com/en/αγρίνιο/10580#google_vignette
contributor: Kevin Ruiz

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine
description: Itsukushima Shinto Shrine is located on Miyajima Island, partially elevated over the water on wooden stilts. Its design is axial, comprising long, covered corridors which connect to the world-famous “floating” torii gate in the bay. The building is low and horizontal in design to convey harmony with the coastline. Constructed of wooden posts and beams painted bright vermilion, it has tiled roofs that curve upward at its edges. Everything is simple, but the surfaces are striking, columns repeat, and shadows are rhythmic, accentuating the corridors. The open sides of the halls shine with natural light, while the water below glints off them; the halls, for example, appear glowy at high tide. The primary materials used are cypress wood and stone footings to sustain tides and earthquakes. The constructed shrine incorporates elements of the sea and of the mountain surroundings. With the “floating” form, it becomes clear the sacred purity of one, harmony with nature, and the spiritual boundaries between human and divine worlds.
creator: Patron: Taira no Kiyomori
creator: Architec: Unknow
source: Image 1: hirotoridef copie-L.png https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Japan-2016/i-xHm2gZ3/0/L/hirotoridef%20copie-L.png
source: Image 2: Itsukushima-Shrine.png https://www.covingtontravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Itsukushima-Shrine.png
date: Started in 593 CE (traditionally attributed to Saeki no Kuramoto)
date: reconstructed in 1168 CE (by Taira no Kiyomori)
contributor: Mursal Abdullah
format: Shinden-zukuri style
language: Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
type: Religious
coverage: UNESCO World Heritage Site (1996)

Karnak Temple
date: 2055 BC
contributor: Stanley Ojibeka
language: Karnak, Luxor, Luxor Governorate, Egypt
type: Religious

Shōkōken Tea House, Kōkō-en Garden
description: The Shōkōken Tea House is a small rectangular building that has a single low level with a sloping tiled roof. It has a very simple frame. It’s surrounded by the garden. It is a single-story structure. The entrance is low and modest, it is requiring visitors to bow slightly as they step inside. The floor is covered with tatami mats. The Circulation is minimal, visitors enter directly into the tearoom, which opens visually to the garden through sliding doors. Movement is calm, controlled, and ceremonial, and it’s divided into a 4.5-mat layout. Sliding shōji screens open toward the garden, letting in soft, diffused light. The structure is simple, and the materials used in this tea house are wooden posts, plaster walls, and bamboo details. Inside the house, there are ornaments, and only natural textures of wood and paper, with shadows shifting gently across the space.
description: Interpretive reading: This tea house was built for quiet gatherings and the ritual of the tea ceremony. Its small scale creates intimacy, while the natural materials encourage harmony with nature. The humble entrance and minimal decoration reflect the values of wabi-sabi, finding beauty in simplicity. Unlike nearby castles or temples, the tea house is not about power but about refinement, reflection, and calm. It serves as a cultural balance, offering a place for stillness and connection.
creator: Builder: Himeji City and local craftsmen specializing in traditional Japanese tea houses
creator: Architect: Unknown (constructed in traditional style by preservation teams)
source: Image 1: kokoengarden3.jpg https://www.japan-experience.com/sites/default/files/images/content_images/kokoengarden3.jpg
source: Image 2: Koko-en-Garden05-640x400.jpg https://visit-himeji.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Koko-en-Garden05-640x400.jpg
source: Image 3: Koko-en-Garden04-640x400.jpg https://visit-himeji.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Koko-en-Garden04-640x400.jpg
date: Completed: 1992
contributor: Mursal Abdullah
format: Traditional Japanese
language: Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
type: Domestic
coverage: Located within Kōkō-en Garden, adjacent to Himeji Castle (UNESCO World Heritage Site).

The Great Ziggurat of Ur
creator: Ur-Nammu - Builder & Ruler of the Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur
source: Image 1: Geena_Truman: (https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220822-the-ziggurat-of-ur-iraqs-answer-to-the-pyramids)
source: Image 2: Drawing_of_the_Ziggurat_of_Ur,_Iraq,_by_Marjorie_V._Duffell_for_C._L._Woolley,_1937: (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Drawing_of_the_Ziggurat_of_Ur%2C_Iraq%2C_by_Marjorie_V._Duffell_for_C._L._Woolley%2C_1937.jpg)
source: Image 3: Leonard Woolley, photo with excavation workers, c. 1923–24, featuring the ziggurat of Ur, c. 2100 B.C.E., Tell el-Mukayyar, Iraq (photo: Penn Museum, Philadelphia): (https://smarthistory.org/ziggurat-of-ur/)
date: c. 2040 BCE - Construction Started
date: c. 2000 BCE - Completed
contributor: Markeita Durham-Brinkley
format: Neo-Sumerian ziggurat architecture
language: Nasiriyah, Iraq
type: Religious

The Palace of Shaki Khans
description: Building Description: Located in Shaki, northwestern Azerbaijan, the Palace of Shaki Khans is a two-story building, used as a summer residence for the Shaki khans. The exterior of the building has an area size of 300 square meters, and was primarily constructed using raw bricks, river stones, wood, which usually consist of plane and oak. The interior, however, was primarily constructed with shebeke, a type of color glass created by Azerbaijani craftspeople, wood, venetian glass. ...
creator: Builder: Muhammed Hasan Khan
source: Image 1 Palace_of_Shaki_Khans.jpg: (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/%C5%9E%C9%99ki_xan_saray%C4%B1.jpg)
date: Completed: 1797
contributor: Markeita Durham-Brinkley
format: Eastern/Iranian and Azerbaijani architecture
language: Shaki, northwestern Azerbaijan
type: Palace-Castle

Waco Texas Shotgun house
description: The renovated structure has a primary long, rectangular, vertical form in its layout. There are minimal levels to the house. Including a second story with a balcony. Though it is worth noting that compared to other examples of this style of build, this structure presents bigger and more profound. There are 2 doors (front and back). It includes a simplistic walk route through the structure which includes a dropdown set of stairs to get to the next level. Its interior patterns are that of high-quality domestic ones, with each room through the walkway being stylized and standing out on its own. On the outside, the blue stands out as the main color. It blends well with the orange-ish accents on the entrance pillars and surrounding windows. Light enters through the windows and additional entrances of the sort. Stucco helps make up the exterior of the structure. In addition wood materials are used throughout. There is some gating placed left of the front of the house. While not necessarily historical or cultural. Its notoriety due to its involvement on television helps propel the attention and the importance of the building type and its style’s kind going forward.
creator: (renovators) Chip and Joanna Gaines
source: Image 1: The-Shotgun-House(Official) https://www.isoldmyhouse.com/what-happened-to-the-homes-from-fixer-upper-after-the-cameras-stopped/
date: Originally built in 1920
date: renovated in 2016
contributor: Julian Forster
language: Waco, Texas, United States of America

Ta Prohm
description: This Temple structure is an example of a Flat Temple, well known in the region. Consisting of a flat square base, walls surrounding it, a Gopura or entrance gate on each of the walls. These are stepped gates larger than the wall itself. Each facing the cardinal directions. The out facing surfaces of these entrances are decorated with Hindu and Buddhist imagery. Inside the walls are 5 more rectangular enclosures, one inside the next. At the center sits the main Temple, a rectangular main building with a stepped pyramid like tower raising from its center. Each enclosure has a similar smaller structure, including tower. The outstanding detail that makes this temple so unique is it's relationship with the surrounding jungle. Unlike similar temples of this style, conservation efforts focused on keeping this temple in a state of disrepair, as the jungle had reclaimed much of its surface. Now visitors can observe as its courtyards and structures are adorned with both manmade and natural designs. Such as trees growing from between the stone blocks. The entire stone structure is covered in a slight layer of earth and moss.
creator: Khmer King Jayavarman VII
creator: Abandoned when the Khmer Dynasty fell
creator: Rediscovery and conservation efforts done by French archeologists
source: Image 1: Ta Prohm (III).jpg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ta_Prohm_(III).jpg) Image 2: Ta Prohm reclaimed from forest.jpg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ta_Prohm_reclaimed_from_forest.jpg) Image 3: Ta Prohm reclaimed.jpg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ta_Prohm_reclaimed.jpg)
date: Construction: Founded in 1186 CE
date: Abandonment: 15th Century
date: Rediscovery: Early 20th Century
contributor: Waldemar Barrios
language: Krong Siem Reap ,Cambodia
type: Religious