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.
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/
- Starts construction 450 BCE - Column and Wall construction 430 BCE - Roof construction 420 BCE - Construction completed 400 BCE
- Western Peloponese , Mountains of Arkardia, Greece
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.
Patron - Aomori Prefecture Government (Acting Governor Masaya Kitamura)
Image 1 - 140913_Sannai-Maruyama_site_Aomori_Japan02bs5 (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/140913_Sannai-Maruyama_site_Aomori_Japan02bs5.jpg)
Image 2 - 140913 Sannai-Maruyama site Aomori Japan03s.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/140913_Sannai-Maruyama_site_Aomori_Japan03s.jpg)
Image 3 - Sannai IMG 20161009 135532.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Sannai_IMG_20161009_135532.jpg)
Middle Jomon (3900-2200 BC) - Longhouse initially constructed
1992 - Existence of large Jomon community discovered
1994 - Conservation efforts and reconstruction begins
1995 - Archeological park opens with model of Jomon village
Image 1: https://gr.polomap.com/en/αγρίνιο/10580#google_vignette
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.
Image 1: hirotoridef copie-L.png https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Japan-2016/i-xHm2gZ3/0/L/hirotoridef%20copie-L.png
Image 2: Itsukushima-Shrine.png https://www.covingtontravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Itsukushima-Shrine.png
Started in 593 CE (traditionally attributed to Saeki no Kuramoto)
reconstructed in 1168 CE (by Taira no Kiyomori)
Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
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.
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.
Builder: Himeji City and local craftsmen specializing in traditional Japanese tea houses
Architect: Unknown (constructed in traditional style by preservation teams)
Image 1: kokoengarden3.jpg https://www.japan-experience.com/sites/default/files/images/content_images/kokoengarden3.jpg
Image 2: Koko-en-Garden05-640x400.jpg https://visit-himeji.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Koko-en-Garden05-640x400.jpg
Image 3: Koko-en-Garden04-640x400.jpg https://visit-himeji.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Koko-en-Garden04-640x400.jpg
Located within Kōkō-en Garden, adjacent to Himeji Castle (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Ur-Nammu - Builder & Ruler of the Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur
Image 1: Geena_Truman: (https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220822-the-ziggurat-of-ur-iraqs-answer-to-the-pyramids)
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)
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/)
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. ...
Image 1 Palace_of_Shaki_Khans.jpg: (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/%C5%9E%C9%99ki_xan_saray%C4%B1.jpg)
Eastern/Iranian and Azerbaijani architecture
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.
Image 1: The-Shotgun-House(Official) https://www.isoldmyhouse.com/what-happened-to-the-homes-from-fixer-upper-after-the-cameras-stopped/
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.
Rediscovery and conservation efforts done by French archeologists
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)