World Heritage Site - Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is an Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains
in Peru, above the Urubamba River valley. Built in the 15th century and
later abandoned, it’s renowned for its sophisticated dry-stone walls
that fuse huge blocks without the use of mortar, intriguing buildings
that play on astronomical alignments and panoramic views. Its exact
former use remains a mystery.
It is perched above the Urubamba River valley in a narrow saddle between two sharp peaks—Machu Picchu (“Old Peak”) and Huayna Picchu (“New Peak”)—at an elevation of 7,710 feet (2,350 metres). One of the few major pre-Columbian ruins found nearly intact, Machu Picchu was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.
Machu Picchu is the most economically important tourist attraction in
Peru, bringing in visitors from around the world. This awe-inspiring ancient city was
never revealed to the conquering Spaniards and was virtually forgotten
until the early part of the 20th century.
Its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the
Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by
archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu. In September
2007, Peru and Yale University reached an agreement regarding the return
of artefacts which Hiram Bingham had removed from Machu Picchu in the
early twentieth century.
Sources : Google Images & Wikipedia
