Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves - Julia Morgan. The National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is located in the heart of old Beijing, close to the Great Hall of the People, Tian’anmen Square and the ancient Forbidden City. Colloquially described as The Giant Egg, this 149,500 square meter titanium and glass shell, in the shape of an ellipsoid, houses an opera house, a concert hall, and two theaters, as well as public spaces. The structure, surrounded by an artificial lake and green lawns and gardens, is seen as a cultural island in the middle of a lake.
If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite - William Blake. Besides its bas-reliefs, the Battle of the Gods gallery of Angkor Wat exhibits a mesmerizing architecture.
Visible from the nearby of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, and from higher points throughout the valley, Volubilis is one of Morocco’s best-preserved Roman ruins located between the Imperial Cities of Fez and Meknès on a fertile plain surrounded by wheat fields. Established before the Christian era, at a time when the area was part of Mauretania, Volubilis was considered the administrative center of the kingdom of Mauretania and also one of the most remote cities within the Roman Empire, located in the far southwestern region. The remaining structures and mosaics tell the tale of a city that once thrived. The ruins that have been spared are beautifully preserved relics of the Roman era. The Arch Of Caracalla is one of Volubilis' most distinctive sights. It was built in 217 by the city's governor, Marcus Aurelius Sebastenus, to honour the emperor Caracalla and his mother Julia Domna. The arch is constructed from local stone and was originally topped by a bronze chariot pulled by six horses. Statues of nymphs poured water into carved marble basins at the foot of the arch. Caracalla and Julia Domna were represented on medallion busts, though these have been defaced. The monument was reconstructed by the French between 1930–34.
