DUBAI

Dubai   is a city-state in the United Arab Emirates, located within the emirate of the same name. The emirate of Dubai is located southeast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and is one of the seven emirates that make up the country. It has the largest population in the UAE   and the second-largest land territory by area   after Abu Dhabi. Dubai  and Abu Dhabi, the national capital.  The city of Dubai is located on the emirate's northern coastline and heads up the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area . 

 Today, Dubai has emerged as a cosmopolitan metropolis that has grown steadily to become a global city and a business and cultural hub of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region.  Although Dubai's economy was historically built on the oil industry, the emirate's Western-style model of business drives its economy with the main revenues now coming from tourism, real estate, and financial services.  Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events. The city has become symbolic for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, such as the world's tallest Burj Khalifa, in addition to ambitious development projects including man-made islands, hotels, and some of the largest shopping malls in the region and the world. This increased attention has also highlighted labor and human rights issues concerning the city's largely South Asian paid workforce.  Dubai's property market experienced a major deterioration in 2008–2009 as a result of the worldwide economic downturn following the financial crisis of 2007-2008.  However, Dubai has made a steady and gradual recovery with help coming from neighboring emirates. 

 Tourism is an important part of the Dubai government's strategy to maintain the flow of foreign cash into the emirate. Dubai's lure for tourists is based mainly on shopping, but also on its possession of other ancient and modern attractions. As of 2010, Dubai was the 7th most visited city of the world with 7.6 million visitors a year.  Dubai is expected to accommodate over 15 million tourists by 2015. Dubai is the most populous emirate of the seven emirates of United Arab Emirates. It is distinct from other members of the UAE in that a large part of the emirate's revenues are from tourism. 

Dubai has been called the "shopping capital of the Middle East".  Dubai alone has more than 70 shopping malls, including the world's largest shopping mall, Dubai Mall. The city draws large numbers of shopping tourists from countries within the region and from as far as Eastern Europe, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. While boutiques, some electronics shops, department stores and supermarkets operate on a fixed-price basis, most other outlets consider friendly negotiation a way of life. 

 Many boutiques and jewellery stores are also found in the city. Dubai is known as "the City of Gold" and Gold Souk in Deira houses nearly 250 gold retail shops. Dubai Duty Free Company at the Dubai International Airport offers merchandise catering to the multinational passengers using the airport.

ATTRACTIONS OF DUBAI

The Wild Wadi Water Park - is an outdoor water park in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Situated in the area of Jumeirah, next to the Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the water park is operated by Jumeirah International, a Dubai-based hotelier.

Wild Wadi has a heated/cooled wave pool, multiple water slides and two artificial surfing machines. In addition, the park had the largest water slide outside of North America, but recently it was removed to make space for two other rides . Another feature of the park is an 18 m (59 ft) waterfall that goes off every ten minutes. The water park also has two gift shops, three restaurants and two snack stands.

Dubai Gold Souk - Dubai has been long known as the City of Gold for good reason, despite the fact that majority of its gold is imported from Asia and neighbouring countries.Gold in Dubai is the cheapest in the world. Add to this Dubai's special tax-free shopping status.

The Dubai Gold Souk is a traditional market located at the core of commercial business district in Deira, eastern Dubai. The souk accommodates more than 300 retailers exclusively trading in jewelry. Among the retailers are both the well-established stores like Damas, Joy Alukkas Jewlry and ARY Jewelry, and also smaller stores that operate exclusively. Approximately 25 tonnes of gold are displayed in the windows of more than 600 shops at any given time.

There are two gold markets in Dubai, the Old Gold Souk and the new one. Both are in the same locality and located close to each other and have similar offerings. The New Dubai Gold Souk is a two-storey building, while the old one is an area scattered with jewelry shops. To get a flavour of the old city, first-time visitors are encouraged to visit the Old Gold Souk before visiting the New Gold Souk.

The Global Village - which opened its doors to celebrate "Eid in Dubai" with a range of entertainment shows, fun rides, world cuisines and shopping, is the largest seasonal cultural shopping and entertainment theme park in the region, where an amazing array of festivals are lined up and the world comes together for celebration.

Located on the Emirates Road highway, Global Village, Dubai’s most popular cultural and entertainment venue is a mere 20 minutes drive from Dubai International Airport, and is 60 minutes away from Abu Dhabi. Although, Global Village Dubai is associated with Dubai Shopping Festival.

Deira Clocktower -originally referred to as the Dubai Clocktower, is a roundabout in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Clocktower is located in eastern Dubai in Deira, at the intersection of Umm Hurrair Road and route D 89 (Al Maktoum Road). Situated in the locality of Al Rigga, the Deira Clocktower, now a prominent monument in Deira, provides access to the Al Maktoum Bridge, the first land crossing constructed between Deira and Bur Dubai.

Dubai Clocktower was designed by Engineer Edgar Bublik General Manager of Overseas AST and constructed by an unknown local builder around 1964. However, by 1972, the monument had started to crack and corrode the steel reinforcements, as a result of the unwashed beach sand used for the concrete. The Clocktower was refurbished in 1972 by Overseas AST.  

Dubai's Clocktower is located in Deira but was not called Deira Clocktower.The Clocktower was erected as a symbol of Dubai and located in Deira because that was where major routes into Dubai converged prior to the building of Dubai - Abu Dhabi Road.

Jumeirah Beach - has a number of luxury hotels on its beach front. The most prominent is the world famous Burj Al Arab hotel, which sits offshore on a manmade island and the architecture of which has become an iconic symbol of Dubai. On the coast of Dubai next to the Burj Al Arab is the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, a hotel that is part of the Jumeirah hotel chain. The Madinat Jumeirah, or "Jumeirah City," consists of three luxurious five-star hotels (Mina A'Salam, Al Qasr and Dar Al Masyaf), which include residences, a shopping mall, and a pier that extends into the Persian Gulf and which contains restaurants.

Ski Dubai - is an indoor ski resort with 22,500 square meters of indoor ski area. It is a part of the Mall of the Emirates, one of the largest shopping malls in the world, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was developed by Majid Al Futtaim Properties, which also operates the Mall of the Emirates.

Opened in November 2005, the indoor resort features an 85-meter-high indoor mountain with 5 slopes of varying steepness and difficulty, including a 400-metre-long run, the world's first indoor black run, and various features (boxes, rails, kickers) that are changed on a regular basis. A quad lift and a tow lift carry skiers and snowboarders up the mountain. Adjoining the slopes is a 3,000-square-metre Snow Park play area comprising sled and toboggan runs, an icy body slide, climbing towers, giant snowballs and an ice cave. Ski Dubai is also home to a number of penguins who come out to play several times a day. Penguin encounters can be booked, allowing the public to interact directly with the penguins. Winter clothing, ski and snowboard equipment are included in the price of admission. 

An extremely efficient insulation system helps the facility maintain a temperature of −1 °C during the day and −6 °C at night when the snow is produced.

The Dubai Mall  - is the world's largest shopping mall based on total area and sixth largest by gross leasable area. Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, it is part of the 20-billion-dollar Burj Khalifa complex, and includes 1,200 shops.  Access to the mall is provided via Doha Street, rebuilt as a double-decker road in April 2009. 

Twice delayed, Dubai Mall opened on 4 November 2008, with about 635 retailers, marking the world's largest-ever mall opening in retail history.  

 It also has a 250-room luxury hotel, 22 cinema screens plus 120 restaurants and cafes. The Mall has over 14,000 parking spaces across 3 car parks, with valet services and a car locator ticketing system.    The Dubai Mall contains more than 1,200 shops 

The Burj Al Arab -   has been called a 7 star luxury hotel. It is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and managed by the Jumeirah Group and built by Said Khalil. Its construction started in 1994 and ended in 1999. It was designed by Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC. The hotel cost $650,000,000 to build. At  321 metres. Burj Al Arab characterizes itself as the world's only "7-star" property, a designation considered by travel professionals to be hyperbole. All major travel guides and hotel rating systems have a 5-star maximum, which some hotels attempt to out-do by ascribing themselves "6-star" status. Yet according to the Burj Al Arab's official site, the hotel is a "5-star deluxe hotel".The Burj Al Arab was built to resemble the sail of a Dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Near the top of the building is a suspended helipad supported by a cantilever which has featured some of the hotel's notable publicity events. One of its restaurants, Al Muntaha, is located 200 metres above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. Another restaurant, the Al Mahara, which is accessed by a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium. It is one of the most expensive hotels in the world.

 Burj Khalifa  , known as Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure in the world, at 829.8 m  

Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010.  The tower's architecture and engineering were performed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago, with Adrian Smith as chief architect, and Bill Baker as chief structural engineer  The primary contractor was Samsung C&T of South Korea. With Dubai mired in debt from its huge ambitions, the government was forced to seek multibillion dollar bailouts from its oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, in a surprise move at its opening ceremony, the tower was renamed Burj Khalifa, said to honour the UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his crucial support 

The Palm Islands - are an artificial archipelago (islands) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Major commercial and residential infrastructures   constructed by Nakheel Properties, a property developer in The UAE. The Belgian and Dutch dredging and marine contractors , were hired to complete construction. The islands are the Palm Jumeirah, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira. Each settlement   in the shape of a palm tree, topped with a crescent. The settlements will have a large number of residential, leisure and entertainment centers. The Palm Islands are located off the coast of The UAE in the Persian Gulf and  add 520 kilometers of beaches to the city of Dubai. The first two islands  comprise of approximately 100 million cubic meters of rock and sand. The Palm Deira  composed of approximately one billion cubic meters of rock and sand.   Among the three islands, there will be over 100 luxury hotels, exclusive residential beach side villas and apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities and health spas.

 The creation of the Palm Jumeirah began in June 2001.   Before the impact of the global credit crunch hit Dubai, construction was originally planned to take 10-15 years.Two other artificial archipelagos, The World and The Universe, are located between the Palm Islands.

PARIS

PARIS

Paris  is the capital and largest city of France. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region. The city of Paris, within its administrative limits (the 20 arrondissements), has a population of about 2,230,000. Its metropolitan area is one of the largest population centres in Europe, with more than 12 million inhabitants.

An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris had become, by the 12th century, one of Europe's foremost centres of learning and the arts and the largest city in the Western world until the turn of the 18th century. Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, media, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.

Paris and the Paris region, with €572.4 billion in 2010, produce more than a quarter of the gross domestic product of France and has one of the largest city GDPs in the world. Considered as green and highly liveable, the city and its region are the world's leading tourism destination. They house four UNESCO World Heritage Sites and many international organizations.

The Eiffel Tower   is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair, it has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; 7.1 million people ascended it in 2011.  

 The tower has three levels for visitors. Tickets can be purchased to ascend, by stairs or lift (elevator), to the first and second levels. The walk from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. The third and highest level is accessible only by lift - stairs exist but they are not usually open for public use. Both the first and second levels feature restaurants.

The tower has become the most prominent symbol of both Paris and France, often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.

The Musée du Louvre in English, the Louvre Museum or simply The Louvre—is one of the world's largest museums, and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine.   Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited here.  With more than 8 million visitors each year, the Louvre is the world's most visited museum. 

The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682 ,Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of antique sculpture.  In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum, to display the nation's masterpieces.

The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The size of the collection increased under Napoleon and the museum was renamed the Musée Napoléon. After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic. As of 2008, the collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle (originally named Place de l'Étoile), at the western end of the Champs-Élysées.  It should not be confused with a smaller arch, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, which stands west of the Louvre. The Arc de Triomphe (in English: "Triumphal Arch") honours those who fought and died for France in theFrench Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

The Arc de Triomphe is the linchpin of the historic axis (Axe historique) – a sequence of monuments and grand thoroughfares on a route which goes from the courtyard of the Louvre, to the Grande Arche de la Défense. The monument was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806, and its iconographicprogram pitted heroically nude French youths against bearded Germanic warriors in chain mail. It set the tone for public monuments, with triumphant patriotic messages.

The monument stands 50 metres  in height, 45 m  wide and 22 m  deep. The large vault is 29.19 m   high and 14.62 m   wide. The small vault is 18.68 m   high and 8.44 m   wide. It was the largest triumphal arch in existence until the construction of the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, in 1982.  Its design was inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus. The Arc de Triomphe is so colossal that three weeks after the Paris victory parade in 1919, (marking the end of hostilities in World War I), Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane through it, with the event captured on newsreel. 

Notre Dame de Paris  French for "Our Lady of Paris" , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral or simply Notre Dame,  is a historic Roman Catholic Marian cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris,France. Widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and among the largest and most well-known churchesin the world ever built,  Notre Dame is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris; that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra(official chair) of the Archbishop of Paris, currently André Vingt-Trois. The cathedral treasury is notable for its reliquary, which houses the purported crown of thorns, a fragment of the True Cross and one of the Holy Nails – all instruments of the Passion and a few of the most important first-class relics.

Notre Dame de Paris is often reputed to be one of the most prominent examples of Gothic architecture in both France and in Europe as a whole, and the naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture. The first period of construction from 1163 into 1240s coincided with the musical experiments of the Notre Dame school.

The cathedral suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. An extensive restoration supervised by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc removed remaining decoration, returning the cathedral to an 'original' gothic state.

The Musée d'Orsay   is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the formerGare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. It is probably best known for its extensive collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces (the largest in the world) by such painters such as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gauguinand Van Gogh. Many of these works were held at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume prior to the museum's opening in 1986.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées   is a street in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Champs-Élysées is arguably the most famous street—and one of the most expensive strips of real estate—in the world.[1] Several French monuments are also on the street, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. The name is French for Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed dead in Greek mythology. According to a much used description, the Champs-Élysées isla plus belle avenue du monde ("the most beautiful avenue in the world"). 

The Panthéon   is a building in the Latin Quarter in Paris. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve and to house the reliquary châsse containing her relics but, after many changes, now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens. It is an early example of neoclassicism, with a façade modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, surmounted by a dome that owes some of its character toBramante's "Tempietto". Located in the 5th arrondissement on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, the Panthéon looks out over all of Paris. Designer Jacques-Germain Soufflot had the intention of combining the lightness and brightness of the gothic cathedral with classical principles, but its role as a mausoleum required the great Gothic windows to be blocked.

LONDON

LONDON

London   is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, and the largest city, urban zone and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and    located on the River Thames. London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium . Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region   and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly. 

London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence.  It is the world's leading financial centre . London has been described as a world cultural capital.  It is the world's most-visited city measured by international arrivals and has the world's largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe.  In 2012, London became the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times. 

London has a diverse range of peoples and cultures.   London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church; and the historic settlement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory marks the Prime Meridian, 0° longitude, and GMT). Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge  etc.  London is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library and 40 West End theatres.  The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world and completed 150 years of operations on 10 January 2013. 

ATTRACTION

London is a popular centre for tourism, one of its prime industries, employing the equivalent of 350,000 full-time workers in 2003,  while annual expenditure by tourists is around £15 billion. London attracts over 14 million international visitors per year, making it Europe's most visited city.  London attracts 27 million overnight-stay visitors every year.  The ten most-visited attractions in London are:

• Buckingham Palace 

• Tower Bridge 

• Big Ben 

• St Paul's Cathedral

• The British Museum 

• The Natural History Museum 

• The London Eye 

• Madame Tussauds  

• Greenwich

• Piccadilly Circus 

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and principal workplace of the British monarch.  Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focus for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705 on a site which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was subsequently acquired by George III in 1761  as a private residence for Queen Charlotte, and known as "The Queen's House". During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, forming three wings around a central courtyard. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the East front which contains the well-known balcony on which the royal family traditionally congregates to greet crowds outside. However, the palace chapel was destroyed by a German bomb in World War II; the Queen's Gallery was built on the site and opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection.

  Many smaller reception rooms are furnished in the Chinese regency style with furniture and fittings brought from the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and from Carlton House. The Buckingham Palace Garden is the largest private garden in London.

The state rooms, used for official and state entertaining, are open to the public each year for most of August and September, as part of the Palace's Summer Opening.

Tower Bridge (built 1886–1894) is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name.  It has become an iconic symbol of London.

The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. The bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee. Originally it was painted a mid greenish-blue colour. 

Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is the next bridge upstream.

The nearest London Underground station is Tower Hill on the Circle and District lines, and the nearest Docklands Light Railway station is Tower Gateway. 

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower,  officially named the Elizabeth Tower, as well. Elizabeth Tower holds the largest four-aced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower. It celebrated its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009, during which celebratory events took place.  The tower was completed in 1858 and has become one of the most prominent symbols of both London and England, often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.

St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604.   The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London, with its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, dominating the skyline for 300 years.  St Paul's Cathedral occupies a significant place in the national identity of the English population.     Important services held at St Paul's include the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill; Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer, the launch of the Festival of Britain and the thanksgiving services for the Golden Jubilee, the 80th Birthday and the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. St Paul's Cathedral is a busy working church, with hourly prayer and daily services.

The British Museum is a museum in London dedicated to human history and culture. Its permanent collection, numbering some eight million works,  is amongst the largest and most comprehensive in existence  and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present. 

The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane . Its expansion over the following two and a half centuries was largely a result of an expanding British colonial footprint and has resulted in the creation of several branch institutions, the first being the British Museum (Natural History) in South Kensington in 1887. Some objects in the collection, most notably the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, are the objects of intense controversy and of calls for restitution to their countries of origin.

Until 1997, when the British Library (previously centred on the Round Reading Room) moved to a new site, the British Museum was unique in that it housed both a national museum of antiquities and a national library in the same building. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and as with all other national museums in the United Kingdom it charges no admission fee, except for loan exhibitions. 

The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England (the others are the Science Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum). Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road. The museum is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 

Although commonly referred to as the Natural History Museum, it was officially known as British Museum (Natural History) until 1992, despite legal separation from the British Museum in 1963.

The museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 70 million items within five main collections:

Botany, Entomology,Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology. The museum is a world-renowned centre of research, specialising in taxonomy, identification and conservation. Given the age of the institution, many of the collections have great historical as well as scientific value, such as specimens collected by Darwin. The Natural History Museum Library contains extensive books, journals, manuscripts, and artwork collections linked to the work and research of the scientific departments. Access to the library is by appointment only.

The museum is particularly famous for its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons, and ornate architecture — sometimes dubbed a cathedral of nature— both exemplified by the large 

Like other publicly funded national museums in the United Kingdom, the Natural History Museum does not charge an admission fee.

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames in London, England. The entire structure is 135 metres tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres .

It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually.  It is the 20th tallest structure in London and offers the highest public viewing point in the city, although this will be superseded by The Shard skyscraper viewing deck when it opens to the public in February 2013.

The London Eye, or Millennium Wheel, was officially called the British Airways London Eye and then the Merlin Entertainments London Eye. Since 20 January 2011, its official name is the EDF Energy London Eye  following a three-year sponsorship deal.

Madame Tussauds  The family themselves pronounce it   is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud and was formerly known as "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used.  Madame Tussauds is a major tourist attraction in London, displaying waxworks of historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars and infamous murderers.

Greenwich  is a district of south-east London, England, located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich .Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time. The town became the site of a royal palace, the Palace of Placentia from the 15th century, and was the birthplace of many in the House of Tudor, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War and was rebuilt as the Royal Naval Hospital for Sailors by Sir Christopher Wren and his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor. These buildings became the Royal Naval College in 1873, and they remained an establishment for military education until 1998 when they passed into the hands of the Greenwich Foundation.  

Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly. In this context, a circus, from the Latin word meaning "circle", is a round open space at a street junction.  

 Its status as a major traffic intersection has made Piccadilly Circus a busy meeting place and a tourist attraction in its own right. The Circus is particularly known for its video display and neon signs mounted on the corner building on the northern side, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue of the Greek god Anteros   . It is surrounded by several noted buildings, including the London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre. Directly underneath the plaza is Piccadilly Circus tube station, part of the London Underground system.

NAIROBI

NAIROBI

Nairobi  is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyrobi, which translates to "cold water". The phrase is also the Maasai name of the Nairobi river, which in turn lent its name to the city. However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is surrounded by several expanding villa suburbs. Residents of Nairobi are known as Nairobians.

Founded by the British in 1899 as a simple rail depot on the railway linking Mombasa to Uganda, the town quickly grew to become the capital of British East Africa in 1907, and eventually the capital of a free Kenyan republic in 1963. During Kenya's colonial period, the city became a centre for the colony's coffee, tea and sisal industry. Nairobi city is also the capital of the Nairobi Province and Nairobi District. The city lies on the Nairobi River, in the south of the nation and has an elevation of 1795 m above sea-level. 

Nairobi is the most populous city in East Africa, with a current estimated population of about 3 million. Nairobi is now one of the most prominent cities in Africa both politically and financially. Home to thousands of Kenyan businesses and over 100 major international companies and organizations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the main coordinating and headquarters for the UN in Africa & Middle East, the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON), Nairobi is an established hub for business and culture. The Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) is one of the largest in Africa and the second oldest exchange on the continent. It is ranked 4th in terms of trading volume and capable of making 10 million trades a day. The Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC) defines Nairobi as a prominent social center.

MAIN ATTRACTION IN NAIROBI

Nairobi National Park -  Nairobi is not a prime tourist destination, but it does have several tourist attractions. The most famous is the Nairobi National Park. The national park is unique in being the only game-reserve of this nature to border a capital city, or any major city. The park contains many animals including lions, giraffes, and black rhinos. The park is home to over 400 species of birds. The Nairobi Safari Walk is a major attraction to the Nairobi National Park as it offers a rare on-foot experience of the animals.  Nairobi is home to several museums, sites, and monuments. 

The Nairobi National Museum is the country's National Museum and largest in the city. It houses a large collection of artifacts portraying Kenya's rich heritage through history, nature, culture, and contemporary art. It also includes the full remains of a homo erectus popularly known as the Turkana boy.  

The Nairobi Railway Museum is a railway museum in Nairobi, Kenya, adjacent to Nairobi railway station. Containing exhibits from the defunct East African Railways, it was opened in 1971 by East African Railways and Harbours Corporation. It is today operated by Kenya Railways.The museum has maintained its rail connection. This allows for the efficient movement of museum exhibits for maintenance etc. It also allows additions to the collection to be easily placed on site. The three operational* steam locomotives are stored securely under cover within the main railway works. Visitors must request an appointment to view them. These three steam locomotives are used occasionally on tourist excursions within the metro Nairobi area and to Naivasha and Konza. The museum's collection of locomotives is increasing with the addition of some early diesel locomotives and, examples of passenger coaches.  

Uhuru gardens - The gardens are home to Nairobi's largest memorial to the struggle for Independence. The Uhuru monument is built on the spot where freedom (Uhuru) from British rule was declared at midnight on December 12th, 1963. The column of the Uhuru monument stands 24 meters high and supports a pair of clasped hands as well as the dove of peace. The column is over the statue of a group of freedom fighters raising the flag. Uhuru Gardens has a musical fountain and a viewing platform. In 2003, Uhuru Gardens was the site of a public destruction of arms. This symbolic ceremony took place on the third anniversary of the signature of the Nairobi Declaration on Small Arms and Light Weapons.

The Parliament House in Nairobi is most recognized by its clock tower. The Parliamentary buildings were built in the 1950's. The motto over the main door reads: "For a just society and the fair government of men". Parliament is open to the public, the guards at the gate will tell you when the next session takes places so you can visit the public gallery. Tours of the buildings are also available by registering at the gatehouse and a tour guide will be assigned. Directly beside Parliament is the respectfully landscaped Mausoleum of Jomo Kenyatta, Republic of Kenya's First President.

Riuki Cultural Center - Riuki Cultural Center is a traditional Kenyan village. Riuki provides information and practices relating to the traditional life styles, architecture, food, culture and dances of the Kikuyu. The Kikuyu are the largest community in Kenya. Culture at Riuki is presented through lectures, story telling and theatrical presentations. Activities offered at the Riuki Cultural Center include a guided tour of the homestead, doctor cleansing ceremonies, traditional food and drink tasting, dances, and a lecture on traditional lifestyle. Visitors are greeted by a group of elders and are welcomed in true Kikuyu style, with an invitation to drink from a horn filled with Muratina, a locally brewed drink.

Nairobi's night life is very popular with tourists, both young and old. From a collection of gourmet restaurants offering local and international cuisine, Nairobi has something to offer to every age and pocket. For those more discerning travellers, one can choose from a wide array of local cuisine, Mediterranean, fast food, Ethiopian, and Arabian. The most popular clubbing spots are centred in upmarket Westlands which has come to be known as "Electric Avenue", Karen, Langata, Hurlingham, and "uptown" venues in the city centre. 

MADRID

Madrid   is the capital and largest city of Spain.  The city is located on the Manzanares river. As the capital city of Spain, seat of government, and residence of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the political, economic and cultural centre of Spain.  

The Madrid’s influences in  education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, culture, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.  Due to its economic output, high standard of living, and market size, Madrid is considered the major financial centre of Southern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. Madrid is the most touristic city of Spain, the third in the EU, the fourth-most touristic of the continent, and the seventh in the world according to Forbes.

Madrid houses the headquarters of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), belonging to the United Nations Organization (UN).

While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets. Its landmarks include the Royal Palace of Madrid; the Teatro Real (Royal theatre) with its restored 1850 Opera House; the Buen Retiro Park, founded in 1631; the 19th-century National Library building (founded in 1712) containing some of Spain's historical archives; a large number of National museums,  and the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising three art museums: Prado Museum, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which completes the shortcomings of the other two museums.  Cibeles Palace and Fountain have become the monument symbol of the city.

MAJOR TOURIST ATTARCTIONS

 The Plaza de Cibeles is a square with a neo-classical complex of marble sculptures with fountains that has become an iconic symbol for the city of Madrid. It sits at the intersection of Calle de Alcalá (running from east to west), Paseo de Recoletos (to the North) and Paseo del Prado (to the south). Plaza de Cibeles was originally named Plaza de Madrid, but in 1900, the City Council named it Plaza de Castelar, which was eventually replaced by its current name. In the years Cibeles Palace and her fountain have become symbolic monuments of the city.

  

The Royal Palace is not the official residence of His Majesty the King of Spain, that is the Zarzuela Palace outside Madrid, though official banquets, state ceremonies and other important state events do take place here. In Spanish it is sometimes incorrectly called "Palacio de Oriente"by confusion with the "Plaza de Oriente", the square which is on the East (Oriental) side of the palace.

The origin of the palace dates from the ninth century when the Muslim kingdom of Toledo built a defense that was later used by the kings of Castilla, which in the sixteenth century, they built the old Palace. The Royal Palace, is built on the site of the old Alcázar which was destroyed by fire on Christmas Eve 1734. King Felipe V decided to build a palace for his Borbon dynasty. The Italian Filippo Juvara was selected to design the new palace and his plans were to create a grand palace along the lines of France’s Versailles. All construction was vaulted in stone and brick, not wood, so that any fire could destroy it. The works were carried out between 1738 and 1755, Carlos III established his residence there in 1764. 

The Prado Museum is renowned as being the largest art gallery in the world. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions. It also exhibits sculptures, drawings, coins and other works of arts, but it is undoubtedly its large collection of paintings which has given it fame worldwide. It houses more than 8,600 paintings, of which they exhibit less than 2,000 because of lack of space available. Many museums throughout the world have less artistic riches in their halls than the Prado Museum has in storage. 

The present day art gallery comes from the royal collections of the old Trinidad Museum, as well as acquisitions, donations and bequests. 

Its history began during the reign of Charles III, when he tried to create a single art collection under one roof. But it was not until the reign of Fernando VII when the Royal Museum of Painting and Sculpture was created, on 19th November 1819. The kings death caused inheritance problems and endangered the unity of the collection, but with the disappearance of the monarchy in Spain the museum became national property and became known as the Prado National Museum. 

Queen Sofía National Museum - On the 10th September 1990, the King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía inaugurated the Queen Sofía National Museum with a permanent collection which came to substitute the Spanish Museum of Contemporary Art. When it opened its doors, it stood as a modern, contemporary Spanish museum on an international scale. Nevertheless, its building has gone through many challenges in order to achieve this goal. To date, the artistic ground exhibited there has been constantly growing. Perhaps it was the transferring of Picasso's "Guernica" to the Queen Sofía for its permanent collection, which was the decisive milestone in it now being considered one of the most important contemporary art museums in the world.  The Queen Sofía Museum program is based on a redefinition of the function of museums, on an alternative to the institution's historical models. Conceived to be a place that generates opportunities for sociability and discussion in the public sphere.

The Santa Ana Square itself is located just a short walk from both the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol. It is also possible to walk to Madrid's main museums from here, making this area an ideal location to stay in the city. The square was originally the site of the Convent of Santa Ana, founded in 1586 but demolished during the reign of José I Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother), in 1810. In its place, the Square was created around 1848.

Today, it is a wonderful place to just sit and watch the passers-by, to take a refreshing drink at one of the open-air terrace cafes or breweries. It is one of Madrid's most lively and vibrant areas, with hundreds of tapas bars, terrace cafes, pubs and restaurants.


The Santa Cruz Palace or Palace of Holy Cross is a baroque building in the center of Madrid. It now houses the foreign ministry or "Asuntos Exteriores". It was used as a jail until the reign of Philip IV of Spain, when it was converted into a palace. It was built between 1629 and 1643 by Juan Bautista Crescendi. The palace originally served as the royal prison. Many waited here for the verdict of the infamous Spanish Inquisition. For most of them the next step was execution at the Plaza Mayor. Later other architects like José de Villareal or Bartolomé Hurtado García added elements. The palace, inspired by the classic Italian and Spanish architecture, is rectangular, has two symmetrical interior square yards, in addition to organizing space, allowing ventilation and natural light to enter, being separated by a central axis that makes both distributor and access to the building.

 The Victory Arch (popularly known as Moncloa Gate)  to have some similarity to the Alcalá Gate is a triumphal arch built between the period since 1950 to 1956. It's a commemorative work urban rebel army's victory in the race suffered during the Spanish Civil War in the Battle of Ciudad Universitaria. The Arch is located in one of Madrid's main entrances (on the road to "A Coruña"), in the center of the so-called Arco de la Victoria Avenue, in the district of Moncloa.

The Arc has   height of 40 meters. The Arc has some Latin inscriptions recalling the victory and the construction of the new University City after the armed conflict that destroyed it.

 Debod Temple is an ancient Egyptian temple which was rebuilt in Madrid, Spain.
The temple was built originally 15 Km south of Aswan (southern Egypt), very close to the first cataract of the Nile and to the great religious center dedicated to the goddess Isis, in Philae. In the early 2nd century BC, Adikhalamani (Tabriqo), the Kushite king of Meroë, started its construction by building a small single room chapel dedicated to the god Amun. It was built and decorated on a similar design to the later Meroitic chapel on which the Temple of Dakka is based. From the harbor, a long processional way leads to the stone-built enclosure wall, through three stone pylon gateways and finally to the temple itself. The pranaos, which had four columns with composite capitals collapsed in 1868, and is now lost. Behind it lay the original sanctuary of Amun, the offering table room and a later sanctuary with several side-rooms and stairs to the roof.

In 1960, due to the construction of the Great Dam of Aswan and the consequent threat posed to several monuments and archeological sites, UNESCO made an international call to save this rich historical legacy. As a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the temples of Abu Simbel, the Egyptian state donated the temple of Debod to Spain in 1968.
The Atocha Station is the largest railway station in Madrid (and Spain). It is the primary station serving commuter trains, intercity and regional trains from the south, and the AVE high speed trains from Barcelona, Seville and Valencia. At this site, Madrid's first railway station was inaugurated on 9 February 1851. After the building was largely destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt and reopened in 1892. The name Atocha has become attached to the station because of the nearby basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Atocha. The train platforms were partly covered by a roof in the form of inverted hull with a height of approximately 27 meters and length of 157 meters. The steel and glass roof spreads between two brick flanking buildings.

JERUSALEM

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, though not internationally recognized as such.  Located in the Judean Mountains, between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern edge of the Dead Sea, modern Jerusalem has grown far beyond the boundaries of the Old City.

Jerusalem is a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions— Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In Judaism, Jerusalem has been the holiest city since, according to the Biblical Old Testament, King David of Israel first established it as the capital of the United Kingdom of Israel in c. 1000 BCE, and his son Solomon commissioned the building of the First Temple in the city. In Christianity, Jerusalem has been a holy city since, according to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified in c.33 C.E., and 300 years later Saint Helena identified the pilgrimage sites of Jesus' life. In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city. It became the first Qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (Salah) in 610 CE, and, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later. As a result, and despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometres (0.35 sq mi),  the Old City is home to sites of key religious importance, among them the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.

During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice,  attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. The oldest part of the city was settled in the 4th millennium BCE, making Jerusalem one of the oldest cities in the world. The old walled city, a World Heritage site, has been traditionally divided into four quarters, although the names used today—the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters—were introduced in the early 19th century. The Old City was nominated for inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger by Jordan in 1982.

Today, the status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, West Jerusalem was among the areas captured and later annexed by Israel, while East Jerusalem, including the Old City, was captured by Jordan. Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and subsequently annexed it. Currently, Israel's Basic Law refers to Jerusalem as the country's "undivided capital". The international community has rejected the annexation as illegal and treats East Jerusalem as Palestinian territory held by Israel under military occupation. The international community does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and the city hosts no foreign embassies.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 208,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, which is sought by the Palestinian Authority as a future capital of a future Palestinian state.

All branches of the Israeli government are located in Jerusalem, including the Knesset (Israel's parliament), the residences of the Prime Minister and President, and the Supreme Court. Jerusalem is home to the Hebrew University and to the Israel Museum with its Shrine of the Book. The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo has ranked consistently as Israel's top tourist attraction for Israelis.

TOURISM IN JERUSALEM

Jerusalem is the most-visited city with 3.5 million tourist arrivals annually. One of the oldest cities in the world, it is the capital, and largest city of Israel if the area and population of occupied East Jerusalem are included. It is a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions-Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and hosts a myriad of historical, archaeological, religious and sundry other attractions.

East Jerusalem was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-day War and is recognized by the international community as being under Israeli occupation. The newer western part of Jerusalem was built mainly after the creation of Israel in 1948.

Attraction in Jerusalem

               

The Israel Museum  was founded in 1965 as Israel's national museum. It is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram.  The Israel Museum  is the largest museum in Israel. The Museum contains the "shrine of the book" where the dead sea scrolls are kept. It also has a large scale model of Jerusalem in ancient times. It has large archeology and art sections that were renovationed and reopened in 2010.  

  

The Biblical Zoo is one of Israel's most popular tourist sites, in West Jerusalem. It is famous for its collection of wildlife featured in the Hebrew Bible, as well as its success in breeding endangered species. The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo opened in September 1940 as a small "animal corner". The zoo was founded by Aharon Shulov, a professor of zoology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The zoo was administered by a nonprofit corporation with representatives from Hebrew University, the Jerusalem Municipality, and the Israeli Ministries of Tourism and Education. The zoo, renamed the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem, but still called the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo by the general public, opened for a preview period on 28 February 1993. It officially opened on 9 September 1993.

Old City — The atmospheric historical core of Jerusalem surrounded by Ottoman period walls, filled with sites of massive religious signficance and a bustling approach to life.  The Old City is home to several sites of key religious importance: the Temple Mount and its Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, and the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 1981.

 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. The site is recognized as Golgotha  (the Hill of Calvary), where Jesus was crucified, and is said also to contain the place where Jesus was buried (the Sepulchre). The church has been a paramount – and for many Christians the most important – pilgrimage destination since at least the 4th century, as the supposed site of the rebirth of Jesus. Today it also serves as the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, while control of the building is shared between several Christian churches and secular entities in complicated arrangements essentially unchanged for centuries. Today, the church is home to Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. Elsewhere in Jerusalem, as the true place of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection. It is the most holy Christian spot in the world.  

 Qubbat Al-Sakhra (Dome of the Rock) The Dome of the Rock   is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. T he Dome of the Rock is in the centre of a greater Muslim shrine, known as the Haram ash Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), which Muslims believe commemorates Muhammad's miraculous Night Journey into heaven. The structure has been refurbished many times since its initial completion in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik. The site's significance stems from religious traditions regarding the rock, known as the Foundation Stone, at its heart.  It is probably the most known landmark of Jerusalem with its golden dome and octagonal blue walls that are adorned with Arabic calligraphy of Koranic verses. The interior of both the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque are closed to non-Muslims, however, the plaza that they are situated in is open to the public. The Dome of the Rock is also labelled the most amazing Islamic building in the world. Entrance into the mosques on the Temple Mount is granted if a Muslim man/woman asks the guard of the mosques for entrance (they usually ask you to recite a well known Quranic verse to prove you are a Muslim).

 The Jewish Quarter  is one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. The 116,000 square meter area  lies in the southeastern sector of the walled city, and stretches from the Zion Gate in the south, along the Armenian Quarter on the west, up to the Street of the Chain in the north and extends to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount in the east.  The quarter is inhabited by around 2,000.   After being built in 1701, destroyed, rebuilt in 1864, and destroyed in 1948, the Hurva was once again rebuilt, rededicated in 2010.. It still holds many ancient masterpieces such as the Cardo (700 BC), Burnt House (70 AD), and Western Wailing Wall (50 BC). All of which are among the most holy Jewish sites in the world. Definitely worth a visit, especially the western wall. The Jewish Quarter also includes The Western Wall Tunnel and the archaeological park at Davidson Centre (the Ophel).

The City of David  is the oldest settled neighborhood of Jerusalem and a major archaeological site due to recognition as biblical Jerusalem.   It was a walled city in the Bronze Age and, according to tradition, it is the place where King David built his palace and established his capital. The City of David was naturally defended by the Tyropoeon Valley on its west, the Hinnom valley to the south, and the Kidron Valley on the east; although over time the once-steep valley to the west has been largely filled in. In the ancient pred-Israelite period, the City of David was separated from the Temple Mount by the Ophel, an uninhabited area which became the seat of government under Israelite rule .Although there is currently both Muslim and Jewish housing in the area, archeological digs are ongoing under many of the homes and it is proposed to make the entire ridge into an archaeological park.

The Western Wall, is located in the Old City of Jerusalem. Commonly believed to have been constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the Great, but recent excavations indicate that the works were not finished during Herod's lifetime. The remaining layers were added from the 7th century onwards.  It has been a site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage for centuries; the earliest source mentioning Jewish attachment to the site dates back to the 4th century. From the mid-19th century onwards, attempts to purchase rights to the wall and its immediate area were made by various Jews, but none was successful. With the rise of the Zionist movement in the early 20th century, the wall became a source of friction between the Jewish community and the Muslim religious leadership, who were worried that the wall was being used to further Jewish nationalistic claims to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. Outbreaks of violence at the foot of the wall became commonplace and an international commission was convened in 1930 to determine the rights and claims of Muslims and Jews in connection with the wall. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the wall came under Jordanian control and Jews were barred from the site for 19 years until Israel captured the Old City in 1967 and three days later bulldozed the 800 year old Moroccan Quarter for easier access to the wall.

HONGKONG

  Hong Kong  is a special administrative region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is situated on China's south coast and, enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea,  it is known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a land mass of 1,104 km2   and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Hong Kong's population is 95 percent ethnic Chinese and 5 percent from other groups.
Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). Originally confined to Hong Kong Island, the colony's boundaries were extended in stages to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and then the New Territories in 1898. It was occupied by Japan during the Pacific War, after which the British resumed control until 1997, when China resumed sovereignty.  The region espoused minimum government intervention under the ethos of positive non-interventionism during the colonial era.  The time period greatly influenced the current culture of Hong Kong, often described as "East meets West", and the educational system, which used to loosely follow the system in England  until reforms implemented in 2009.
 As one of the world's leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade, and the currency is Hong Kong dollar, it is the eighth most traded currency in the world.  The lack of space caused demand for denser constructions, which developed the city to a centre for modern architecture and the world's most vertical city.  Hong Kong has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.  The dense space also led to a highly developed  transportation  network with public transport travelling rate exceeding 90 percent, the highest in the world.  Hong Kong has numerous high international rankings in various aspects. For instance, its economic freedom, financial and economic competitiveness, quality of life, corruption exception, Human Development Index, etc., are all ranked highly.  According to both UN and WHO estimates, Hong Kong has the longest life expectancy of any country in the world from 2012.

The tourism industry has been an important part of the economy of Hong Kong since it shifted to a service sector model in the late 1980s and early 90s. There has been a sharp increase of tourists from Mainland China, due to the introduction of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) in 2003.
Almost any of the districts of Hong Kong can be considered a tourist destination. The following locations are areas generally marked as main attractions:
• Avenue of Stars
• Victoria Peak 
• Ladies' Market
• Hong Kong Disneyland Resort 
• Ocean Park Hong Kong 
• Temple Street 
• The Clock Tower 

The Avenue of Stars modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It honours celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry. The avenue was open to the general public on 28 April 2004 with an opening ceremony held the previous day, 27 April 2004.It is the efforts of Hong Kong’s movie industry over the past century, many in Asia and farther afield are familiar with the city’s sights before they’ve even set foot here. The Avenue of Stars pays tribute to the names that helped make Hong Kong the ‘Hollywood of the East’, while giving visitors a panoramic view of the city’s most  iconic sight: its glorious skyline, dramatically set against  the peak. With commemorative plaques, celebrity handprints, descriptive milestones, movie memorabilia, a life-size statue of kung fu action hero Bruce Lee and a bronze rendering of popular cartoon character McDull, the Avenue of Stars fittingly sets the glamour of Hong Kong’s film industry.

 Victoria Peak  is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island. With an altitude of 552 m (1,811 ft), it is the highest mountain on the island proper, but not in the entirety of Hong Kong, an honour which belongs to Tai Mo Shan. The actual summit of Victoria Peak is occupied by a radio telecommunications facility and is closed to the public. However, the surrounding area of public parks and high-value residential land is the area that is normally meant by the name The Peak. It is a major tourist attraction which offers views over Central, Victoria Harbour, Lamma Island and the surrounding islands.
With some seven million visitors every year, the Peak is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. It offers spectacular views of the city and its harbours. The number of visitors led to the construction of two major leisure and shopping centres, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria, situated adjacent to each other. The Peak Tower incorporates the upper station of the Peak Tram, the funicular railway that brings passengers up from the St. John's Cathedral in Hong Kong's Central district, whilst the Peak Galleria incorporates the bus station used by the Hong Kong public buses and green minibuses on the Peak. There are several restaurants on Victoria Peak, most of which are located in the two shopping centres.

Tung Choi Street is a street situated between Boundary Street and Dundas Street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Its southern section, popularly known as Ladies' Market or Ladies' Street   is one of the most well-known street markets in Hong Kong, where various kinds of products are available for cheap prices (not just for women, as its name suggests). Its northern section, also somewhat well-known, features a market selling goldfish and is called Goldfish Street  or Goldfish Market.

The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort   is a resort built by the Government of Hong Kong and The Walt Disney Company in Hong Kong on reclaimed land beside Penny's Bay, at the northeastern tip of Lantau Island, approximately two kilometres from Discovery Bay. Officially opened on September 12, 2005, the resort contains the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park, the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel,Disney's Hollywood Hotel, and several retail, dining and entertainment facilities covering 1.3 square kilometres (320 acres) of the island.
The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is the second extension into Asia after the opening of the Tokyo Disney Resort more than 20 years ago. Currently, the Resort is overseen by Managing Director Andrew Kam who reports to Bill Ernest, President and Managing Director, Disney Parks & Resorts, Asia.

Ocean Park Hong Kong, commonly known as Ocean Park, is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park, situated in Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan in the Southern District of Hong Kong. Opened in 1977 by the then Governor of Hong Kong Sir Murray MacLehose, Ocean Park has grown to about 35 attractions and rides. The park has won several awards, including The World's Seventh Most Popular Amusement Park and 33rd Most Visited Tourist Attractions in the World by Forbes.
Ocean Park claims that it received 6.95 million visitors in 2011, awarding it the position of the world's 12th most visited theme park by annual attendance. However, reported attendance for the park's fiscal year 2010/2011 is 5.9 million visitors, placing it behind Hong Kong Disneyland's 5.94 million visitors.
Covering an area of 870,000 square metres (210 acres) of land, the park is separated by a large mountain into two areas, The Summit (Headland) and The Waterfront (Lowland) respectively. The areas can be reached by a 1.5 kilometres   cable car system, a shuttle bus, or the Ocean Express funicular railway. As the Headland comprises several hills, visitors can also opt to take the world's second longest outdoor escalator.
The theme park currently has 20 rides, including four roller coasters, but also houses 11 animal exhibits, such as a giant panda habitat, a jelly fish and Chinese sturgeon aquarium, as well as a four-story aquarium displaying more than 2,000 fish. Between 1979 and 1997, Ocean Park was most famous for its signature killer whale, Miss Hoi Wai.
Besides being an amusement park, Ocean Park Hong Kong also operates observatories, laboratories, an education department, and a Whalesand Dolphins Fund.
Ocean Park Hong Kong was the first institution in the world to have success in artificial insemination of bottlenose dolphins, and developed numerous new breeds of goldfish.

Temple Street is a street located in the areas of Jordan and Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is known for its night market and one of the busiest flea markets at night in the territory. The night market is in the Yau Ma Tei, Jordan part of the street and not the Mong Kok part of the street. Popular with tourists and locals alike in the evening, it is common to see the place crowded at dusk. It sells cheap merchandise and food items. The place is sometimes known as Men's Street. The market starts at 2 p.m. in the afternoon, but is lively at dusk daily. Traffic is closed on the street at that time, and visitors swarm into the street. There are more than a hundred stalls with colourful lights in the market. There are carts bulging with goods from clothing to mobile phones and watches. Stalls have items mainly for men, jeans, t-shirts, pants, lighters, shoes,   and men's accessories. Cheap merchandise is common in the night market. Cheap second hand goods such as cassettes, video tapes, old  newspapers,  antiques are also sold there. Like in other night markets in South East Asia, prices can always be negotiated by bargaining.
If one has to buy merchandise in Temple Street, one has to hunt for shops hidden in streets behind the stalls rather than looking in the stall themselves. This is one of the uniqueness of Temple Street Night Market.

The Clock Tower is a landmark in Hong Kong. It is located on the southern shore of Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is the only remnant of the original site of the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton Railway. Officially named Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower, it is usually referred to as the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower   for its location.
Built out of red bricks and granite, the Clock Tower peaks at 44 metres, and is topped by a 7-metre lightning rod. The top of the tower can be reached by a wooden staircase located within. The interior of Clock Tower had previously been open for visit, but is currently closed for maintenance. The clock tower is located near Victoria Harbour at the foot of Salisbury Road. Another landmark, the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, is located nearby. The tower has been listed as a declared monument in Hong Kong since 1990.