Page 20 - INSIDE ACCESS NOVEMBER 2ND EDITION

MY TOP 5 PICKS
Baalbek, Lebanon
One of the wonders of the ancient world, the Roman archeological site of Baalbek – a place that, in the words of Robert Byron, “dwarfs New York into a home of ants” – holds awe-inspiring temples, porticoes, courtyards and palatial stone stairways. The Greeks and Romans called it Heliopolis, “The City of the Sun”, a name it shares with another great Classical city in Egypt – but this phenomenal site has no equals.
Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE
Dubai is a desert turned Disney. What was once a sleepy fishing village is now a futuristic cybercity, with sparkling skyscrapers, shopping malls, water parks, golf courses and hotels so flashy that Elton John would be proud to call them home. The iconic Burj Al Arab is a striking 28-storey symbol of new-world bling. One of the tallest hotels in the world, the gleaming building is built on an artificial island, 280m from the mainland, and is shaped like a huge billowing sail.
Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico
Rising like a giant fist above the valleys of Oaxaca, magical, mystical Monte Albán is above all, a statement of power. The Zapotecs built their city far from the valleys and without any natural water supply to emphasize their dominance of their people, and nature itself. What remains today is just the very centre of the site – the religious and political heart – and until you reach the top, it's impossible to appreciate the sheer audacity of this place.
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, India
The great temples of the Chola dynasty utterly dominate most major towns in Tamil Nadu. For sheer scale and intensity, though, none outstrips the one dedicated to the fish-eyed goddess, Shri Meenakshi, and her consort, Sundareshwara, in Madurai. Peaking at 46m, the towers taper skywards like elongated, stepped pyramids, their surfaces writhing with an anarchic jumble of deities, demons, warriors, curvaceous maidens, pot-bellied dwarves and sprites – all rendered in Disney-bright colours.
PAGE 20 INSIDE ACCESS | NOVEMBER 2020 2ND EDITION
Contributed by Lota Anadu