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90-558: The unfinished obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk and is located in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan , Egypt . It was studied in detail by Reginald Engelbach in 1922. The obelisk and wider quarry were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 along with other examples of Upper Egyptian architecture, as part of the " Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae " (despite

180-405: A Buddha . Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace. Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism : monasteries ( viharas ), places to venerate relics ( stupas ), and shrines or prayer halls ( chaityas , also called chaitya grihas ), which later came to be called temples in some places. The pagoda is an evolution of

270-543: A Darbar Sahib where the Guru Granth Sahib is seen and a Langar where people can eat free food. A gurdwara may also have a library, nursery, and classroom. The temple-building tradition of Mesopotamia derived from the cults of gods and deities in the Mesopotamian religion . It spanned several civilizations; from Sumerian , Akkadian , Assyrian , and Babylonian . The most common temple architecture of Mesopotamia

360-645: A 9-ton obelisk. Finally in August–September ;1999, after learning from their experiences, they were able to erect one successfully. First Hopkins and Rais Abdel Aleem organized an experiment to tow a block of stone weighing about 25 tons. They prepared a path by embedding wooden rails into the ground and placing a sledge on them bearing a megalith weighing about 25 tons. Initially they used more than 100 people to try to tow it but were unable to budge it. Finally, with well over 130 people pulling at once and an additional dozen using levers to prod

450-672: A century before the advent of Reform, and many continued to do so after. In American parlance, temple is often synonymous with synagogue , but especially non-Orthodox ones. The term kenesa , from the Aramaic for 'assembly', is used to describe the places of worship of Karaite Jews . Example of such temple is the Sofia Synagogue , Bulgaria the largest synagogue in Southeastern Europe and third-largest in Europe . The word temple

540-499: A guide that enabled them to pull away from the river while they were towing it onto the barge. The barge was successfully launched into the Nile. The final and successful erection event was organized by Rick Brown, Hopkins, Lehner and Gregg Mullen in a Massachusetts quarry. The preparation work was done with modern technology, but experiments have proven that with enough time and people, it could have been done with ancient technology. To begin,

630-449: A name). The form and function of temples are thus very variable, though they are often considered by believers to be, in some sense, the "house" of one or more deities . Typically, offerings of some sort are made to the deity, and other rituals are enacted, and a special group of clergy maintain and operate the temple. The degree to which the whole population of believers can access the building varies significantly; often parts, or even

720-435: A turning groove which would prevent it from sliding. They used brake ropes to prevent it from going too far. Such turning grooves had been found on the ancient pedestals. Gravity did most of the work until the final 15° had to be completed by pulling the obelisk forward. They used brake ropes again to make sure it did not fall forward. On 12 September they completed the project. This experiment has been used to explain how

810-536: Is templom , also deriving from the same Latin root. Spanish distinguishes between the temple being the physical building for religious activity, and the church being both the physical building for religious activity and also the congregation of religious followers. The principal words typically used to distinguish houses of worship in Western Christian architecture are abbey , basilica , cathedral , chapel and church . The Catholic Church has used

900-432: Is tserkov , the term khram ( Храм ), 'temple', is used to refer to the church building as a temple of God ( Khram Bozhy ). The words church and temple , in this case are interchangeable; however, the term church ( Ancient Greek : ἐκκλησία ) is far more common. The term temple ( Ancient Greek : ναός ) is also commonly applied to larger churches. Some famous churches which are referred to as temples include

990-664: Is a cartouche in Latin which reads "this temple (...) was constructed by king Oscar II." Beginning in the late eighteenth century, following the Enlightenment , some Protestant denominations in France and elsewhere began to use the word temple to distinguish these spaces from Catholic churches. Evangelical and other Protestant churches make use of a wide variety of terms to designate their worship spaces, such as church, tabernacle or temple. Additionally some breakaway Catholic churches such as

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1080-544: Is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called tekhenu , the Greeks used the Greek term obeliskos to describe them, and this word passed into Latin and ultimately English . Though William Thomas used the term correctly in his Historie of Italie of 1549, by the late sixteenth century (after reduced contact with Italy following

1170-460: Is also still widespread in the Islamic world . Modern obelisks have also been used in surveying as boundary markers . In late summer 1999, Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner teamed up with a NOVA crew to erect a 25-ton obelisk. This was the third attempt to erect a 25-ton obelisk; the first two, in 1994 and 1999, ended in failure. There were also two successful attempts to raise a 2-ton obelisk and

1260-601: Is an Indonesian term to refer to ancient temples. Before the rise of Islam, between the 5th to 15th centuries, Dharmic faiths (Hinduism and Buddhism) were the majority in the Indonesian archipelago, especially in Java and Sumatra . As a result, numerous Hindu temples, locally known as candi , were constructed and dominated the landscape of Java. The candi architecture follows the typical Indonesian architectural traditions based on Vastu Shastra . The temple layout, especially in

1350-538: Is the 68-foot (20.7 m) 120- metric-ton (130- short-ton ) red granite Obelisk of Senusret I of the Twelfth Dynasty at Al-Matariyyah in modern Heliopolis . In Egyptian mythology , the obelisk symbolized the sun god Ra , and during the religious reformation of Akhenaten it was said to have been a petrified ray of the Aten , the sundisk. Benben was the mound that arose from the primordial waters Nu upon which

1440-465: Is the structure of sun-baked bricks called a ziggurat , having the form of a terraced step pyramid with a flat upper terrace where the shrine or temple stood. Ancient Egyptian temples were meant as places for the deities to reside on earth. Indeed, the term the Egyptians most commonly used to describe the temple building, ḥwt-nṯr , means 'mansion (or enclosure) of a god'. A god's presence in

1530-588: Is used frequently in the tradition of Eastern Christianity ; particularly the Eastern Orthodox Church , where the principal words used for houses of worship are temple and church . The use of the word temple comes from the need to distinguish a building of the church vs. the church seen as the Body of Christ. In the Russian language (similar to other Slavic languages ), while the general-purpose word for 'church'

1620-615: The Ajanta Caves and the Ellora Caves ( Maharashtra ). The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar is another well-known example. As Buddhism spread, Buddhist architecture diverged in style, reflecting the similar trends in Buddhist art. Building form was also influenced to some extent by the different forms of Buddhism in the northern countries, practising Mahayana Buddhism in the main and in

1710-624: The Baháʼí Faith (which are often simply referred to as Baháʼí House of Worship ), Taoism (which are sometimes called Daoguan ), Shinto (which are often called Jinja ), Confucianism (which are sometimes called the Temple of Confucius ). Religions whose places of worship are generally not called "temples" in English include Christianity , which has churches , Islam with mosques , and Judaism with synagogues (although some of these use "temple" as

1800-899: The Boboli obelisk which had decorated the temple of Isis, where it was uncovered in the 16th century. The Medici claimed it for the Villa Medici , but in 1790 they moved it to the Boboli Gardens attached to the Palazzo Pitti in Florence , and left a replica in its place. Not all the Egyptian obelisks in the Roman Empire were set up at Rome: Herod the Great imitated his Roman patrons and set up an obelisk, Caesarea obelisk , made out of Egyptian red granite in

1890-586: The Central Java period, incorporated mandala temple plan arrangements and also the typical high towering spires of Hindu temples. The candi was designed to mimic Meru , the holy mountain and the abode of the gods. In contemporary Indonesian Buddhist perspective, candi refers to a shrine, either ancient or new. Several contemporary viharas in Indonesia, for example, contain an actual-size replica or reconstruction of famous Buddhist temples, such as

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1980-597: The Dome of the Rock ( c.  690 CE ). The Greek word synagogue came into use to describe Jewish (and Samaritan ) places of worship during Hellenistic times and it, along with the Yiddish term shul , and the original Hebrew term Beit Knesset ('House of meeting') are the terms in most universal usage. Since the 18th century, Jews in Western and Central Europe began to apply

2070-582: The Dravidian style of the south and the Nagara style of the north, with other regional styles. The basic elements of the Hindu temple remain the same across all periods and styles. The most essential feature is the inner sanctuary, the garbhagriha or womb-chamber, where the primary murti or cult image of a deity is housed in a simple bare cell. Around this chamber there are often other structures and buildings, in

2160-741: The Hagia Sophia , Saint Basil's Cathedral , Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia , the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade , Serbia . The word temple has traditionally been rarely used in the English-speaking Western Christian tradition . In Irish , some pre-schism churches use the word teampall . The usual word for church in the Hungarian language

2250-669: The Mariavite Church in Poland have chosen to also designate their central church building as a temple, as in the case of the Temple of Mercy and Charity in Płock . According to Latter Day Saints , in 1832, Joseph Smith received a revelation to restore the practice of temple worship , in a "house of the Lord". The Kirtland Temple was the first temple of the Latter-day Saint movement and

2340-598: The Piazza del Popolo , in 1589. An obelisk stands in front of the church of Trinità dei Monti , at the head of the Spanish Steps . Other notable Egyptian obelisks in Rome are found in Piazza della Minerva , sculpted while being carried on the back of an elephant , Piazza Montecitorio , Piazza della Rotonda , the Baths of Diocletian , and Villa Celimontana . Rome lost one of its obelisks,

2430-721: The Tanakh Beit YHWH , which translates literally as ' YHWH 's House'. In English "temple" is the normal term for them. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the site where the First Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple were built. At the center of the structure was the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could enter. The Temple Mount is now the site of the Islamic edifice,

2520-523: The cartouche of King Aktisanes at the site of Gebel Barkal. Around 30 BCE, Rome seized control of Egypt and looted the various temple complexes; in one case they destroyed walls at the Temple of Karnak to haul them out. There are now more than twice as many obelisks that were seized and shipped out by Rome as remain in Egypt. The majority were dismantled during the Roman period over 1,700 years ago and

2610-449: The hippodrome of his new city Caesarea in northern Judea . This one is about 40 feet (12 m) tall and weighs about 100 metric tons (110 short tons). It was discovered by archaeologists and has been re-erected at its former site. In 357 CE, Emperor Constantius II had two Karnak Temple obelisks removed and transported down the Nile to Alexandria to commemorate his ventennalia ,

2700-578: The quarries of Aswan . Also discovered were some rock carvings and remains that may correspond to the site where most of the famous obelisks were worked. All these quarries in Aswan and the unfinished objects are an open-air museum and are officially protected by the Egyptian government as an archaeological site. Obelisk An obelisk ( / ˈ ɒ b ə l ɪ s k / ; from Ancient Greek ὀβελίσκος ( obelískos ) , diminutive of ὀβελός ( obelós ) ' spit , nail, pointed pillar')

2790-506: The temples . The word "obelisk" as used in English today is of Greek rather than Egyptian origin because Herodotus , the Greek traveler, was one of the first classical writers to describe the objects. A number of ancient Egyptian obelisks are known to have survived, plus the " unfinished obelisk " found partly hewn from its quarry at Aswan . These obelisks are now dispersed around the world, and fewer than half of them remain in Egypt. The earliest temple obelisk still in its original position

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2880-628: The 11th century BCE. The Romans commissioned obelisks in an ancient Egyptian style. Examples include: The prehistoric Tello Obelisk, found in 1919 at Chavín de Huantar in Peru , is a monolith stele with obelisk-like proportions. It is 2.52 metres tall and was carved in a design of low relief with Chavín symbols, such as bands of teeth and animal heads. Long housed in the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú in Lima , it

2970-1171: The 19th and 20th centuries include the Obelisk (1800) in Stockholm , Stone of the Empress (1835) in Helsinki , the Wellington Monument (1861) in Dublin , the Washington Monument (1884) in Washington, D.C. , the Obelisk of Buenos Aires (1936) in Buenos Aires , the Monument to the People's Heroes (1958) in Tiananmen Square , Beijing and the National Monument (1975) in Jakarta . A few, however, continue

3060-797: The 20th year of his reign. Afterward, one was sent to Rome and erected on the spina of the Circus Maximus , and is today known as the Lateran Obelisk. The other one, known as the Obelisk of Theodosius , remained in Alexandria until 390 CE, when Emperor Theodosius I had it transported to Constantinople (now Istanbul ) and put up on the spina of the Hippodrome of Constantinople (now Sultan Ahmet Square). It once stood 95 feet (29 m) tall and weighed 380 metric tons (420 short tons); however, its lower section (which reputedly also once stood in

3150-605: The 23-metre (75 ft) over-250-metric-ton (280-short-ton) Luxor Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France . Obelisks were being shipped out of Egypt as late as the nineteenth century when three of them were sent to London , New York and Paris . Their transportation was covered by various newspapers. Obelisk monuments are also known from the Assyrian civilization, where they were erected as public monuments that commemorated

3240-666: The Basilica's construction, presented the Pope with a little model crane of wood and a heavy little obelisk of lead, which Sixtus himself was able to raise by turning a little winch with his finger. Fontana was given the project. Half-buried in the debris of the ages, it was first excavated as it stood; then it took from 30 April to 17 May 1586 to move it on rollers to the Piazza: it required nearly 1000 men, 140 carthorses, and 47 cranes. The re-erection, scheduled for 14 September,

3330-505: The Emperor Caligula in 37 CE, it has stood at its current site and on the wall of the Circus of Nero , flanking St Peter's Basilica. The elder Pliny in his Natural History refers to the obelisk's transportation from Egypt to Rome by order of the Emperor Gaius (Caligula) as an outstanding event. The barge that carried it had a huge mast of fir wood which four men's arms could not encircle. One hundred and twenty bushels of lentils were needed for ballast. Having fulfilled its purpose,

3420-501: The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross , was watched by a large crowd. It was a famous feat of engineering, which made the reputation of Fontana, who detailed it in a book illustrated with copperplate etchings, Della Trasportatione dell'Obelisco Vaticano et delle Fabriche di Nostro Signore Papa Sisto V (1590), which itself set a new standard in communicating technical information and influenced subsequent architectural publications by its meticulous precision. Before being re-erected

3510-404: The Indian stupas. The initial function of a stupa was the veneration and safe-guarding of the relics of Gautama Buddha . The earliest archaeologically known example of a stupa is the relic stupa located in Vaishali , Bihar in India. In accordance with changes in religious practice, stupas were gradually incorporated into chaitya-grihas (prayer halls). These are exemplified by the complexes of

3600-515: The Indian subcontinent ( India , Bangladesh and Nepal ), Hindu temples have been built in various countries around the world . Either following the historic diffusion of Hinduism across Asia (e.g. ancient stone temples of Cambodia and Indonesia ), or following the migration of the Indian Hindus' diaspora , to Western Europe (esp. Great Britain ), North America (the United States and Canada ), as well as Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, Mauritius and South Africa . Buddhist temples include

3690-512: The Jain temples in South India, which in turn are quite different from Jain temples in West India. Additionally, a manastambha (literally 'column of honor') is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples. A Sikh temple is called a gurdwara, literally the "doorway to the Guru". Its most essential element is the presence of the Guru, Guru Granth Sahib . The gurdwara has an entrance from all sides, signifying that they are open to all without any distinction whatsoever. The gurdwara has

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3780-407: The Middle Nile region. Historical sources mention that king Piye built at least one obelisk. The obelisk was made of local black granite and was found at the site of Kadakol. It had been cut down to make it into a column, presumably for one of the early Christian churches in the area of Old Dongola . Today the obelisk is exhibited in the National Museum in Khartoum . The obelisk is inscribed with

3870-455: The achievements of the Assyrian king. The British Museum possesses four Assyrian obelisks: The White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I (named due to its colour), was discovered by Hormuzd Rassam in 1853 at Nineveh . The obelisk was erected by either Ashurnasirpal I (1050–1031 BCE) or Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BCE). The obelisk bears an inscription that refers to the king's seizure of goods, people and herds, which he carried back to

3960-814: The ancient Americas by a group of people called the Nephites . Though Book of Mormon authors are not explicit about the practices in these Nephite temples, they were patterned "after the manner of the temple of Solomon" ( ) and served as gathering places for significant religious and political events (e.g. Mosiah 1–6; 3rd Nephi 11–26). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a prolific builder of temples. The LDS Church has 367 temples in various phases, which includes 201 dedicated temples (192 operating and 9 previously-dedicated, but closed for renovation ), 3 scheduled for dedication , 48 under construction , 1 scheduled for groundbreaking , and 114 others announced (not yet under construction). Latter-day Saint temples are reserved for performing and undertaking only

4050-497: The ancient Roman religion. In some cases it is hard to determine whether a temple was a building or an outdoor shrine. For temple buildings of the Germanic peoples , the Old Norse term hof is often used. A Zoroastrian temple may also be called a Dar-e-mehr and an Atashkadeh . A fire temple in Zoroastrianism is the place of worship for Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians revere fire in any form, and their temples contains an eternal flame , with Atash Behram (Fire of Victory) as

4140-416: The ancient tradition of the monolithic obelisk. In Rome , the Via della Conciliazione , cleared in 1936–1950 to link Saint Peter's Basilica to the centre of the capital is lined with obelisks serving as lampposts . In France and other European countries, monuments to the dead, such as headstones and grave markers, were very often given a form of obelisks, but they are of more modest size. The practice

4230-729: The base constructed from an elevated platform of earth and stones, most parts of Chinese temples are made of timber carpentry, with parts of brick masonry and glazed ceramics for roofs and tile decorations. Typical Chinese temples have curved overhanging eaves and complicated carpentry of stacked roof construction. Chinese temples are known for their vivid colour and rich decorations. Their roofs are often decorated with mythical beasts, such as Chinese dragons and qilins , and sometimes also Chinese deities. Chinese temples can be found throughout Mainland China and Taiwan , and also where Chinese expatriate communities have settled abroad; thus Chinese temples can be found in Chinatowns worldwide. Candi

4320-401: The building that was marked out on the ground by the augur. Hindu temples are known by many different names, varying on region and language, including Alayam, Mandir , Mandira , Ambalam , Gudi , Kavu , Koil , Kovil , Déul , Raul , Devasthana , Devalaya , Devayatan , Devakula , Devagiriha , Degul , Deva Mandiraya , and Devalayam . Hindu temple architecture is mainly divided into

4410-421: The city of Ashur. The reliefs of the Obelisk depict military campaigns, hunting, victory banquets and scenes of tribute bearing. The Rassam Obelisk, named after its discoverer Hormuzd Rassam , was found on the citadel of Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). It was erected by Ashurnasirpal II, though only survives in fragments. The surviving parts of the reliefs depict scenes of tribute bearing to the king from Syria and

4500-494: The creator god Atum settled in the creation story of the Heliopolitan creation myth form of Ancient Egyptian religion. The Benben stone (also known as a pyramidion ) is the top stone of the Egyptian pyramid. It is also related to the obelisk. Both New York University Egyptologist Patricia Blackwell Gary and Astronomy senior editor Richard Talcott hypothesize that the shapes of the ancient Egyptian pyramid and obelisk were derived from natural phenomena associated with

4590-402: The earth for liquid libations of animal sacrifices, milk, honey, and wine. The building which housed the cult statue or agalma in its cella was located in the center of the temple in Greek architecture, while in Rome, the cella was in the back. Greek temple architecture had a profound influence on ancient architectural traditions. Greco-Roman temples were built facing eastward, utilizing

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4680-451: The empires expanded, the temples grew to monumental size, made out of materials such as stone and marble on raised platforms. While the color has long since faded, The columns would have been painted in white, blue, red, and black. Above the columns would have been a sculpted or painted depiction of a myth or battle, with freestanding sculptures in the pediment triangles. The roofs were tiled and had sculptures of mythical animals or deities on

4770-403: The excommunication of Queen Elizabeth), Shakespeare failed to distinguish between pyramids and obelisks in his plays and sonnets. Ancient obelisks are monolithic and consist of a single stone; most modern obelisks are made of several stones. Obelisks were prominent in the architecture of the ancient Egyptians , and played a vital role in their religion placing them in pairs at the entrance of

4860-442: The feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl or Mesoamerican creation myths , written in the form of hieroglyphs on the rises of the steps of the pyramids, on the walls, and on the sculptures contained within. Notable example include Aztec Acatitlan and Mayan Chichen Itza , Uxmal and Tikal . In Judaism , the ancient Hebrew texts refer to a "sanctuary", "palace" or "hall" for each of the two ancient temples in Jerusalem , called in

4950-423: The founding deity of the city, but also served as civic and social centers. The Temple of Saturn even held the state treasury and treasury offices in its basement. The Romans usually referred to a holy place of a pagan religion as fanum ; in some cases this referred to a sacred grove, in others to a temple. Medieval Latin writers also sometimes used the word templum , previously reserved for temples of

5040-424: The gigantic vessel was no longer wanted. Therefore, filled with stones and cement, it was sunk to form the foundations of the foremost quay of the new harbour at Ostia . Pope Sixtus V was determined to erect the obelisk in front of St Peter's, of which the nave was yet to be built. He had a full-sized wooden mock-up erected within months of his election. Domenico Fontana , the assistant of Giacomo Della Porta in

5130-424: The granite and the project was abandoned. The bottom side of the obelisk is still attached to the bedrock. The unfinished obelisk offers unusual insights into ancient Egyptian stone-working techniques, with marks from workers' tools still clearly visible as well as ochre-colored lines marking where they were working. Besides the unfinished obelisk, an unfinished, partly worked obelisk base was discovered in 2005 at

5220-459: The hearth fire raised to a new solemnity". Chinese temples refer to temples in accordance with Chinese culture , which serve as a house of worship for Chinese faiths, namely Confucianism , Taoism , Buddhism and Chinese folk religion . Chinese temples were born from the age-old religion and tradition of Chinese people since the ancient era of imperial China , thus they are usually built in typical classical Chinese architecture . Other than

5310-408: The highest grade of all, as it combines 16 different types of fire gathered in elaborate rituals. In the Zoroastrian religion, fire ( Atar ), together with clean water ( Aban ), are agents of ritual purity. Clean, white "ash for the purification ceremonies is regarded as the basis of ritual life," which, "are essentially the rites proper to the tending of a domestic fire, for the temple fire is that of

5400-444: The hippodrome) is now lost, reducing the obelisk's size to 65 feet (20 m). The Ancient Romans populated their city with 8 large and 42 small Egyptian obelisks. More have been re-erected elsewhere, and the best-known examples outside Rome are the pair of 21-metre (69 ft) 187-metric-ton (206-short-ton) Cleopatra's Needles in London, England (21 metres or 69 feet), and New York City, US (21 metres or 70 feet), and

5490-427: The kings official titulary: Strong-bull, Appearing-in-Dominion (Thebes), King-of-Upper-and-Lower-Egypt, Two-ladies, Ruler-of-Egypt, Son-of-Rê, Pi(ankh)y: what he made as his monument for his father Amen-Rê, lord of [...] . An obelisk of King Senkamanisken was found at Gebel Barkal in 1916 by the Harvard University Museum of Fine Arts expedition to Sudan . There are remains of another small obelisk inscribed with

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5580-409: The largest cases covering several acres. On the exterior, the garbhagriha is crowned by a tower-like shikhara , also called the vimana in the south. The shrine building may include an ambulatory for parikrama ( circumambulation ), one or more mandapas or congregation halls, and sometimes an antarala antechamber and porch between garbhagriha and mandapa. A Hindu temple is a symbolic house,

5670-415: The most holy and sacred of covenants and special of ordinances . They are distinct from meeting houses and chapels where weekly worship services are held. The temples are built and kept under strict sacredness and are not to be defiled. Thus, strict rules apply for entrance, including church membership and regular attendance. During the open-house period after its construction and before its dedication,

5760-420: The name temple , borrowed from the French where it was used to denote all non-Catholic prayer houses, to synagogues. The term became strongly associated with Reform institutions, in some of which both congregants and outsiders associated it with the elimination of the prayers for the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple, though this was not the original meaning—traditional synagogues named themselves "temple" over

5850-401: The obelisk also possesses a longer inscription that records one of the latest versions of Shalmaneser III's annals, covering the period from his accessional year to his 33rd regnal year. The Broken Obelisk, that was also discovered by Rassam at Nineveh. Only the top of this monolith has been reconstructed in the British Museum. The obelisk is the oldest recorded obelisk from Assyria, dating to

5940-404: The obelisk was exorcised. It is said that Fontana had teams of relay horses to make his getaway if the enterprise failed. When Carlo Maderno came to build the Basilica's nave, he had to put the slightest kink in its axis, to line it precisely with the obelisk. Three more obelisks were erected in Rome under Sixtus V: at Santa Maria Maggiore , in 1587; at the Lateran Basilica, in 1588; and at

6030-423: The obelisk was lying on a gravel and stone ramp. A pit in the middle was filled with dry sand. Previous experiments showed that wet sand would not flow as well. The ramp was secured by stone walls. Men raised the obelisk by slowly removing the sand while three crews of men pulled on ropes to control its descent into the pit. The back wall was designed to guide the obelisk into its proper place. The obelisk had to catch

6120-452: The obelisks may have been erected in Luxor and other locations. It seems to have been supported by a 3,000 year-old papyrus scroll in which one scribe taunts another to erect a monument for "thy lord". The scroll reads "Empty the space that has been filled with sand beneath the monument of thy Lord." To erect the obelisks at Luxor with this method would have involved using over a million cubic meters of stone, mud brick and sand for both

6210-425: The obelisks were sent to different locations. The largest standing and tallest Egyptian obelisk is the Lateran Obelisk in the square at the west side of the Lateran Basilica in Rome at 105.6 feet (32.2 m) tall and a weight of 455 metric tons (502 short tons). More well known is the iconic 25 metres (82 ft), 331-metric-ton (365-short-ton) Vatican obelisk at Saint Peter's Square . Brought to Rome by

6300-426: The only one completed in Smith's lifetime, although the Nauvoo Temple was partially complete at the time of his death . The schisms stemming from a succession crisis have led to differing views about the role and use of temples between various groups with competing succession claims. The Book of Mormon , which Latter Day Saints believe is a companion book of scripture with the Bible, refers to temple building in

6390-633: The quarry site being neither Nubian, nor between Abu Simbel and Philae). Its creation was possibly ordered by Hatshepsut (1508–1458 BC), possibly to complement what would later be known as the Lateran Obelisk (which was originally at Karnak , and was later brought to the Lateran Palace in Rome). The unfinished obelisk is nearly one-third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected. If finished it would have measured around 41.75 metres (137.0 ft) and would have weighed nearly 1,090 tonnes (1,200 short tons). The obelisk's creators began to carve it directly out of bedrock , but cracks appeared in

6480-565: The ramp and the platform used to lower the obelisk. The largest obelisk successfully erected in ancient times weighed 455 metric tons (502 short tons). A 520-metric-ton (570-short-ton) stele was found in Axum , but researchers believe it was broken while attempting to erect it. Temple A temple (from the Latin templum ) is a place of worship , a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice . By convention,

6570-535: The replica of Pawon and Plaosan 's perwara (small) temples. According to local beliefs, the Java valley had thousands of Hindu temples that co-existed with Buddhist temples, most of which were buried in the massive eruption of Mount Merapi in 1006 CE. Temples of the Mesoamerican civilization usually took the shape of stepped pyramids with temples or shrines on top of the massive structure. They are more akin to

6660-446: The rising sun in morning rituals. The location each temple was built also depended on many factors such as environment, myth, function, and divine experience. Most were built on sites associated with myths or a place a god had been believed to have performed a feat, or founded a town or city. Many Roman temples had close associations with important events in Roman history, such as military victories. Temples in cities were often dedicated to

6750-545: The seat and dwelling of Hindu gods . It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together according to Hindu faith . Inside its garbhagriha innermost sanctum, a Hindu temple contains a murti or Hindu god's image. Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history. There is evidence of the use of sacred ground as far back as the Bronze Age and later during the Indus Valley civilization . Outside of

6840-474: The sledge forward, they moved it. Over the course of a day, the workers towed it 10–20 feet. Despite problems with broken ropes, they proved the monument could be moved this way. Additional experiments were done in Egypt and other locations to tow megalithic stone with ancient technologies, some of which are listed here . One experiment was to transport a small obelisk on a barge in the Nile River. The barge

6930-464: The south where Theravada Buddhism prevailed. A Jain temple, called a Derasar , is the place of worship for Jains , the followers of Jainism . Some famous Jain temples are Shikharji , Palitana temples , Ranakpur Jain temple , Shravan Belgola , Dilwara Temples and Lal Mandir . Jain temples are built with various architectural designs. Jain temples in North India are completely different from

7020-796: The specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temple" in English, while those of other religions are not, even though they fulfill very similar functions. The religions for which the terms are used include the great majority of ancient religions that are now extinct, such as the Ancient Egyptian religion and the Ancient Greek religion . Among religions still active: Hinduism (whose temples are called Mandir or Kovil ), Buddhism (whose temples are called Vihar ), Sikhism (whose temples are called gurudwara ), Jainism (whose temples are sometimes called derasar ), Zoroastrianism (whose temples are sometimes called Agiary ),

7110-469: The structures called stupa , wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. A Buddhist temple might contain a meditation hall hosting Buddharupa , or the image of Buddha , as the object of concentration and veneration during a meditation. The stupa domed structures are also used in a circumambulation ritual called Pradakshina . Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of

7200-418: The sun (the sun-god Ra being the Egyptians' greatest deity at that time). The pyramid and obelisk's significance have been previously overlooked, especially the astronomical phenomena connected with sunrise and sunset : Zodiacal light and sun pillars respectively. Ancient Nubian kings of the twenty-fifth Dynasty sought to legitimize their rule over Egypt by constructing Egyptianizing monuments in

7290-476: The temple is open to the public for tours. Various sects in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith have temples. Freemasonry is a fraternal organization with its origins in the eighteenth century whose membership is held together by a shared set of moral and metaphysical ideals based on short role play narratives concerning the construction of King Solomon's Temple. Freemasons meet as

7380-432: The temple linked the human and divine realms and allowed humans to interact with the god through ritual. These rituals, it was believed, sustained the god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature. They were, therefore, a key part of the maintenance of maat , the ideal order of nature and of human society in Egyptian belief. Maintaining maat was the entire purpose of Egyptian religion , and thus it

7470-413: The tops or corners. Greek temples also had several standard floor plans with very distinct column placement. Located in the front of the temple were altars intended for sacrifices or offerings. Ouranic altars were usually square, lined with a metal pan for burnt offerings, and a flat top which was necessary for the ouranic gods to receive offerings. Chthonic altars, called bothros , were pits dug into

7560-517: The west. The Black Obelisk was discovered by Sir Austen Henry Layard in 1846 on the citadel of Kalhu. The obelisk was erected by Shalmaneser III and the reliefs depict scenes of tribute bearing as well as the depiction of two subdued rulers, Jehu the Israelite, and Sua the Gilzanean, making gestures of submission to the king. The reliefs on the obelisk have accompanying epigraphs, but besides these

7650-416: The whole main building, can only be accessed by the clergy. Temples typically have a main building and a larger precinct , which may contain many other buildings or may be a dome-shaped structure, much like an igloo. The word comes from Ancient Rome , where a templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur . It has the same root as the word "template", a plan in preparation for

7740-898: The word temple in reference of a place of worship on rare occasions. An example is the Roman Catholic Sagrada Familia Temple in Barcelona, Spain and the Roman Catholic Basilique du Sacré-Cœur Temple in Paris, France. Another example is the Temple or Our Lady of the Pillar, a church in Guadalajara , Mexico . Some Protestant churches use this term; above main entrance of the Lutheran Gustav Vasa church in Stockholm , Sweden

7830-465: The ziggurats of Mesopotamia than to Egyptian ones. A single or several flight(s) of steep steps from the base lead to the temple that stood on the plateau on top of the pyramid. The stone temple might be a square or a rounded structure with a door opening leading to a cella or inner sanctum. The plateau on top of the pyramid in front of the temple is where the ritualistic sacrifice took place. Some classic Mesoamerican pyramids are adorned with stories about

7920-504: Was built based on ancient Egyptian designs. It had to be very wide to handle the obelisk, with a 2 to 1 ratio length to width, and it was at least twice as long as the obelisk. The obelisk was about 3.0 metres (10 ft) long and no more than 5 metric tons (5.5 short tons). A barge big enough to transport the largest Egyptian obelisks with this ratio would have had to be close to 61-metre-long (200 ft) and 30-metre-wide (100 ft). The workers used ropes that were wrapped around

8010-652: Was relocated to the Museo Nacional de Chavín , which opened in July ;2008. The obelisk was named for the archeologist Julio C. Tello , who discovered it and was considered the 'father of Peruvian archeology'. He was America's first indigenous archeologist. Egyptian obelisks remain a source of fascination, serving as a reminder of past glories and a symbol of state power. A majority of modern obelisks are built of masonry or concrete , so not monolithic like their Egyptian counterparts, and are often oversized. Examples from

8100-610: Was the purpose of a temple as well. Ancient Egyptian temples were also of economic significance to Egyptian society. The temples stored and redistributed grain and came to own large portions of the nation's arable land (some estimate as much as 33% by the New Kingdom period). In addition, many of these Egyptian temples utilized the Tripartite Floor Plan in order to draw visitors to the center room. Greek and Roman temples were originally built out of wood and mud bricks, but as

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