Golden tower of the Emerald Buddha Temple, Thailand
Wat Phra Kaew is located in the heart of Bangkok within the grounds of the Grand Palace. The temple was built to house the famous emerald Buddha statue. In the temple complex, there is a large stupa, Phra Si Rattana Chedi, covered with millions of gold leaves. Later, the stupa became the place where the bodies of the kings were kept after their death.
Shwedagon Golden Pagoda, Myanmar
This is considered the most sacred pagoda in Myanmar, where four treasures are kept: the staff of Buddha Kaundinya, the water filter of Buddha Kaundinya, a piece of Buddha Kasyapa's robe, and eight hairs of Buddha Shakyamuni. The main tower of the pagoda is 98 meters high, and is entirely covered with thin gold sheets crafted by craftsmen using traditional techniques.
Harmandir Sahib Temple, India
Located on an artificial island in Punjab, India, the Harmandir Sahib is the most sacred temple for Sikhs around the world. The temple was built over a period of 27 years, surrounded by a sacred lake. In addition to the white marble base, almost the entire temple is gilded with artistic decorative motifs and reliefs. This is also considered the most gilded structure in the world.
Unlike other closed religious buildings, Harmandir Sahib is always open to welcome visitors. However, everyone must follow some special rules such as leaving their shoes outside, being given a scarf to wrap their head, washing their feet in the lake outside before entering the main temple area...
Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion), Japan
Kinkaku-ji Temple (also known as the Golden Pavilion) is located in the grounds of Deer Park Temple, a cultural heritage of the ancient capital of Kyoto. Kinkaku-ji has three floors reflecting on the Kyoko pond (Mirror Pond), of which the two upper floors are covered with splendid gold leaf. The walls of the two upper floors are covered with gold leaf, shining brightly, hence the name Golden Pavilion.
The Golden Temple is a valuable spiritual symbol and was once a relic of Japanese Buddhism. In 1994, the temple was recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.
Dome of the Rock Mosque, Israel
Built around 690 AD, it is believed that this is where the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven on a winged horse. The mosque has an octagonal lower section and a round dome above it in Byzantine architecture.
The dome was originally covered with tiles, but in 1964 the King of Jordan called on the Arab world to donate money to rebuild the roof with metal and plated with real gold on the outside. The dome became the most brilliant symbol in the sunlight of Jerusalem.
Cathedral of the Annunciation, Russia
The Annunciation Cathedral is located in the Kremlin complex, famous as a place of worship, penance and weddings of the former Russian royal family. The most prominent feature of the church is its nine gilded domes with decorative crosses on the top of the domes cast from solid gold, and the bronze doors leading to the church are also gilded.
Inside the floor is paved entirely with agate-colored jasper which is extremely eye-catching.
St. Mark's Basilica, Italy
This beautiful religious structure is located in San Marco Square, Venice, Italy. The church has more than 500 columns made of many expensive stones such as marble, alabaster... arranged both inside and outside the church.
The most prominent feature of the church is the gilded panels that cover the entire interior of the church, giving the basilica of St. Mark's Basilica the nickname "The Golden Church". In front of the upper floor windows are four gilded bronze horse statues, each weighing 875 kg.
The main attraction of the cathedral is the oldest gilded mosaics. Among the most famous mosaics are the “Apostles and the Virgin Mary” next to the main door and the “Ascension of Christ” in the central dome, which attracts many visitors to stop and admire.
