Bourtange, Netherlands The Star Fort of Bourtange is one of the most unique fortifications in Europe, for several reasons. First, it is the only site that consists primarily of earthworks rather than stone walls. Its design became a prototype that was soon replicated in Europe and colonies around the world. Second, the Star Fort is now inhabited and maintained as a small … [Read more...]
FEUDAL CASTLES OF KYUSHU (KUMAMOTO, SHIMABARA, KARATSU)
Southern Japan Kyushu, the large peninsula which constitutes the southern end of Japan, was one of the most prized and disputed territories during the era known as the Japanesde Warring Period. Divided between supporters of Toyotomi Hideyoshi to the north, his enemies to the south and unaligned feudal lords in between, this peninsula boasts a particularly high concentration … [Read more...]
MATSUMOTO CASTLE
Matsumoto, Japan Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan’s most magnificent feudal castles, second in popularity after Himeji. Arising from a massive foundation out of a great moat, the black walls, virtually unique in Japanese architecture, have earned it the nickname Crow Castle. Although most of the extensive outer castle works are long gone, the phenomenal central keep appears … [Read more...]
HIMEJI CASTLE
Himeji, Japan Himeji Castle is the picture-perfect, iconic pagoda castle that is the greatest surviving fortress of Japan’s legendary feudal age. An immense complex that strategically dominated Hyogo province in medieval times, it is also known as Hakurojo, the White Egret Castle, because of the white-winged appearance of its upper stories. Himeji Castle has been on the … [Read more...]
HWASEONG FORTRESS
Suwon, South Korea Hwaesong Fortress, a former royal residence, is the largest and most impressive surviving castle on the Korean peninsula. This huge citadel encloses a great compound which includes both the palace and parts of the old city center, so that it may also be considered a small walled city. After being heavily damaged in the Korean War, Hwaesong Fortress was … [Read more...]
GREAT WALL OF CHINA
Northern China The Great Wall of China is more than aptly named. Built to put an end to nomadic maurauders from Central Asia, this fortification is one of the world’s most mind-blowing sites. This fact was confirmed by the Great Wall’s inclusion into the list of the New Seven Wonders which was chosen by hundreds of millions of voters around the world. Contrary to popular … [Read more...]
FORTS OF RAJASTHAN (JAISALMER, KUMBHALGARH, MEHRANGARH)
Northwest India Rajasthan is the oldest settled region of India and home to one of the oldest civilized places on Earth. Some of its cities and kingdoms have roots stretching back to antiquity. Moreover, for well over a thousand years it has stood at the crossroads of the Hindu east and the Muslim west. For all of these reasons Rajasthan was historically one of the most … [Read more...]
COASTAL FORTS OF MAHARASTRA (JANJIRA, SINDHUDURG, VIJAYDURG)
Central India Maharastra is one of the largest, wealthiest and most populous states in India, and has been one of that country’s greatest prizes since early times. Thanks to millennia of both seaborne and overland trade with the west, the coastal regions boast some of India’s oldest and largest cities and, in pre-Colonial times, some of its most important kingdoms. Because … [Read more...]
CHITTORGARH FORTRESS
Chittorgarh, India The Chittorgarh Fort in northwest India is the largest in India and one of the largest in the world. It is also one of the oldest surviving fortifications in Asia, and has a colorful if violent history. Aside from its impressive dimensions, Chittorgarh is famous for its gravity-defying cliff-top battlements and a water-storage system that is itself an … [Read more...]
RED FORTS (AGRA, DELHI)
Northern India From the time of the rise of the Seljuk Turks, the nomadic tribes of Central Asia had established a succession of empires across Asia. The last great Turkic/Mongol Empire in the east was that of the Mughals, which at its height during the late medieval period dominated much of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The successor to the realm of Timur, the Mughal … [Read more...]