The Dubai Aquarium

It is one of the largest suspended aquariums in the world.
The 10-million litre Dubai Aquarium tank, located on the Ground Level of The Dubai Mall, is one of the largest suspended aquariums in the world.
It houses thousands of aquatic animals, comprising over 140 species. Over 300 Sharks and Rays live in this tank, including the largest collection of Sand Tiger Sharks in the world.
There are numerous ways for visitors to experience the main Aquarium tank, which measures 51 metres in length, 20 metres in width and
11 metres in height.
The 48 metre walk-through Tunnel provides 270 degree views from 11 metres below the surface of the tank
Visitors can go on a Glass-bottom boat ride, providing unique views of the tank from beneath their feet
Those who want to experience a dip in the tank can opt for a Cage Snorkeling Experience
And for the adventurous ones, a Shark Dive is a once in a lifetime opportunity, bringing you within inches of a large variety of sharks and rays.

The Chang Cheng

China’s Great Wall is one of the world’s great feats of engineering and an enduring monument to the strength of an ancient civilization.
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China’s iconic Great Wall, actually a network of fortifications rather than a single structure, is the product of countless labors over a period of some two thousand years. Qin Shi Huang took the remnants of truly ancient fortifications, walls, and earthworks begun in the fifth century B.C. and linked them into a unified wall circa 220 B.C. as part of a massive project to protect China against marauding barbarians from the north.
By the time construction on most of the stone-and-brick Great Wall, with its turrets and watchtowers, was completed during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) the chang cheng (which is the Chinese name for the great wall) had become the world’s largest human-made object.
A recent government mapping project revealed that the entire Great Wall structure spans some 5,500 miles (8,850 kilometers) from the Korean border west into the Gobi desert. Of that total 3,889 miles (6,259 kilometers) were actual wall, while 223 miles (359 kilometers) were trenches and (1,387 miles) 2,232 kilometers were natural defensive barriers, like rivers or steep hills, incorporated into the system.
Though new sections of the wall have recently been uncovered, several sections of the structure have vanished during the past half century or so. Mao Zedong himself encouraged destruction of parts of the wall and reuse of its materials in the 1950s, and rural farmers still make use of the wall’s earth and stone for practical purposes.
Some 50 percent of the original ancient structure has already disappeared, and perhaps another 30 percent lies crumbling into ruins—even as Chinese and international organizations struggle to preserve what remains of this unique treasure.
Reference: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/great-wall-china — edited by An-Nuur Press Agency

Eat Under the sea || Ithaa Undersea Restaurant

 

Have you ever wondered how cool it would be to eat your food under water with fishes and other aquatic life swimming around you? If yes, then you are lucky to be reading this because a restaurant of that nature is in existence.

Secured five meters below sea level at the Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa, the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is a mostly acrylic building that only seats 14 people. Offering a 270-degree panoramic view to its customers, Ithaa was designed and constructed by M.J. Murphy Ltd., a design consultancy based in New Zealand.

Opened in 2005, Ithaa charges a premium for its meals, but they might cost less than one would expect for an underwater dinner. They start in price at about $120 US for lunch for hotel guests. The restaurant serves contemporary fusion Maldivian cuisine with Western and Asian influences. Advance reservations are necessary.

To enter the restaurant, visitors climb down a spiral staircase in a thatched pavilion at the end of a jetty. They enter the building, which has a curved roof like a tunnel, from above. Designed by the Kuala Lumpur National Science Centre, the building qualifies as the world’s largest aquarium tunnel.

After completion in 2004, Ithaa was taken to the Maldives on the back of an ocean-going barge. It took 16 days to arrive. It is estimated that the restaurant, which is placed in extreme conditions, will only last for 20 years.

www.atlasobscura.com/places/ithaa-undersea-restaurant —-edited by An-Nuur

CRACK! GOES THE KRAKATOA

… They say the eruption darkened the sky for years afterwards, and produced spectacular sunsets throughout the world for many months.

… They say for several years following the eruption, the moon appeared to be blue, even green. That people begin to see lavender suns.

… They say it was gigantic, indescribable. That the world has never seen its like before.

… They say it was Krakatoa, in 1883.

KRAKATOA: The Boom of a Century.

In the annals of volcanic eruptions, the eruption of the volcanic island of Krakatoa in 1883 stands out. We’ve heard of volcanic eruptions: they are disasters; yes. They claim lives; yes. They destroy property; yes. But if an eruptive event from a single source can claim more than 36000 lives, then it becomes a tough nut to crack, it becomes Krakatoa.

Krakatoa was a volcanic island located close to the island of Java in Indonesia. When it erupted in 1883, few of the people living near it took the warning it had been giving for months seriously. As it erupted on August 26 1883, however, not only the island’s inhabitants would be hit by one of the worst volcanic event ever, but the whole world would be a spectator to a natural disaster unique in the whole of human history.

Before, During & After

Krakatoa had been giving warning signs for months. Prior to that day, a sharp increase in its activity have been noted: it was spewing out ash clouds and sailors around the area noted they have to keep their ships at anchor more often because of the increase in the tide, which are caused by minor earthquakes in the vicinity of the island.

As the morning of the 27th dawned, Krakatoa finally exploded. In multiple eruptions, two-third of the island was blown away. The explosion was so loud that it was heard in a settlement in Australia, 3110kms away. Barometers in ships sailing on nearby seas went haywire – the pressure generated actually deafened their sailors (so the barometer problem was understandable).

Krakatoa’s eruption had a long term effect on the earth’s atmosphere. The volcanic ashes were thrown up with such force that they circled the globe seven times, causing blue moons and lavender suns sightings in some places. Neighboring islands were awashed with tsunamic floods and some even lost their entire inhabitants, reverting to jungle.

The long term effect of the eruption have been of interest to vulcanologists, climatologists and oceanographers for years, it was observed that in the years following the eruption, summer temperature in Europe and North America decreased somewhat, and weather pattern was chaotic for some years.

That was what has been said about Krakatoa, Krakatoa that goes crack! A tough nut to crack.

Historical figures cited courtesy of Wikipedia.com, spacebus.com and topsten.com