List of oldest known surviving buildings
Miscellaneous -- Oldest of their type
Table:
Building

Image

Location

First built

Use

Notes

Hōryū-ji

Nara, Japan

670 AD

Temple

Oldest wooden building still standing.[117]

Pyramid of Djoser

Saqqara, Egypt

2667–2648 BC

Tomb

Oldest large-scale cut stone construction[58]

Luxor Temple

Luxor, Egypt

1400 BC

Religious

The oldest standing building partly in use. There is an active mosque within the main structure, visible in the picture, that stands on the ancient pillars of the egyptian temple

Jokhang

Lhasa, China

c. 639 AD

Buddhist temple

Perhaps the world's oldest timber frame building.[118]

Nanchan Temple

Wutai, China

782 AD

Buddhist Temple

Its Great Buddha Hall is currently China's oldest extant timber building.

Ditherington Flax Mill

Shrewsbury, England

1797 AD

Industrial

The oldest iron framed building in the world.[119]

Maison Carrée

France

16 BC

Temple

The only completely preserved temple of the ancient world.[120]

Pantheon, Rome

Italy

125 AD

Religious

Oldest standing building still in regular use.[121]

Aula Palatina

Germany

306 AD

Palace basilica

Contains the largest extant hall from antiquity.[109]

Greensted Church

England

c. 1053 AD

Church

May be the oldest, extant wooden church in the world and the oldest, extant wooden building in Europe.[122][123]

Roykstovan in Kirkjubø

Faroe Islands

No clear date, middle of 11th century AD

Farmhouse

May be the oldest continuously inhabited wooden building in the world[124]

Mundeshwari Temple

Bihar, India

conflicting accounts; between 105–320 AD

Hindu Temple

May be the oldest surviving (non rebuilt) Hindu temple in the world[125][126]

Considering the table plus the relevant paragraphs provided.

Provide an answer to this question: How far is this city that has this 6-tier , 4-sided colossal stone building , located from Cairo ? Return your answer as JSON: {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Base your answer solely on the given information.

Hōryū-ji ( 法隆寺 , lit . Temple of the Flourishing Law ) is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples , in Ikaruga , Nara Prefecture , Japan . Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji ( 法隆学問寺 ) , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law , the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery . The temple was founded by Prince Shōtoku in 607 , but according to the Nihon Shoki , in 670 all buildings were burned down by lightning . However , reconstructed at least 1,300 years ago , the Kondō ( main holl ) is widely recognized as the world 's oldest wooden building . A fire that broke out during the dismantling and repair of Kondo in January 26 , 1949 destroyed a mural of the Asuka period , a national treasure , and shocked the Japanese . Based on this accident , the day when the fire broke out is now fire prevention day for cultural properties . In 1993 , Horyu-ji Temple , along with Hokki-ji , was registered as Japan 's first UNESCO World Heritage site under the name of Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area . A tree ring survey conducted in 2001 revealed that the shinbashira of the five-story Pagoda were cut down in 594 , before burned down in 670 .
Nara ( 奈良市 , Nara-shi , Japanese : [ naꜜɾa ] ) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture located in the Kansai region of Japan . The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture , bordering Kyoto Prefecture . Eight temples , shrines , and ruins in Nara remain : specifically Tōdai-ji , Saidai-ji , Kōfuku-ji , Kasuga Shrine , Gangō-ji , Yakushi-ji , Tōshōdai-ji , and the Heijō Palace , together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest , collectively form Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara , a UNESCO World Heritage Site . During the Nara period , Nara was the capital of Japan , and the Emperor lived there before moving the capital to Kyoto .
Japan ( Japanese : 日本 , Nippon [ ɲippoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) or Nihon [ ɲihoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) ) is an island country located in East Asia . It is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east , and spans more than 3,000 kilometers ( 1,900 mi ) along the coast of the continent from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Philippine Sea in the south . Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire , Japan encompasses a stratovolcanic archipelago of about 6,852 islands , with five main islands ( Hokkaido , Honshu , Kyushu , Shikoku , and Okinawa ) comprising 97% of the country 's total area of 377,975 square kilometers ( 145,937 sq mi ) . Japan is officially divided into 47 prefectures and traditionally into eight regions . Approximately two-thirds of the country 's terrain is mountainous and heavily forested , and less than one-eighth of land is suitable for agriculture . Consequently , Japan is among the most densely populated and urbanized countries in the world , with over 90% of its population living in urban areas . The largest of these is the metropolitan area centered on the capital city of Tokyo , which is the most populous in the world and home to more than 38 million people . Japan itself is the world 's eleventh most populous country with a population of 126.2 million , of which 97.8% are ethnically Japanese . The kanji ( or Chinese characters ) that make up the name of Japan in the Japanese language mean sun origin ; in the Western world , the country is often known by the sobriquet Land of the Rising Sun . Periods of influence from other regions , primarily China , followed by periods of isolation , particularly from Western Europe , have characterized the history of Japan . While archaeological evidence indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period , the first written mention of the archipelago appears in Chinese texts from the first century AD . Between the fourth and ninth centuries , the kingdoms of Japan became gradually unified under an Emperor and imperial court based in Heian-kyō ( modern Kyoto ) .
The Pyramid of Djoser ( or Djeser and Zoser ) , or Step Pyramid ( kbhw-ntrw in Egyptian ) is an archaeological remain in the Saqqara necropolis , Egypt , northwest of the city of Memphis . The 6-tier , 4-sided structure is the earliest colossal stone building in Egypt . It was built in the 27th century BC during the Third Dynasty for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser by his vizier , Imhotep . The pyramid is the central feature of a vast mortuary complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decoration . The pyramid went through several revisions and redevelopments of the original plan . The pyramid originally stood 62.5 metres ( 205 ft ) tall , with a base of 109 m × 121 m ( 358 ft × 397 ft ) and was clad in polished white limestone . The step pyramid ( or proto-pyramid ) is considered to be the earliest large-scale cut stone construction , although the nearby enclosure of Gisr el-Mudir predates the complex , and the South American pyramids at Caral are contemporary .
Saqqara ( Arabic : سقارة , Egyptian Arabic pronunciation : [ sɑʔˈʔɑːɾɑ ] ) , also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English /səˈkɑːrə/ , is a vast , ancient burial ground in Egypt , serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital , Memphis . Saqqara features numerous pyramids , including the world-famous Step pyramid of Djoser , sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base , as well as a number of mastabas ( Arabic word meaning 'bench ' ) . Located some 30 km ( 19 mi ) south of modern-day Cairo , Saqqara covers an area of around 7 by 1.5 km ( 4.35 by 0.93 mi ) . At Saqqara , the oldest complete stone building complex known in history was built ; Djoser 's step pyramid , built during the Third Dynasty . Another 16 Egyptian kings built pyramids at Saqqara , which are now in various states of preservation or dilapidation . High officials added private funeral monuments to this necropolis during the entire pharaonic period . It remained an important complex for non-royal burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years , well into Ptolemaic and Roman times . North of the area known as Saqqara lies Abusir , and south lies Dahshur . The area running from Giza to Dahshur has been used as a necropolis by the inhabitants of Memphis at different times , and it was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 . Some scholars believe that the name Saqqara is not derived from the ancient Egyptian funerary deity , Sokar , but supposedly , from a local Berber Tribe called Beni Saqqar .
Egypt ( /ˈiːdʒɪpt/ ( listen ) EE-jipt ; Arabic : مِصر Miṣr , Egyptian Arabic : مَصر Maṣr , Coptic : Ⲭⲏⲙⲓ Khēmi ) , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt , is a country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia by a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula . Egypt is a Mediterranean country bordered by the Gaza Strip ( Palestine ) and Israel to the northeast , the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea to the east , Sudan to the south , and Libya to the west . Across the Gulf of Aqaba lies Jordan , across the Red Sea lies Saudi Arabia , and across the Mediterranean lie Greece , Turkey and Cyprus , although none share a land border with Egypt . Egypt has one of the longest histories of any country , tracing its heritage back to the 6th-4th millennia BCE . Considered a cradle of civilisation , Ancient Egypt saw some of the earliest developments of writing , agriculture , urbanisation , organised religion and central government . Iconic monuments such as the Giza Necropolis and its Great Sphinx , as well the ruins of Memphis , Thebes , Karnak , and the Valley of the Kings , reflect this legacy and remain a significant focus of scientific and popular interest . Egypt 's long and rich cultural heritage is an integral part of its national identity , which has endured , and often assimilated , various foreign influences , including Greek , Persian , Roman , Arab , Ottoman Turkish , and Nubian . Egypt was an early and important centre of Christianity , but was largely Islamised in the seventh century and remains a predominantly Muslim country , albeit with a significant Christian minority . From the 16th to the beginning of the 20th century , Egypt was ruled by foreign imperial powers : The Ottoman Empire and the British Empire . Modern Egypt dates back to 1922 , when it gained nominal independence from the British Empire as a monarchy . However , British military occupation of Egypt continued , and many Egyptians believed that the monarchy was an instrument of British colonialism . Following the 1952 revolution , Egypt expelled British soldiers and bureaucrats and ended British occupation , nationalized the British-held Suez Canal , exiled King Farouk and his family , and declared itself a republic .
Luxor Temple ( Arabic : معبد الاقصر ) is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor ( ancient Thebes ) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE . In the Egyptian language it is known as ipet resyt , the southern sanctuary . In Luxor there are several great temples on the east and west banks . Four of the major mortuary temples visited by early travelers include the Temple of Seti I at Gurnah , the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri , the Temple of Ramesses II ( a.k.a . Ramesseum ) , and the Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu ; the two primary cults temples on the east bank are known as the Karnak and Luxor . Unlike the other temples in Thebes , Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death . Instead , Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship ; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually ( as in the case of Alexander the Great , who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis , near modern Cairo ) . To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty , and Alexander . Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II . During the Roman era , the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area . During the Roman period a chapel inside the Luxor Temple originally dedicated to goddess Mut was transformed in to a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a church .
Luxor ( /ˈlʌksɔːr , ˈlʊk-/ ; Arabic : الأقصر l-aqṣur Egyptian Arabic pronunciation : [ ˈloʔsˤoɾ ] , Upper Egyptian pronunciation : [ ˈloɡsˤor ] ; Coptic : ⲡⲁⲡⲉ babe ) is a city in Upper ( southern ) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate . The population numbers 506,535 ( 2012 estimate ) , with an area of approximately 417 square kilometres ( 161 sq mi ) . The modern city sprawls to the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Waset , also known as Nut ( Coptic : ⲛⲏ ) and to the Greeks as Thebes or Diospolis , Luxor has frequently been characterized as the world 's greatest open-air museum , as the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city . Immediately opposite , across the River Nile , lie the monuments , temples and tombs of the west bank Necropolis , which includes the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens . Thousands of tourists from all around the world arrive annually to visit these monuments , contributing greatly to the economy of the modern city .
The Jokhang ( Tibetan : ཇོ་ཁང། , Chinese : 大昭寺 ) , also known as the Qoikang Monastery , Jokang , Jokhang Temple , Jokhang Monastery and Zuglagkang ( Tibetan : གཙུག་ལག་ཁང༌། , Wylie : gtsug-lag-khang , ZYPY : Zuglagkang or Tsuklakang ) , is a Buddhist temple in Barkhor Square in Lhasa , the capital city of Tibet . Tibetans , in general , consider this temple as the most sacred and important temple in Tibet . The temple is currently maintained by the Gelug school , but they accept worshipers from all sects of Buddhism . The temple 's architectural style is a mixture of Indian vihara design , Tibetan and Nepalese design . The Jokhang was founded during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo . According to tradition , the temple was built for the king 's two brides : Princess Wencheng of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal . Both are said to have brought important Buddhist statues and images from China and Nepal to Tibet , which were housed here , as part of their dowries . The oldest part of the temple was built in 652 . Over the next 900 years , the temple was enlarged several times with the last renovation done in 1610 by the Fifth Dalai Lama . Following the death of Gampo , the image in Ramcho Lake temple was moved to the Jokhang temple for security reasons . When King Tresang Detsen ruled from 755 to 797 , the Buddha image of the Jokhang temple was hidden , as the king 's minister was hostile to the spread of Buddhism in Tibet . During the late ninth and early tenth centuries , the Jokhang and Ramoche temples were said to have been used as stables .
Lhasa or Chengguan is a district and administrative capital of Lhasa City in the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People 's Republic of China . The inner urban area of Lhasa City is equivalent to the administrative borders of Chengguan District , which is part of the wider prefectural Lhasa City . Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining and , at an altitude of 3,656 metres ( 11,990 ft ) , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world . The city has been the religious and administrative capital of Tibet since the mid-17th century . It contains many culturally significant Tibetan Buddhist sites such as the Potala Palace , Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka Palaces .
China ( Chinese : 中国 ; pinyin : Zhōngguó ) , officially the People 's Republic of China ( PRC ) , is a country in East Asia and is the world 's most populous country , with a population of around 1.428 billion in 2017 . Covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers ( 3,700,000 sq mi ) , it is the third largest country by area . [ j ] Governed by the Communist Party of China , the state exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces , [ k ] five autonomous regions , four direct-controlled municipalities ( Beijing , Tianjin , Shanghai , and Chongqing ) , and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau . China emerged as one of the world 's first civilizations , in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain . For millennia , China 's political system was based on hereditary monarchies , or dynasties , beginning with the semi-mythical Xia dynasty in 21st century BCE . Since then , China has expanded , fractured , and re-unified numerous times . In the 3rd century BCE , the Qin reunited core China and established the first Chinese empire . The succeeding Han dynasty , which ruled from 206 BCE until 220 CE , saw some of the most advanced technology at that time , including papermaking and the compass , along with agricultural and medical improvements . The invention of gunpowder and movable type in the Tang dynasty ( 618-907 ) and Northern Song ( 960-1127 ) completed the Four Great Inventions . Tang culture spread widely in Asia , as the new Silk Route brought traders to as far as Mesopotamia and the Horn of Africa . Dynastic rule ended in 1912 with the Xinhai Revolution , when the Republic of China ( ROC ) replaced the Qing dynasty . China , as a whole , was ravaged by feudal warlordism and Japan during World War II .
Nanchan Temple ( Chinese : 南禪寺 ; pinyin : Nánchán Sì ) is a Buddhist temple located near the town of Doucun on Wutaishan , Shanxi Province , China . Nanchan Temple was built in 782 during China 's Tang dynasty , and its Great Buddha Hall is currently China 's oldest preserved timber building extant , as wooden buildings are often prone to fire and various destructions . Not only is Nanchan Temple an important architectural site , but it also contains an original set of artistically-important Tang sculptures dating from the period of its construction . Seventeen sculptures share the hall 's interior space with a small stone pagoda .
Mount Wutai , also known by its Chinese name Wutaishan and as Mount Qingliang , is a sacred Buddhist site at the headwaters of the Qingshui in Shanxi Province , China . Its central area is surrounded by a cluster of flat-topped peaks roughly corresponding to the cardinal directions . The north peak ( Beitai Ding or Yedou Feng ) is the highest ( 3,061 m or 10,043 ft ) and is also the highest point in northern China . As host to over 53 sacred monasteries , Mount Wutai is home to many of China 's most important monasteries and temples . It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 and named a AAAAA tourist attraction by China 's National Tourism Administration in 2007 .
Ditherington Flax Mill ( promoted as the Flaxmill Maltings ) , a flax mill located in Ditherington , a suburb of Shrewsbury , England , is the first iron-framed building in the world . As such , it is seen as the world 's first skyscraper , described as the grandfather of skyscrapers , despite being only as tall as a five-storey building . Its importance was officially recognised in the 1950s , resulting in it becoming a Grade I listed building . It is also locally known as the Maltings from its later use . The site is under restoration and is in the hands of Historic England with restricted public access .
Shrewsbury ( /ˈʃroʊzbri/ ( listen ) SHROHZ-bree , /ˈʃruːz-/ ( listen ) SHROOZ- ) is a large market town and the county town of Shropshire , England . The town is on the River Severn and the 2011 census recorded a population of 71,715 . The town centre has a largely-unspoilt medieval street plan and over 660 listed buildings , including several examples of timber framing from the 15th and 16th centuries . Shrewsbury Castle , a red sandstone fortification , and Shrewsbury Abbey , a former Benedictine monastery , were founded in 1074 and 1083 respectively by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury , Roger de Montgomery . The town is the birthplace of Charles Darwin and is where he spent 27 years of his life . Located 9 miles ( 14 km ) east of the Welsh border , Shrewsbury serves as the commercial centre for Shropshire and mid-Wales , with a retail output of over £299 million per year and light industry and distribution centres , such as Battlefield Enterprise Park , on the outskirts . The A5 and A49 trunk roads come together as the town 's by-pass , and five railway lines meet at Shrewsbury railway station . The town is located 150 miles ( 240 km ) north-west of London .
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north . The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea to the southwest . England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south . The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain , which lies in the North Atlantic , and includes over 100 smaller islands , such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight . It is the largest country of British Isles . The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period , but takes its name from the Angles , a Germanic tribe deriving its name from the Anglia peninsula , who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries . England became a unified state in the 10th century , and since the Age of Discovery , which began during the 15th century , has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world . The English language , the Anglican Church , and English law - the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world - developed in England , and the country 's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations . The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England , transforming its society into the world 's first industrialised nation . England 's terrain is chiefly low hills and plains , especially in central and southern England . However , there is upland and mountainous terrain in the north ( for example , the Lake District and Pennines ) and in the west ( for example , Dartmoor and the Shropshire Hills ) .
The Maison Carrée ( French pronunciation : ​ [ mɛzɔ̃ kaʁe ] ; French for square house ) is an ancient Roman temple in Nîmes , southern France ; it is one of the best preserved Roman temples to survive in the territory of the former Roman Empire . The Maison Carrée inspired the neoclassical Église de la Madeleine in Paris , St. Marcellinus Church in Rogalin , Poland , and in the United States the Virginia State Capitol , which was designed by Thomas Jefferson , who had a stucco model made of the Maison Carrée while he was minister to France in 1785 .
France ( French : [ fʁɑ̃s ] ( listen ) ) , officially the French Republic ( French : République française , pronounced [ ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz ] ( listen ) ) , is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . [ XIII ] The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . It is bordered by Belgium , Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast , Switzerland and Italy to the east , and Andorra and Spain to the south . The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . The country 's 18 integral regions ( five of which are situated overseas ) span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres ( 248,573 sq mi ) and a total population of 67.02 million ( as of July 2019 [ update ] ) . France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban areas include Lyon , Marseille , Toulouse , Bordeaux , Lille and Nice . France , including its overseas territories , has the most number of time zones of any country , with a total of 12 . During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . Rome annexed the area in 51 BC , holding it until the arrival of Germanic Franks in 476 , who formed the Kingdom of Francia . The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned Francia into East Francia , Middle Francia and West Francia . West Francia , which became the Kingdom of France in 987 , emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , following its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337-1453 ) .
The Pantheon ( UK : /ˈpænθiən/ , US : /-ɒn/ ; Latin : Pantheum , [ nb 1 ] from Greek Πάνθειον Pantheion , [ temple ] of all the gods ) is a former Roman temple , now a Catholic church ( Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres or Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs ) , in Rome , Italy , on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus ( 27 BC - 14 AD ) . It was completed by the emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated about 126 AD . Its date of construction is uncertain , because Hadrian chose not to inscribe the new temple but rather to retain the inscription of Agrippa 's older temple , which had burned down . The building is cylindrical with a portico of large granite Corinthian columns ( eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind ) under a pediment . A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda , which is under a coffered concrete dome , with a central opening ( oculus ) to the sky . Almost two thousand years after it was built , the Pantheon 's dome is still the world 's largest unreinforced concrete dome . The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same , 43 metres ( 142 ft ) . It is one of the best-preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings , in large part because it has been in continuous use throughout its history and , since the 7th century , the Pantheon has been in use as a church dedicated to St. Mary and the Martyrs ( Latin : Sancta Maria ad Martyres ) but informally known as Santa Maria Rotonda . The square in front of the Pantheon is called Piazza della Rotonda . The Pantheon is a state property , managed by Italy 's Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism through the Polo Museale del Lazio ; in 2013 it was visited by over 6 million people . The Pantheon 's large circular domed cella , with a conventional temple portico front , was unique in Roman architecture . Nevertheless , it became a standard exemplar when classical styles were revived , and has been copied many times by later architects .
Italy ( Italian : Italia [ iˈtaːlja ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Italian Republic ( Italian : Repubblica Italiana [ reˈpubblika itaˈljaːna ] ) , is a European country consisting of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands . Italy is located in south-central Europe , and it is also considered a part of Western Europe . The country covers a total area of 301,340 km2 ( 116,350 sq mi ) and shares land borders with France , Switzerland , Austria , Slovenia , and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino . Italy has a territorial exclave in Switzerland ( Campione ) and a maritime exclave in the Tunisian Sea ( Lampedusa ) . With around 60 million inhabitants , Italy is the third-most populous member state of the European Union . The capital and largest city is Rome ; other major cities are Milan , Naples , Turin , Palermo , Genoa , Bologna , Florence and Venice . Due to its central geographic location in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean , Italy has historically been home to myriad peoples and cultures . In addition to the various ancient peoples dispersed throughout what is now modern-day Italy , the most predominant being the Indo-European Italic peoples who gave the peninsula its name , beginning from the classical era , Phoenicians and Carthaginians founded colonies mostly in insular Italy , Greeks established settlements in the so-called Magna Graecia of Southern Italy , while Etruscans and Celts inhabited central and northern Italy respectively . An Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom in the 8th century BC , which eventually became a republic with a government of the Senate and the People . The Roman Republic initially conquered and assimilated its neighbours on the Italian peninsula , eventually expanding and conquering parts of Europe , North Africa and Asia . By the first century BC , the Roman Empire emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean Basin and became a leading cultural , political and religious centre , inaugurating the Pax Romana , a period of more than 200 years during which Italy 's law , technology , economy , art , and literature developed . Italy remained the homeland of the Romans and the metropole of the empire , whose legacy can also be observed in the global distribution of culture , governments , Christianity and the Latin script .
The Basilica of Constantine ( German : Konstantinbasilika ) , or Aula Palatina , at Trier , Germany is a Roman palace basilica that was commissioned by the emperor Constantine I ( AD 306-337 ) at the beginning of the 4th century . Today it is used as the Church of the Redeemer and owned by a congregation within the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland . The basilica contains the largest extant hall from antiquity ( see List of ancient Greek and Roman roofs ) and is ranked a World Heritage Site . The hall has a length of 67 m , a width of 26.05 m and a height of 33 m. It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments , Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site .
Germany ( German : Deutschland , German pronunciation : [ ˈdɔʏtʃlant ] ) , constitutionally the Federal Republic of Germany ( German : Bundesrepublik Deutschland , listen ( help·info ) ) , [ f ] is a country in Central and Western Europe . It borders Denmark to the north , Poland and the Czech Republic to the east , Austria and Switzerland to the south , France to the southwest , and Luxembourg , Belgium , and the Netherlands to the west . Germany includes 16 constituent states , covers an area of 357,386 square kilometres ( 137,988 sq mi ) , and has a largely temperate seasonal climate . With 83 million inhabitants , it is the second most populous state of Europe after Russia , the most populous state lying entirely in Europe , as well as the most populous member state of the European Union . Germany is a very decentralised country . Its capital and largest metropolis is Berlin , while Frankfurt serves as its financial capital and has the country 's busiest airport . Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity . A region named Germania was documented before AD 100 . Beginning in the 10th century , German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire . During the 16th century , northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation . After the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire , the German Confederation was formed in 1815 . The German revolutions of 1848-49 resulted in the Frankfurt Parliament establishing major democratic rights .
Greensted Church , in the small village of Greensted , near Chipping Ongar in Essex , England , is the oldest wooden church in the world , and probably the oldest wooden building in Europe still standing , albeit only in part , since few sections of its original wooden structure remain . The oak walls are often classified as remnants of a palisade church or a kind of early stave church , dated either to the mid-9th or mid-11th century . The Grade I listed building lies about a mile west of Chipping Ongar town centre . Its full title is The Church of St Andrew , Greensted-juxta-Ongar . It is , however , commonly known simply as Greensted Church . Greensted is still a functioning church and holds services every week . The volume of tourist visits is light , but steady . The church was featured on a British postage stamp issued in 1972 .
Kirkjubøargarður ( Faroese for Yard of Kirkjubøur , also known as King 's Farm ) is one of the oldest still inhabited wooden houses in the world , if not the oldest . The farm itself has always been the largest in the Faroe Islands . The old farmhouse of Kirkjubøur dates back to the 11th century . It was the episcopal residence and seminary of the Diocese of the Faroe Islands , from about 1100 . The legend says that the wood for the block houses came as driftwood from Norway and was accurately bundled and numbered , just for being set up . Note that there is no forest in the Faroes , with the exception of a wood in northern Tórshavn , and wood is a very valuable material . Many such wood legends are thus to be found in Faroese history . The oldest part is a so-called roykstova ( reek parlour , or smoke room ) . Perhaps it was moved one day , because it does not fit to its foundation . Another ancient room is the loftstovan ( loft room ) . It is supposed that Bishop Erlendur wrote the 'Sheep Letter ' here in 1298 . This is the earliest document of the Faroes we know today .
The Faroe Islands ( /ˈfɛəroʊ/ ; Faroese : Føroyar , pronounced [ ˈfœɹjaɹ ] ; Danish : Færøerne , pronounced [ ˈfæɐ̯ˌøˀɐnə ] ) , or the Faeroe Islands , is a North Atlantic archipelago located 320 kilometres ( 200 mi ) north-northwest of Scotland , and about halfway between Norway and Iceland . It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark . The islands have a total area of about 1,400 square kilometres ( 540 sq mi ) with a population of 51,783 as of June 2019 [ update ] . The terrain is rugged ; the climate is subpolar oceanic climate ( Cfc ) - windy , wet , cloudy , and cool . Temperatures average above freezing throughout the year because of the Gulf Stream . As a result of the moderation and the northerly latitude , summers normally hover around 12 °C ( 54 °F ) . Average temperatures are 5 °C ( 41 °F ) in winter . The northerly latitude location also results in perpetual civil twilight during summer nights and very short winter days . Between 1035 and 1814 the Faroes were part of the Kingdom of Norway , which was in a personal union with Denmark from 1450 . In 1814 the Treaty of Kiel transferred Norway to the king of Sweden , on the winning side of the Napoleonic wars , whereas the king of Denmark , on the losing side , retained the Faroes , along with the two other historical Norwegian island possessions in the North Atlantic : Greenland and Iceland . The Faroe Islands have been a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948 . The Faroese control most of their domestic affairs .
The Mundeshwari Devi Temple ( also spelled as Mundesvari ) is located at Kaura in Kaimur district in the state of Bihar , India on the Mundeshwari Hills . It is an ancient temple dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva and Shakti and is considered one of the oldest Hindu temples in India . It is also considered as the oldest functional Hindu temple of India . The information plaque erected by the Archaeological Survey of India ( ASI ) at the site indicates the dating of the temple to 625 CE . Hindu inscriptions dated 635 CE were found in the temple . The temple is a protected monument under ASI since 1915 .
Bihar ( /bɪˈhɑːr/ ; Hindi pronunciation : [ bɪˈɦaːr ] ( listen ) ) is a state in eastern India . It is the third-largest state by population and twelfth-largest by territory , with an area of 94,163 km2 ( 36,357 sq mi ) . It is contiguous with Uttar Pradesh to its west , Nepal to the north , the northern part of West Bengal to the east , and with Jharkhand to the south . The Bihar plain is split by the river Ganges , which flows from west to east . Three main cultural regions converge in the state : Magadh , Mithila , and Bhojpur . On 15 November 2000 , southern Bihar was ceded to form the new state of Jharkhand . Only 11.3% of the population of Bihar lives in urban areas , which is the lowest in India after Himachal Pradesh . Additionally , almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25 , giving Bihar the highest proportion of young people of any Indian state . In ancient and classical India , the area that is now Bihar was considered a centre of power , learning , and culture . From Magadha arose India 's first empire , the Maurya empire , as well as one of the world 's most widely adhered-to religions : Buddhism . Magadha empires , notably under the Maurya and Gupta dynasties , unified large parts of South Asia under a central rule . Another region of Bihar is Mithila which was an early centre of learning and the centre of the Videha kingdom .
India ( Hindi : Bhārat ) , officially the Republic of India ( Hindi : Bhārat Gaṇarājya ) , is a country in South Asia . It is the seventh-largest country by area , the second-most populous country , and the most populous democracy in the world . Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south , the Arabian Sea on the southwest , and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast , it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west ; [ e ] China , Nepal , and Bhutan to the north ; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east . In the Indian Ocean , India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives ; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia . Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago . Their long occupation , initially in varying forms of isolation as hunter-gatherers , has made the region highly diverse , second only to Africa in human genetic diversity . Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the Indus river basin 9,000 years ago , evolving gradually into the Indus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE . By 1200 BCE , an archaic form of Sanskrit , an Indo-European language , had diffused into India from the northwest , unfolding as the language of the Rigveda , and recording the dawning of Hinduism in India . The Dravidian languages of India were supplanted in the northern regions . By 400 BCE , stratification and exclusion by caste had emerged within Hinduism , and Buddhism and Jainism had arisen , proclaiming social orders unlinked to heredity . Early political consolidations gave rise to the loose-knit Maurya and Gupta Empires based in the Ganges Basin . Their collective era was suffused with wide-ranging creativity , but also marked by the declining status of women , and the incorporation of untouchability into an organised system of belief .
A Hindu temple is a symbolic house , seat and body of divinity . It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together , using symbolism to express the ideas and beliefs of Hinduism . The symbolism and structure of a Hindu temple are rooted in Vedic traditions , deploying circles and squares . It also represents recursion and equivalence of the macrocosm and the microcosm by astronomical numbers , and by specific alignments related to the geography of the place and the presumed linkages of the deity and the patron . A temple incorporates all elements of Hindu cosmos - presenting the good , the evil and the human , as well as the elements of Hindu sense of cyclic time and the essence of life - symbolically presenting dharma , kama , artha , moksa , and karma . The spiritual principles symbolically represented in Hindu temples are given in the ancient Sanskrit texts of India ( for example , Vedas and Upanishads ) , while their structural rules are described in various ancient Sanskrit treatises on architecture ( Brhat Samhita , Vastu Sastras ) . The layout , the motifs , the plan and the building process recite ancient rituals , geometric symbolisms , and reflect beliefs and values innate within various schools of Hinduism . A Hindu temple is a spiritual destination for many Hindus , as well as landmarks around which ancient arts , community celebrations and economy have flourished . Hindu temples come in many styles , are situated in diverse locations , deploy different construction methods and are adapted to different deities and regional beliefs , yet almost all of them share certain core ideas , symbolism and themes . They are found in South Asia particularly India and Nepal , Pakistan , in southeast Asian countries such as Sri Lanka , Cambodia , Vietnam , and islands of Indonesia and Malaysia , and countries such as Canada , the Caribbean , Fiji , France , Guyana , Kenya , Mauritius , the Netherlands , South Africa , Suriname , Tanzania , Trinidad and Tobago , Uganda , the United Kingdom , the United States , and countries with a significant Hindu community . The current state and outer appearance of Hindu temples reflect arts , materials and designs as they evolved over two millennia ; they also reflect the effect of conflicts between Hinduism and Islam since the 12th century . The Swaminarayanan Akshardham in Robbinsville , New Jersey , United States , between the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas , was inaugurated in 2014 as one of the world 's largest Hindu temples .