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| Sunday, 12 December 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The temple built for Athena
The temple, built of marble atop a hill named Acropolis, follows the Greek design tradition known as Doric. The structure was then known as Athena Polias as it was built to pay homage to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The Parthenon was designed by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates. Construction commenced in 447BC under the instructions and guidance of Phidias; it was completed by 438BC. The temple is rectangular in shape with the sides being 60 metres and 30 metres in length. A 12-metre long tunnel had been underneath it. The blueprint of the temple shows that it had consisted of five main sections known as cella, parthenon, pronaos, epinaos and the site of the statue of Athena. According to reports of historians and explorers, the Temple of Parthenon had existed without any harm till the fifth century. With the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe, the temple was turned into a Catholic place of worship. The statue of Athena was removed from the chamber and replaced with a statue of the Virgin Mary. Later, when Muslim influence started spreading through Europe, Turks removed the statue of the Virgin Mary and started using the building as a mosque. During a certain period of the medieval age, the Turks started using the Parthenon as a storage room for gunpowder, probably due to the convenience provided by the underground tunnel. When the building was surrounded and attacked by an army from Venice led by an officer named Morosini, a shot from a cannon blew up the temple, creating a loud explosion. Parts of the structure and most of the pillars of the temple were destroyed in this explosion. Lord Elgin of Britain removed most of the marble parts, which were still in good shape, to Britain during the period between 1801 and 1803. They are now displayed in a British museum and are known as the Elgin Marbles. The Temple of Parthenon still stands on the Acropolis, as if to denote the glory of the Golden Age of Pericles, a great ruler of Greece. Living in the sky
The tower, built in 1997, has 34 floors with shopping and office areas as well as residential space. It claims to be the only "full service all suite" residence in Colombo. Foreigners working on long-term assignments in Sri Lanka comprise the majority of residents of the apartments which provide them the added convenience of a fully-equipped business centre. The tower has 175 suites in two different layouts overlooking the Indian Ocean or the Colombo Harbour. The most luxurious of these, the Penthouse Suites, are located on the 32nd and 33rd floors. In terms of leisure and entertainment, the Residence offers three restaurants - the UGB, Verandah Bistro and Bar and Pitstop Cafe. There is a sports and fitness centre on the third level, swimming-pool and tennis court. Shops are found at ground floor level. The complex is owned by the company Union Residencies and managed by the Hirdramani Group of Companies. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
The Seven Wonders of the Modern World as determined by the Italian
scientist Vittorio Gianini in 1902 are the Temple of Parthenon in Athens,
Greece; Statue of the Great Sphinx in Giza, Egypt; Great Wall of China;
Leaning Tower of Pisa and St. Peter's Church in Rome, both in Italy; Taj
Mahal in Agra, India and Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. We have already
talked about most of these monuments. This week we feature the Temple of
Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
The Hilton Colombo Residence apartment complex, located at the heart of
Colombo's business hub, Union Place, is one of the tallest buildings in
Sri Lanka at 128.9 metres.
