From the Pyramids of Giza to the Desert Castles - The 100 Wonders of the World

On a plateau in Egypt a few kilometers from the city of Cairo, Giza is a city on the left bank of the Nile, at its delta in the north. Giza is world-renowned for its immense necropolis and its very famous and great pyramids, those of Cheops, Kefren and Mykarinos. The Great Pyramid of Cheops, with its sides aligned to the four cardinal points, measures over 230 meters at its base, for a perimeter of 922 meters. It weighs about 5 million metric tons, each brick of polished limestone weighing an average of 2.5 metric tons. 137 meters tall, it dominates the Giza plateau. The Pyramid of Cheops, built under the ancient empire during the fourth dynasty, around 2650 BC, is the Great Pyramid. The tallest pyramid in Egypt and, until the beginning of the 20th century, it was also the largest, the highest and the most massive monument ever constructed. For 2,000 years, this pyramid has been one of the seven wonders of the world. If the sight stuns, it is still relatively recently that the scholars of the 19th century considered themselves incapable of reproducing the technical achievements of such works of art. Theories began to appear as they tried to get to the bottom of the mysteries. But the pyramid is above all a tomb, and represents one of the purest and most abstract works of art ever conceived. The Pyramid of Cheops is part of a larger funeral complex, making up the Funeral Temple, an ensemble composed of these pyramids, the Queen's Pyramids, three other smaller ones, and many mastabas grouped into three cemeteries. Little is known of Cheops' reign. Only one ivory statuette in his honor, about 10 centimeters high, has remained. He was the son of King Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres I, and is considered by many to have been one of the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt. He owes his reputation to his architectural exploits, among others being the Great Pyramid that took 20 years and 20,000 workers to build. Today, it is considered to be perfection in construction and architecture. The entrance to the pyramid is 15.63 meters high, and has above it a system of evacuation with arcs and monolithic beams. Today, we have access to the infrastructures by a hole that was made by Caliph al-Mamun in 820. It was dug a few meters below the official entrance and gives out on the ascending corridor. The smooth covering of the pyramid was already in place by this time and hid the presence of the original closing. This entrance was closed by rolling a stone. The siding, originally composed of fine limestone, has almost entirely disappeared. There are only a few blocks remaining, resting on the stones at the base, unlike that of the Pyramid of Khefren, the son of Cheops, which has been much better preserved. During their heyday, the pyramids must have been majestically brilliant under the sun. The Pyramid of Kheops is part of a larger complex, made up of the pyramids of his son Khefren and his grandson Mycorrhinos. Mycorrhinos is the Greek name of the ruler Menkaur, under the fourth dynasty of the ancient Egyptian empire. He reigned from approximately 2490 to 2473 BC and succeeded Khefren. As did his father and grandfather, Mycorrhinos was dedicated to the idea of constructing a pyramid at Giza. His is the smallest of the three great pyramids of the plateau. This pyramid, farther south, is only a tenth of the size of the Pyramid of Kheops. It was 66 meters tall and its side 108. The funerary complex also includes three pyramids of queens. And Kheops had also included a tomb for his mother, Hetepheres I. The Pyramid of Khefren is the best preserved of the three. The base of the pyramid is a square of 250 meters per side, and it rose to 144 meters when it was constructed. It was coated with limestone siding, which only remains at its summit. Until the 19th century, the history of the exploration of the Pyramid of Khefren was often confused with that of Kheops. To have the first description of the pyramids, we turn all the way back to the Greek historian Herodotus. At the death of Kheops, the royal reign came to his son, Khefren. The son followed in his father's footsteps and constructed a pyramid himself that, in all honesty, did not reach the dimensions of that of Kheops. The Giza Sphinx is the statue that stands before the great pyramids of the plateau. 73 meters long, 21 meters high, and 14 meters wide, the Sphinx is a monumental sculpture carved into a natural headland of solid rock. It is a therianthropic statue because it shows the intertwining, to mystical ends, of man and animal. Its head faces the east. The Sphinx's body is that of a reclining or couchant lion, and its head that of a ruler wearing the nemes, or headcloth, emblematic of the pharaohs, decorated with a uraeus, the cobra, on the forehead. For a long time, it has been identified with the pharaoh Khafre, the son of Kheops, and the face might be that of Kheops himself. Several clues support this, such as the headdress, the breadth of his chin, the form of his ears, or his ceremonial beard. It is at the foot of the Sphinx, opposite the pyramids, that Napoleon Bonaparte, who later became the emperor of France, famously declared, Soldiers, from the top of these pyramids, 40 centuries look down upon you. Deep within the grandiose wilderness lies the Maya city of Tikal, the City of Echoes, which was inhabited from the 6th century BC to the 10th century AD. It is one of the more important sites of Mayan civilization. The ruins spread out over a surface of 16 square kilometers, and include over 3,000 structures. Around the main plaza, at the heart of Tikal, stands a number of remarkable buildings. The site's most emblematic monument, Temple No. 1, characterizes the complex's architectural style. Built around 734, the pyramid, upon which the temple was founded, rises 47 meters high, and a single flight stairway leads to the actual temple. Mayan civilization appeared around 1000 BC, and the Classic Period ran from 200 AD to 700 AD. The Post-Classic Period followed it. Along the western side of the main plaza, Temple No. 2 faces Temple No. 1. It is also known as the Temple of the Masks, and was built around 700 AD. It is 38 meters high. It was devoted to the sovereign's wife, buried under Temple No. 1, and the queen's portrait is sculpted on the lintel of the door located at the top of the sanctuary. Like other temples in Tikal, the upper part of the sanctuary included three adjoining rooms with lintel-supported doors. Contrary to Temple No. 1, no tomb has been found here. The umbrella crest displays eroded sculptures of masks. Located north of the main plaza, the Acropolis is a complex whose construction dates back to the Pre-Classic Period, around 350 BC. It was long used as the necropolis of the sovereigns of Tikal. The tomb at the heart of the complex is attributed to the founder of the dynasty. Upon each royal burial, new temples were added atop older structures. In the 9th century AD in the Post-Classic Period, 43 steles and 30 altars were erected, some of which are engraved with hieroglyphic texts and bare sculpted royal portraits. Four temples were built on the south side, facing the main plaza in Temple 2. They are now hidden by the vegetation. The central Acropolis is a huge complex of residential and administrative palaces where the royal families of Tikal and their relatives resided. The complex sprawls out over 1.5 hectares and includes 45 buildings and 6 courtyards. Malar Palace and the Five-Story Palace are among the most remarkable buildings in this complex, which, like the North Acropolis, expanded organically over a 200-year period. The buildings and palaces are linked by a series of stairways, halls and gates. Following Tawza Road to the west, we reach Temple 3. It is the last great pyramid temple to have been built in Tikal. Also known as the Temple of the Jaguar Priest, it was built under the reign of Black Sun around 810 AD. The pyramid is 55 meters high and the sanctuary at the top includes two rooms. To the south, a bit out of the way, amidst the lush jungle, stands the second largest pyramid temple of Tikal, Temple 5. Rising 59 meters high, it was built around 700 AD. The main stairway is 20 meters wide and has 90 steps. The railings are 2.6 meters wide and rise to the top of the stairway. Nearby, the Plaza of the Seven Temples is lined to the east by a row of nearly identical temples and a series of palaces. The buildings and the surrounding jungle subtly blend, creating a very beautiful sight. But the glory of Tikal did not last. Though it was one of the greatest cities of classic Mayan civilization, with a population of over 50,000, Tikal's only water supplies came from 10 reservoirs that stocked rainwater. The lack of springs, rivers and lakes in the surrounding area underlines an amazing fact. This great city was built and flourished with only harvested rainwater. This dependency on seasonal rainfall made Tikal particularly vulnerable to prolonged droughts, which, according to some, could have played a role in the collapse of classic Mayan civilization in the 9th century. Further down lies a site forgotten by the Mayas themselves, El Mundo Perdido. Archaeologists have named it the Lost World because the surrounding jungle brought to mind the eponymous novel by author Arthur Conan Doyle. Rising 30 meters high with stairways on all four sides, the Lost World's pyramid has a flat roof capable of supporting a superstructure built with perishable materials. The pyramid dates back to the late pre-classic period, in other words, to the beginnings of the Christian era. It was the biggest edifice at Tikal until the 7th century. Mundo Perdido is a complex of closed structures. Due to its distant location, it has remained intact and was not affected by the expansion of Tikal in the classic period. It constitutes one of the most ancient inhabited sites of Tikal. With three small buildings to the east, the pyramid forms an ensemble which is believed to be of astronomical significance. It was decorated with stucco masks representing the sun god. Rising like a guard above the jungle, the pyramid is a reminder that there are thousands of ancient structures in Tikal and that only a fraction of them have been excavated, since the site was, for many centuries, entirely covered by the jungle. Built according to the European model, the town center of Buenos Aires combines historical monuments and modern buildings, testament to new architectural styles. The European influences in the local architecture are mostly French and English. Both countries colonized the town for a time during the 1800s. La Plaza de Mayo, the May Square in the area known as El Centro, is the heart of Buenos Aires. This is where, in the 16th century, the Spanish first took up residence in Buenos Aires. Its name refers to the anniversary of the first independent government, the 25th May 1810. Any political rallies or sports events in Buenos Aires take place in the Plaza de Mayo. For Argentinians, it's a place of celebration. Buenos Aires is one of the most highly populated cities in the world, with a mixed and varied population. Cosmopolitan. To the east of the square is Government House. This palace is the seat of the Argentine government. It's from these balconies that President Perón and his wife inspired the people with their long and passionate speeches. Government House is also known as the Casa Rosada for its salmon pink walls. The first gutters of the Calle Florida date back to the founding of Buenos Aires when this was just a simple pathway leading up from the banks of the Río de la Plata towards the center of town. Now pedestrian only, it is one of the city's busiest commercial streets. It's lined with shopping centers, rows of beckoning shop windows and luxury stores, all designed to draw tourists and customers with money to spend. This is the Europe of South America. This European atmosphere is very much in evidence in the Café Tortoni, one of the oldest and best-known cafés in Buenos Aires. It was once the meeting place for many artists, intellectuals and politicians. Inherently traditional, its magnificent decor takes us straight back to the old cafés of distant Europe. The Avenida Nueve de Julio is the widest avenue in the world. Its name commemorates the country's independence from Spanish domination on the 9th of July 1816. The obelisk was erected in 1936 to celebrate 400 years since the city's founding in 1536. As Buenos Aires grew, this avenue was designed to deal with the increasingly severe traffic problems, but also to play to the dreams of grandeur of the rulers of the era. At the crossroads with the Avenida de Mayo is a statue of Don Quixote, the famous character created by the Spanish writer Cervantes. La Casa del Cabildo is one of the few buildings which date back to the colonial period. This is where the first municipal council convened at the start of the 19th century. And prior to that, the king's chamber legislated here. We continue to the Plaza San Martín, whose diverse flowers give it a certain elegance. At the center of the square is a mini Big Ben known as la Torre de los Ingleses, the English Tower, which was brought here by the British to celebrate the centennial of Argentinian independence at the beginning of the 20th century. Opposite is a memorial to the soldiers of the Falklands War, another strong historic reminder. El Congreso is the seat of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Eighty meters tall, monumental in appearance, with its great bronze dome, the building is reminiscent of Capitol Hill in Washington. The Greco-Roman style belongs to what is known as the Italian Academic School, the neoclassical style. Next we come to the Cemetery of Recoleta, similar to the famous Père Lachaise in Paris. Through the stately entrance, visitors enter into this village of sumptuous family vaults. The atmosphere is solemn but luxurious. Famous celebrities and members of the great Buenos Aires families are buried here. Eva Perón and Carlos Gardel are two of the many well-known Argentinians who are buried here in the Recoleta Cemetery. Eva Perón, better known by many as Evita, was one of the most popular public figures in post-war Argentina. She was instrumental in obtaining certain key social benefits, such as the right to vote for women, social security, paid holidays, and the protection of workers' rights. Puerto Madero is a reminder of Buenos Aires' proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Formerly run down, this area has undergone a massive transformation. The redevelopment of the ancient port was based on that of the London docks. Nowadays, the elegant modern dockside has become the place to see and be seen. Sitting alongside the quay is the Fragata Presidente Sarmiento. Built in 1897, she was the first training boat of the Argentine Navy. El Caminito, the little alley, is the most famous street in La Boca and its major tourist attraction. Its colorful houses figure on the front cover of almost all tourist guides of the city. In the 50s, a theater director came up with the idea of transforming the area into a street theater. Then in the 70s, the local inhabitants were granted permission to expose their artwork in the street. The area has become like a Parisian Montmartre in Argentina, popular for its festive village atmosphere. The porteños go out regularly, and they stay late, sometimes very late. The night out rarely starts before midnight or 1 a.m., and sometimes later, depending on the place and the day. Sometimes the Argentinians will even go to bed in the evening and then get up to go out at about 2 a.m., coming home at dawn or mid-morning. The desert castles of Jordan in the Near East are a group of constructions located east of Amman, on the road from Damas to Al-Madinah, on the famous road of castles. These small palaces or qasars, as they are called in Arabic, were built by the caliphs in the 7th and 8th centuries. They were used as inns, summer residences, and hunting lodges. Located about 100 kilometers from Amman, the Qasr al-Azraq is built of black basalt. It is a square with sides of 80 meters. In general, the qasrs have several common characteristics. They are fortified, use the Roman foot as a measure of length, for example 35 centimeters, and are built around a central courtyard. The castle's most striking original architectural feature is its ceilings. Enormous blocks of stone act as corbels, replacing the traditional beams, because wood was very difficult to find in the area. This fortress served as Lawrence of Arabia's desert HQ in the winter of 1917 during the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. His desk was in his bedroom, which was right above the front door. Forty kilometers southwest of Azraq, lost in the immense desert, we find what looks like a small villa. The exterior facade indicates the residential character of the property, which belonged to the Umayyad sovereigns. The most famous of the desert castles was built at the start of the 8th century by the Umayyad caliph Walid I. It is a good example of early Umayyad art and Islamic architecture. The interior layout is similar to a basilica, a reception room with a central nave and two lateral naves, preceded by a small hall containing the sovereign's throne. Abandoned, it was rediscovered in 1898 by Alois Musil, a Czech explorer. The walls and the ceilings are entirely covered with frescoes, which is unique in the Islamic art tradition. These paintings, made using techniques inherited from Romano-Byzantine methods, depict hunting scenes, gallant feasts, and there are several examples of female nudes. The frescoes include depictions of human figures and animals, ordinarily banned in the Islamic world. The reason for this exception is to be found in religious chronology. The ban on the representation of living figures dates from the Abbasid dynasty, subsequent to the Umayyads, who were considerably more tolerant. The frescoes give us a hint of the festive and relaxed atmosphere which reigned in this country court. Further south, Qasr al-Qarana is not so lavishly decorated. Not far from the Saudi Arabian border, it was built at the start of the Umayyad period in about 710 AD. It is obvious that Qasr al-Qarana was never a princely residence. The external walls and towers of the rectangular compound indicate that it was built for defensive purposes. But the interior layout, the stables near the entrance, and the different rooms give the impression of a traveler's inn. An entire way of life now forgotten. But let us hit the road, because in this country full of history, the marks of past civilizations are not lacking. Indeed, Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Syria, Palestine, Israel, and Iraq, and has been a point of liaison between all of these countries throughout the ages. Leaving Amman, the country's capital, the plateau stretches out and evolves into a steppe and then into a desert. Everywhere here, the wind leaves its trace, molding men, sculpting sand dunes, beating down bushes, and wearing down rocks. The sand of the Wadi Rum desert contains both red and white grains, which mix together into a range of different hues of pink. It is exceptional in its geological variety. Dunes, canyons, valleys, gorges formed by erosion and by the winds which continue to sculpt the landscape as the water once did thousands of years ago. Jordan is a real history book, and within this hostile environment, man has to find his place. This narrow gorge is known as the Little Siq. On its walls, we can make out the markings left by different nomadic tribes. Here, Thamas symbols made by a Saudi Arabian tribe who lived here in the 3rd century BC. From the Umm Fruth, this small stone bridge, you can look out at the vast expanses of sand whose laws govern the lives of men. Perched at an altitude of 3,400 meters, the city of Cusco, Peru has a population of over 300,000. It is the most ancient existing city to be still inhabited in all of the South American continent. Legend has it that the city was founded in the 11th century by Manco Capac, the first Inca emperor, and Mama Oclo, his sister and wife. The greater monuments date to Pachacutec, a great warrior and architect from the Inca period. Then came the conquest. After having destroyed most of the city in 1534, the Spaniards built the cathedral in the 16th century. Cusco was the capital of the Incas, and today it has become the uncontested archaeological capital of the Americas. Another sign of the Catholic conquest, the company of Jesus Church. The foundations of La Compaña, like that of many other Hispanic buildings, lie on an ancient Inca palace. Here, the palace of the emperor Huayana Capac. Built by the Jesuits in 1571, its elaborate Baroque facade makes it the city's most remarkable church. The Plaza de Armas is the central hub of Cusco. With its two prestigious churches and cafes, the Plaza de Armas is one of the most picturesque colonial squares of Peru. All major demonstrations take place here. The plaza is nearly entirely lined with porticoed galleries. La Merced Church, an order founded in Barcelona in 1218 by San Pedro Nolasco, is the third greatest colonial church of Cusco. Alongside its church, La Merced has a monastery that was built in 1535, and entirely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1650. In this convent of Baroque Renaissance design, the square cloister contains a garden and a running fountain. Walking around this refreshing oasis, you can see wonderful paintings of the Cusco school, left out in the open air for visitors to enjoy. The number of churches and their marvelous architecture played a role in converting the Peruvian people to Christianity. Today, 92% of Peruvians are Catholics, but their religious practices still bear elements of pre-Columbian cults. For the country's 30 million inhabitants, around 45% are Native American, 15% are European, and 37% are of mixed descent. Peru has a strong cultural image due to the rich history of the Inca Empire. Atun Rumuyoc is a cobbled street lined with impressive walls of polygonal stones. The famous 12-sided stone is found here. It is a stone monolith that was polished and shaped so as to fit perfectly into the wall, no mortar required. Inca stone masons knew how to incorporate irregular stones into their constructions. Stone was used to make Inca Roca's palace, which later became the archbishop's seat, and which is now the Museum of Religious Arts. Set on a steep hillside, the old Inca quarter of Totocachi, known today as San Blas, housed the estates of the nobility. Today is one of the most picturesque areas of Cusco. Its narrow, steep roads zigzag between old colonial houses, painted white with blue doors, shutters and balconies, built atop Inca walls. It is also called the artisan's quarter because many workshops and shops of famous local artists are found here. Among the major traditional types of craftsmanship, there are loom weaving, ceramics and silver jewelry. This has become the city's bohemian district. It is also the place to find traditional dresswear. The skirts, hats and ponchos, and let's not forget the famous Peruvian bonnet, the chulo made of vicuña wool. The colonial church of Santo Domingo and its convent were built on the Inca ruins of Coricancha, the golden courtyard in Quechuan, the famous Temple of the Sun. Today, only the surrounding structure of what had been the richest and most revered temple in the Inca empire remains. The church was built on the temple site. At the entrance stands the cloister, embedded into the superstructures of the Inca temple. In the middle, the octagonal pond at the center was originally covered in 55 kilograms of gold. Around the cloister, only four rooms of the ancient temple remain. The slightly inclined walls are made of blocks of stone that stand together without mortar, despite their multiple and complex angles. Previously, the walls of Coricancha were covered in 700 gold leaves, each weighing around 2 kilograms. Trapezoid doors and niches are typical of Pachacutec Inca architecture. Here, everything was covered in precious gold. It symbolized the sun. In one of the rooms, a massive gold plaque represents Inca mythology, which was then being introduced in Cusco. Porto is the second biggest city of Portugal, after Lisbon, with a population of nearly 2 million. An old saying illustrates the spirit of the two greatest Portuguese cities. While Lisbon makes herself pretty, Porto works. This city is known for its port wine, its monuments, and its bridges over the Douro River, like this one here, the oldest one, modeled by Gustave Eiffel. There's only a single arch spanning 350 meters. Due to its history as a wine trader with England, the city of Porto and its harbor benefit from extensive commercial activity that in turn generates traffic on the river. The river is the transport route for boats transporting port barrels from the vineyards situated in the famous Douro Valley. It all started in the 18th century. An English merchant realized that the Portuguese wine he was shipping to England was spoiled by the time it reached its destination. To remedy the problem, he added brandy to a barrel and it worked. Port wine was born. Port became a popular drink in the 18th century, thanks to the British merchant's ingenuity. To ensure the quality of port wine, a production area was delimited in 1756, making the Douro the world's first regional appellation. Port wine is made from a wide range of traditional grape varieties like Touriga Francesca and Tinta Amarela, some of which have been cultivated since Roman times. Rich in tannins, these grape varieties benefit from a special climate and soil. In Quinto do Vargelhas, at the great Taylor Port Winery, the slopes have been terraced. The mountain range stands between the ocean and the vineyard, acting as a barrier from the rain. Furthermore, the vineyard undergoes very hot and dry summers and cold winters, an ideal combination for port since the winter's cold kills off insects and disease and provides respite for the grape vines. The dry summers are also necessary to produce port wine. It is on these slopes that the famous port wine is made. This mosaic of vineyards, made up of different grape varieties and rather poor soil, produces grapes that are incredibly fruity, colorful and tannic. It is worth noting that a single grape vine produces no more than a bottle. Quality has its price. Today is the last day of the grape harvest at Quinto do Vargelhas. In the valley, the grapes are harvested during the second half of September and the first days of October. This year, the harvest took place later due to the drought. Some rains are necessary during the summer for the port juices to ripen and attain their typical taste. Due to the slope, the harvesting is done by hand. The quantity of grapes harvested per picker per day is around 700 kilograms. Today, they're picking Tinta Rodich grapes, Torriga Franca and Tinta Chao to mix them in the casks. Because the best ports are made from different varieties that are combined during fermentation, each variety brings its own personal contribution to the mix due to its own characteristics. Some grape varieties bring added color, others bring specific tastes or acidity. Port is one of those tannic wines that uses grape skins. They are added to a wine press and crushed so as to extract the remaining juices and tannins. Extracting byproducts is a very important step in the production of port. But once they are sorted and before beginning fermentation in large vats, called lagars, the grapes undergo a strange process. Crushing grapes by foot has been the traditional method of crushing grapes for many centuries. It is done immediately once the grapes reach the lagar. For two hours, the crushers walk rhythmically back and forth. This method serves to crush the grapes and extract the seeds that rise up to the surface. They are later filtered. The difference between port and red wine is that as the port ferments, a neutral wine brandy is added. In fact, port wine undergoes a thorough mutation. The hard liquor stops the natural fermentation process all the while conserving the wine sugars. That is how port is produced. This wine made sweet and more alcoholic by commercial necessity in the 18th century. Port wines are kept in wooden casks. The amber-colored tawny casks, before being aged for five years, spend their first winter and the following spring here at the vineyard. But as soon as the weather in the Douro Valley starts warming up in the spring, the wine is transported along the river to Vila Nova de Gaia in Porto. To avoid exposing port wine to high temperatures, Vila Nova de Gaia is without a doubt the best possible place to store wine and to later sell it. At Taylors, the casks are transported to the historical property where the wine's maturing process is closely followed. These wines require a lot of oxidation in order to lose their original deep red color and to veer towards an amber color, developing scents of caramel, vanilla, and dried fruit. These are much more velvety wines. The first year, many tastings are performed so as to follow the wine's evolution. The following year, on St. George's Day, April 23rd, it is decided whether or not to make a vintage port. Vintages are the most noble, the lords of port wines. They are produced from a single exceptional harvest. Vintage port is bottled after two years and is aged for at least 20 years. A vintage port will continue being aged for a minimum of 50 to 60 years and it is even capable of being aged for a century. Customers must be given all the necessary information about this rich wine that is increasingly being appreciated throughout the world. Port is sold in South America, in North America, in the Far East, and of course, in Europe and the United Kingdom. The historical market of this clearly uncommon wine. The Maldives are located in Southwestern Asia and are made up of a little less than 1,200 islands. The name Maldive means women's island who are thought to have come a long time ago from Sri Lanka. Today, many travelers come here for the mildness of the tropics and moreover, for the richness of the submarine fauna. Located at around 500 kilometers or 350 miles to the south of India and 2,500 kilometers or 1,800 miles to the east of Africa, these islands found on the Indian Oceans Ridge are grouped into 22 atolls. Male is the Maldives' capital city. This archipelago's peculiarity is its low altitude, the highest point being three meters high, giving it an almost ephemeral beauty. Most islands are reached by boat, the furthest by hydroplane. The first travelers arrived during the 1950s, drawn in by the archipelago's extraordinary ocean bed. Nowadays, almost a hundred of these islands are in fact hotel islands. These are hotels which stretch out onto an entire desert island. This results in over 600,000 tourists coming each year to these hotel complexes. Haleveli is a very nice and wonderful island about one away by boat from Male. The hotel has the longest wooden pier that juts out into the water. At 850 meters long, it services 60 water villas and a residential villa. How can you resist? Here, there's anything a demanding traveler could ask for. Although the Maldives are sought after for their insular character, they have nonetheless never been overly isolated as they are located on the main connections between Africa and the Middle East on one side and the Far East on the other. The climate here is warm and humid, with temperatures ranging from 26 degrees to 33 degrees. The same can be said about the seawater, combining transparency and flamboyant colors with a temperature which never goes below 24 degrees Celsius. Enabling a rich and luxuriant submarine fauna and flora. The primary asset here is the seabed, of course. All the hotel islands here provide their guests with highly professional sea diving centers, with lessons adapted to all levels from beginners to the most experienced. Once underwater, the sights live up to one's expectations. The Maldives offer the abundance and the variety of fishes encountered here. The sharks, the manta rays, the bansanaes, the eagle rays, the tunas, the carangides, huge bands of fusiliers, the surgeonfishes, butterflyfishes. There's an amazing wildlife down there. The Maldivian Atoll's underwater treasures are an extraordinary attraction for diving enthusiasts, but the Maldives are also about leisure. And after effort, it's time for relaxation. During the last decades, the number of tourists has continuously grown. The Maldives, now reaching to the more luxurious clienteles, have developed the island hotel system, which fits in wonderfully into the Atoll, as they manage their ecosystem. The Maldives therefore decided to sign a pact to protect marine life. The sharks are now protected. And here are the silvertip sharks. And the gray reef sharks, even more impressive. They were saved from extermination here because thousands of tourists come to the Maldives to get near them, to contemplate them. And they come with money, which is non-negligible for the country's economy. It is time to resurface and snatch out of the fascinating spectacle. Each person busy with his tasks and a head full of images returning to the boat acts as a decompression chamber. To round out this change of scenery, the hotels always offer more. A typical island hotel would comprise the hotel in its usual options, but also restaurants, cafes, shops, saloons, bars, nightclubs, and a full range of activities. It is now time to discover another type of diving and another type of ecosystem, rich in new adventures. Another typical marine activity of the Maldives is offered here, big game fishing. Some hotels are ready to accommodate your needs and you'll be able to go sword fishing or tuna fishing, which abound in the Maldivian waters. Fishing enthusiasts will thoroughly enjoy these islands. The larger fish nest in the great reefs where the sea is deep or in the lagoons. Live bait is commonly used to draw them out of their hideouts and reel them in. Then it is time for contemplative expectation. Here we go, we have a bite. The beautiful swordfish struggles for a moment before freeing itself. Fish is served at dinnertime, of course, yet the food in the Maldives is very cosmopolitan, as is the clientele. Great chefs work here. But it is time to go for one last dive into another type of ecosystem that smells of adventure. The Haleveli sank here 25 years ago. The shipwreck is 13 meters deep. The boat is inclined and you can see skate and sharks resting on it. From here, you can observe thousands of fish and a lot of coral, both soft and hard. Dive after dive, the Maldives have built their reputation with their incredible spots, but also thanks to the professionalism of the teams and the organization of this lucrative leisure. The smart usage of the world's most beautiful locations.