Most Beautiful Gardens All Over The World‏

Most Beautiful Gardens All Over The World‏

There are many very beautifully designed gardens all over the world. Take a look.

Huntington Botanical gardens - USA

Boboli gardens - Italy

Kirstenbosch National Botanical garden - South Africa

Butchart gardens - Canada

Gardens of Versailles - France

Rikugien garden - Japan

Lost gardens of Heligan - United Kingdom

Vertical garden (Musee du quai Branly) - France

Mirabell gardens - Austria

Ryoan-ji Zen garden - Japan

Exbury gardens - UK

Keukenhof gardens - Netherlands

Garden of Cosmic Speculation - Scotland

Yuyuan garden - China

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical garden - Thailand

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Oman can accommodate up to 20,000 worshippers.

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque has a main dome which is 44.5 metres high and a main minaret which is 74 metres high.

It was in 1995 that Sultan Qaboos ordered the construction of the Grand Mosque at his own expense, construction was completed in 2001.

The site of the mosque runs about 1,000 metres along the length of the Sultan Qaboos Highway and about 885 metres deep from north to south.

The mosque, which also acts as an Islamic centre replete with a vast library.

The mosque complex is constructed on a raised podium in keeping with the tradition of Omani mosques.

The central dome of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque rises 50m above the ground.

A chandelier made of Swarovski crystals and gold-plated metalwork hangs in the main prayer hall. The hand-made carpet from Iran measures about 70mx60m and took four years to make.

With its ornate doors and exquisite designs, the mosque is a work of art.

Asghar Khan: ''I have visited many mosques but I must say this one ranks amongst the top five in the world. Its interior and exterior designs are simply spectacular.''

Photos of endangered places around the world

 We all know that climate change melts glaciers and shifts sea levels. But have you ever thought about how rising temperatures can threaten beautiful places in every corner of the world? Some of these spots may be closer to home than you think.

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Most peaceful states

Most peaceful states

 The Institute for Economics and Peace recently issued the first ranking of peaceful states in the United States. Rankings were based on factors such as violent crime, incarceration population and the costs associated with violence. Check out the 10 most peaceful states in the nation.


Washington

 Known for its picturesque mountain views, Washington rounds out the 10 most peaceful states at No. 10. A leader on the West Coast, Washington ranked most peaceful in the Pacific division.

Iowa

 Once mistaken for heaven in an Oscar-nominated film, Iowa ranks as peaceful state No. 9. In the 18 years of conducting the study on peaceful states, Iowa has never fallen out of the top 10.

Rhode Island

 The small coastal state of Rhode Island saw a decrease in homicides from 4.28 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 2.94 in 2009. This helped land the state at No. 8 on the most-peaceful list.

Massachusetts

 Massachusetts  ranking seventh, showed significant decreases in both violent crime and homicide rates, and the incarceration rate has remained one of the lowest in the country. It’s home to a peace-promoting organization.

Utah

 Widely known as the Friendly State, Utah ranked most peaceful in the West region and the Mountain division and No. 6 overall.

North Dakota

 The Peace Garden State, named after the state’s treasured International Peace Garden, was ranked the most peaceful state for the first nine years of the study. Slight increases in violent crime moved North Dakota into the No. 5 spot.

Minnesota

 Ranked fourth peaceful, Minnesota has the third-lowest incarceration rate and fifth-lowest number of homicides. It recently launched a new system to notify violent-crime victims when offenders are released from prison.

New Hampshire

 Though the study indicated that peace was not linked to political affiliation, New Hampshire is famous for its role in the U.S. political process. The No. 2 most peaceful state has the lowest homicide rate in the country.

Maine

 Vacationland is the perfect nickname for the most peaceful state, which ranked first on three of the tested indicators of peace.

Vermont

Vermont attracts visitors and residents alike with its beautiful scenery and inviting ski slopes, not to mention this sweet industry. This peaceful state ranks third based on low homicide rates and a decreasing violent-crime rate.

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