Living Rock: Massive Monuments Sculpted In Situ

Posted by Queuebot in Architecture, Pictures, Religion, Travel & Places on May 6, 2009 at 2:11 pm


We all know about Mount Rushmore and the Great Sphinx of Giza, both carved in situ without the intention of ever being moved.  Such sculptures are often referred to as living rock.  Others, like these, are not so well known. From places you may expect to find them, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia to the far flung reaches of Ethiopia and Bangladesh, most were carved in ancient times.  In almost all cases there are no extant records which explain how they were built without the aid of modern technology.  Yet here they are.

Quazen blog has a list of 9 incredible architectures sculpted out of rocks:

China has many a Buddha dotted throughout its extraordinary landscapes but the Giant Buddha of Leshan is unique in that it was carved directly out of the cliff face – just look at the people at the feet of the statue. The sculpture, which is seventy one meters (or over three hundred feet) tall dwarfs the tourists that flock to see it. It is positioned so that it faces Mount Emei and stands at the meeting place of three rivers. Although the Government of China has promised a restoration program, the statue has suffered from the effects of pollution, particularly over the last twenty years. Fortunately, the statue was not damaged in the Sichuan earthquake of 2008.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by taliesyn30.


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6 comments to "Living Rock: Massive Monuments Sculpted In Situ"

  1. Johnny Cat
    May 6th, 2009 at 4:13 pm

    Cool stuff! On the Buddha, it looks like a single file line going up. How do they get down, I wonder?

  2. ted
    May 6th, 2009 at 5:05 pm

    They don't, Johnny Cat. They're his victims.
    He looks like the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz.

  3. tinyflowers
    May 6th, 2009 at 5:10 pm

    Hey I've been there! The whole park is beautiful.

  4. Frau
    May 6th, 2009 at 6:10 pm

    My favorite has always been the Lion's head monument on the road to Baguio.

  5. Kalel
    May 6th, 2009 at 7:38 pm

    No modern technology, but everyone chips in.

  6. Edgewise.Sigma
    May 6th, 2009 at 10:26 pm

    Any guesstmates as to how much it would cost to create likewise structure using today's modern tools and tech.

    Just to create something like that Ethiopian church, for example. How much might that cost, and how *long* would construction take? (Would the modern tools/tech make any difference?)

    I also wonder if there are any contractors who can specialize in stuff like this....


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