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See Inside the Most Famous Buildings in the World

(Photo Credit: Independent Picture Service/ Getty Images and Frank Bienewald/ Getty Images)
(Photo Credit: Independent Picture Service/ Getty Images and Frank Bienewald/ Getty Images)

Some buildings throughout the world are so instantaneously recognizable from the outside that we never really stop to consider what the interiors might look like. These famous structures are just as beautiful on the inside as they are from the outside!

1. Taj Mahal

Exterior of the Taj Mahal
(Photo Credit: Ernst Haas/ Getty Images)

The Taj Mahal is arguably the most famous building in India. It was erected as a mausoleum for the second wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, and work on the site was completed in 1653.

Inside the Taj Mahal
(Photo Credit: NurPhoto/ Getty Images)

The central focus of the Taj Mahal complex is the tomb, which is a large, white marble structure. The Taj Mahal is considered the most outstanding architectural achievement in the entire range of Indo-Islamic architecture. According to UNESCO, the Taj Mahal is a “perfect symmetrical planned building.”

inside the Taj Mahal
(Photo Credit: NurPhoto/ Getty Images)

2. Step Pyramid of Djoser

exterior of King Djoser step pyramid
(Photo Credit: Print Collector/ Getty Images)

The Step Pyramid of Djoser was built for King Djoser, the first pharaoh of the Old Kingdom in Egypt. Djoser’s Pyramid was the first pyramid built in Egypt, dating back to around 2630 BCE. Construction on the Great Pyramid of Giza began in 2560 BCE, nearly 70 years after Djoser’s Step Pyramid was completed.

Inside the pyramid of djoser
(Photo Credit: Picture Alliance/ Getty Images)

In 2020, the inside of the Djoser Pyramid was completed after a 15-year restoration. The tunnels beneath the pyramid form a labyrinth nearly 3.5 miles (or 5.5 kilometers) long. Thousands of blue-green tiles decorated the halls of the tomb. These tiles were meant to imitate reed matting.

Interior of Djoser pyramid
(Photo Credit: Picture Alliance/ Getty Images)

3. La Sagrada Família

Exterior of La Sagrada Familia
(Photo Credit: Thierry Borredon/ Getty Images)

La Sagrada Família is a giant Basilica located in Barcelona that has been under construction since 1882. Experts believe that the church will be completed sometime after 2026. It is one of the most famous works of the architect Antonio Gaudí.

La Sagrada Familia
(Photo Credit: Frédéric Soltan/ Getty Images)
Inside La Sagrada Familia
(Photo Credit: Eye Ubiquitous/ Getty Images)

The interior and exterior of the Basílica de la Sagrada Família are packed with Catholic symbolism. According to Gaudí’s original design, the Basilica should have eighteen spires. These spires represent the Twelve Apostles, the Virgin Mary, the four Evangelists, and Jesus Christ. Interestingly, there are no exact right angles on the outside or inside of the Basilica.

La Grada Familia interior
(Photo Credit: Matthew Horwood/ Getty Images)

4. St. Basil’s Cathedral

exterior of St. Basil's Cathedral
(Photo Credit: TASS/ Getty Images)

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow is definitely one of the brightest and most recognizable buildings in the world. The cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1555.

Inside St. Basil's Cathedral
(Photo Credit: AGF/ Getty Images)

The bright landmark, situated in the middle of Moscow’s Red Square, originally was white with gold domes. Supposedly, it was colored this way to match the white stone of the Kremlin. The domes of the church were painted in the seventeenth century. The colors chosen for the domes were taken from a Biblical description found in the Book of Revelations about Heaven.

inside St. Basil's Cathedral
(Photo Credit: AGF/ Getty Images)

5. The Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty
(Photo Credit: Drew Angerer/ Getty Images)

The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The statue came from the French as a gift of friendship to the American people.

Interior of Statue of Liberty
(Photo Credit: Bettmann/ Getty Images)

Visitors used to be allowed inside the Statue of Liberty’s torch until 1916, when an explosion on Black Tom Island in New York sent shrapnel hurtling toward the statue. Similarly, visitors today are no longer allowed to go up to Lady Liberty’s crown.

Statue of Liberty interior
(Photo Credit: Bettmann/ Getty Images)

6. The Forbidden City

Forbidden City, Beijing
(Photo Credit: Gerard SIOEN/ Getty Images)

The Forbidden City in Beijing, China, was once the imperial palace of the Emperor of China. The entire complex consists of 980 buildings and nearly 9,000 rooms. You might also recognize the Forbidden City from Disney’s Mulan!

Emperors throne, forbidden city
(Photo Credit: Zhang Peng/ Getty Images)
Inside the Forbidden City
(Photo Credit: John S. Lander/ Getty Images)

The Forbidden City served as the home of Chinese emperors and their families from 1420 to 1924. Since 1925, the Palace Museum has been in control of the Forbidden City. Today, it’s the most valuable palace in the world.

Interior of Forbidden City
(Photo Credit: China Photos/ Getty Images)

7. Petra, Jordan

Ad Deir Monastery at Petra
(Photo Credit: Heritage Images/ Getty Images)

The now-abandoned city of Petra in Jordan was once a thriving city and the capital of the Nabataean empire between 400 BCE and 106 AD. The Ad Deir Monastery at Petra is pictured above. The Monastery is a huge building carved out of rock.

Petra, Jordan
(Photo Credit: BSIP/ Getty Images)

The city of Petra was used as a primary film location for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). The Al Khazneh (The Treasury) was used as the entrance to the temple housing the Holy Grail in the movie. Petra has often been referred to as the “Rose City” because the stones in key buildings are a pinkish color.

Petra, Jordan
(Photo Credit: Jean-Michel COUREAU/ Getty Images)

8. Meenakshi Temple

Meenakshi Temple
The Meenakshi Amman Temple. (Photo Credit: Pictures From History/ Universal Images Group/ Getty Images)

The ancient Meenakshi Temple towers over the modern buildings in the city of Madurai, India. The temple consists of 14 towers covered with over 1,500 brightly colored sculptures.

1000 pillar hall Meenakshi Temple
(Photo Credit: IndiaPictures/ Getty Images)

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When the Meenakshi Temple is viewed from above, the entire structure is representative of a mandala. Many mandalas are painted throughout the interior of the temple. The Meenakshi Temple also features a thousand-pillar hall. Technically, there are only 985 pillars in this hall – rather than one thousand.

Madeline Hiltz

Maddy Hiltz is someone who loves all things history. She received her Bachelors of Arts in history and her Master’s of Arts degree in history both from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. Her thesis examined menstrual education in Victorian England. She is passionate about Princess Diana, the Titanic, the Romanovs, and Egypt amongst other things.

In her spare time, Maddy loves playing volleyball, running, walking, and biking, although when she wants to be lazy she loves to read a good thriller. She loves spending quality time with her friends, family, and puppy Luna!

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