1. East Asia: Pagodas

2. MAP

3. Stupa ( Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh state, India) Monument erected in memory of the Buddha or a Buddhist saint, often marking a sacred spot, commemorating an event, or housing a relic.

4. Pagoda -- a tower in eastern Asia with divisions of each of several stories and erected as a temple or memorial. Towerlike, multistoried structure of stone, brick, or wood, usually associated with a Buddhist temple complex and enshrining sacred relics.

5. Pagoda

6. Pagoda, Korea

7. Beijing Pagodas

8. Bronze Pagoda

9. Wood Pagoda

10. Pagoda at Datong, built over 1,000 years ago without a nail and still standing

11. Famen Temple

12. HORYUJI, aerial, near Nara Horyuji Temple Nara, Japan 607 CE

13. Hôryûji , aerial

14. Hôryûji , plan

15. Shitennō-ji

16. Hôryûji , outside gate

17. Hôryûji temple

18. The oldest Nio king statues in Japan. The oldest Nio king statues in Japan at Horyuji Temple South Gate

19. Hôryûji , Gatehouse

20. Hôryûji temple.

21. Horyuji Temple houses the oldest wooden structures still standing in Japan today. The five story pagoda (shown below) is said to date back to 607 although there has been some recent discoveries that have cause controversy over this date.

22. Hôryûji , The Buddha's statue

23. Hôryûji , Joinery

24. Hôryûji , interior

25. XI’AN MOSQUE, gate (early 17 th century)

26. Xi’an Mosque

27. Xi’an Mosque

28. Xi’an Mosque , The large "Prayer Hall" ( eight bays-wide) with a capacity for 1000 worshipers, features a triple roof of turquoise tiles on a wide platform dating from the Ming dynasty . Prayer Hall - the complete Quran is carved in the 600 wooden boards in Chinese and Arabic characters.

29. Xi’an Mosque, Mihrab The mihrab is of wood, decorated with carved and painted motifs which are Central Asian in color, though the floral patterns lend the design a distinctive Chinese flavor

30. Xi’an Mosque

31. Arabic Plaque, Great Mosque, Xian