Famous Rocks and Rolling Stones

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:34:01 +0000

Sit back and enjoy a tour to these world famous rocks and stones, as follows:

Black Stone

Islam’s most sacred artifact, which, according to tradition, was the stone given by the angel Gabriel to Ishmael, the legendary founder of the Arab race. Known as “al-Hajar-ul-Aswad” in Arabic, it was built into the one of the outside corner of Kaaba, a pilgrimage shrine located within the courtyard of the massive “Masjid al-Haram,” the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. During the 10th century, it was taken away and shattered by an Iraqi sect of Qarmatians but was later recovered. The pieces are preserved in pitch and held together by silver wires.

Blarney Stone

A limestone situated high up on the parapet of the Blarney castle near Cork, Ireland. It was given by Robert the Bruce to Cormac McCarthy in 1314 in exchange for his support in the Battle of Bannockburn. According to legend, when this particular limestone is kissed, it will endow its kisser with the gift of persuasive eloquence. Yuck! Imagine kissing an object that has had people’s lips all over it for over 500 years.

Newspaper Rock

A flat sandstone cliff featuring one of the world’s largest known collections of petroglyphs, around two hundred square feet in area. Located in Moab, Utah, United States, this historic monument is believed to have been carved by several Native American cultures between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago.

Rock of Gibraltar

Considered as one of the Pillars of Hercules, this monolithic Jurassic limestone is situated on the south end of Europe of the Iberian Peninsula, lying at the junction of the Mediterranean and the Altantic. Also known as Mons Calpe, it has been used as a complex military fortification that spans over one thousand years of Moorish, Spanish and British history.

Ayers Rock

An enormous sandstone formation that stands 348 meters high, dominating the broad desert plains in central Australia of the Northern Territory, 400 kilometers southwest of Alice Springs. Also known as Uluru, the geological marvel is Australia’s most recognizable natural icon and holds great religious and cultural significance to the Aboriginal people of the area.

Rosetta Stone

(At the British Museum)

A black basalt stone, which discovery in the Egyptian village of Rashid somehow paved the way to the modern understanding of the once forgotten language of Egyptian hieroglyphics. It has been displayed in the British Museum in London since 1802, and contains three distinct bands of engraved inscription: hieroglyphics, demotic and ancient Greek.

Pantuo Rock

Situated in Zhejiang province atop the island mountain of Putuo, one of four sacred Buddhist site in China, is this rock that has its name in Chinese characters (literally “a huge stone on a mountain”) carved on it by a general from Ming Dynasty. It seems to be standing on top of another rock by the smallest contact point and very much likely to fall but has been firmly in place for millenia.

Stonehenge

Britain’s most famous prehistoric site that was erected using sarsens arranged in circles and has been standing in vigil on the Salisbury Plain near Amesbury for over five thousand years. How and why this megalithic monument was constructed has remained a mystery but theories abound that it was built by extra-terrestrials or the Druids, and that it was used for burial rituals or as an astronomical observatory.

Dome of the Rock

The structure sitting atop a plot of elevated platform in Jerusalem Israel identified by the Jews and Christians as the “Temple Mount”, and by the Muslims as “Haram al-Sharif” (”Noble Sanctuary” in Arabic). Inside this Islamic Shrine resides a rock in its center, on which Muslims believe was where Mohammed began his ascent to heaven, while Jews believe was where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Tarpeian Rock

The steep cliff used by the ancient Romans as an execution site from which criminals and traitors were thrown to their deaths. Lying south of the Capitoline Hill overlooking the Forum in Rome, it was named after a vestal virgin, who betrayed Rome to the Sabines in exchange for their gold bracelets but was instead crushed to death with their shields in expression of disgust for her actions.

Socyberty » petroglyph