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• Top 10 Greatest Fortresses and Castles Ever Built
• Top 10 Cases Which May Shame People Like Brutus
• 5 Best Adventure Travel Companies

Top 10 Greatest Fortresses and Castles Ever Built Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:18 AM PDT Castles and fortresses remind you of royalty, battles and power. They are the witness to history spanning hundreds and thousands of years. They evoke a sense of nostalgia in the past. Perhaps that's the reason for them being some of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Let's have a look at the top 10 greatest fortresses and castles ever built.   10. Chittorgarh Fort, India: Located in Chittor, Rajasthan, the Chittorgarh Fort is the largest fort in India. Chittor was the capital of Mewar during the Mughal rule. It was ruled by several Rajput clans and later abandoned after a siege by Emperor Akbar. It is built over a 590.6 ft high hill and has a sprawling area of 691.9 acres. The fort, in many ways, is a symbol of gallantry and chivalry due to the history of great kings and battles associated with it. 9. Windsor Castle, England: It was originally built to oversee a strategically important part of the River Thames during the Norman dominance. It was then that it was gradually enhanced with stone fortifications. It is known to have withstood a prolonged siege during the First Barons’ War and also survived the period of the English Civil War when it was used as the military headquarters. Having stood the test of time it is still used by the reigning Queen Elizabeth II quite often. 8. Malbork Castle, Poland: Malbork Castle is a designated UNESCO world heritage site and is the world's largest brick castle. Built like a medieval fortress, the Malbork Castle was constructed by the Teutonic Order in 1406 after the conquest of Old Prussia. It is also the largest castle in the world in terms of surface area. It is located on the southeastern bank of the river Nogat and was initially named Marienburg after Mary, patron saint of the religious Order. 7. Mukachevo Castle, Ukraine: It is a unique fortress located on a former volcanic hill. It is also known as the Palanok Castle and is located in the city of Mukachevo in the western Ukrainian province of Zakarpattia. The work on the castle was started around 14th century and today it has three parts – the high, middle, and low castle. With a complex labyrinth of underground passages it truly is one of the greatest fortresses in the world. 6. Citadel of Aleppo, Syria: It is a castle in Aleppo situated in northern Syria. One of the largest and oldest castles in the world, the citadel dates back to at least to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. The Greeks, Byzantines, Ayyubids and Mamluks were some of the civilizations that occupied it throughout history. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. It is believed that the prophet Abraham had milked his sheep on the citadel hill. 5. Murud-Janjira, India: Situated in the Raigad district of Maharashtra is the fort Murud-Janjira. It is built on an island off the coastal village of Murud and regarded as one of the most resilient marine forts ever built with approach only possible through sea. The main gate is visible when well within the fort's reach with another gate in the rear for escape to the sea in case emergency. The fort was first built in the 15th century and to this day has its 19 rounded bastions intact. 4. Mehrangarh Fort, India: It is also located in the Indian state of Rajasthan in the city of Jodhpur. It was first built in the year 1459 by Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur when he shifted his capital from Mandore. Today it is one of the most popular tourist destinations of India. It is built over a hill 122m high and is enclosed by colossal walls on every side. There are several palaces within it and offers an imposing view of the city below making it one of the greatest fortresses of the world. 3. Königstein Fortress, Germany: It is also called the Saxon Bastille. It is situated on a hilltop near Dresden, in Saxon Switzerland, Germany, on the left bank of the River Elbe and is one of the largest fortresses in Europe. The fortress sits on a plateau of the same name and has some parts which are as many as 400 years old. It has a 152.5 meter deep well in its center, the second deepest well in Europe. 2. Alamut Castle, Iran: Alamut was a fortress located near the Rudbar region about 100 kilometers from Tehran, Iran. It was virtually one of the fortresses regarded as unconquerable without meticulous planning and insider help throughout history due to its position on a high mountain. It was virtually impossible to climb it and even if someone was resolute enough to do it, it would take a lot of time. Due to this very reason it was christened the Eagle's Nest. 1. Masada, Israel: Masada is a fortress situated on a rock plateau in the Southern District of Israel. It has been around since the ancient times and has probably survived due to its placement. On an isolated plateau with the Judaean desert on one side and the Dead Sea on the other, it is truly one of the greatest fortresses that stood the test of time. Its location is such that it has remained virtually untouched by civilization and decay due to modernization for several millennia. Today it is Israel's most popular tourist destination. The post Top 10 Greatest Fortresses and Castles Ever Built appeared first on TopYaps.

Top 10 Cases Which May Shame People Like Brutus Posted: 20 Jun 2013 02:00 AM PDT 'Et tu Brute', the Shakespearean expression, has become synonymous for treachery and betrayal from near and dear ones, and history is littered with incidents where for power, money or love, humans have stooped low to achieve their objectives by deceit. And they have not forgotten or forgiven. Here we compile a list of top 10 people who are remembered for stabbing their benefactors, friends or lovers in the back. The list is compiled keeping in mind the ultimate betrayal Julius Caesar faced at the hands of Brutus. 10. Pervez Musharraf's betrayal of Nawaz Sharif: As it happens in many Hollywood classics, an Army General conspires with his fellow men to take over the reins of a nation, keeping the civil leadership in the country in total darkness. General Pervez Musharraf betrayed his Prime Minister and ordered his soldiers to cross the line of control, that too at a time when Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was making serious efforts to secure Indo-Pak peace. Taking the betrayal to the next level, he overthrew a civilian government, putting Indo-Pak peace talks to an rest for many years to come. 9. Jane Fonda denouncing American Prisoners of War: Jane Fonda, Hollywood actress and an activist who, in 1972, claimed that American Prisoners of War in Communist led North Vietnam, were being treated very humanely. Even on learning that the PoWs were actually being tortured, she stood by her claim and devoid of any patriotism denied that any atrocities were committed on the American war prisoners. When the actress returned to USA, no punishment was handed out to her for her outrageous observations made on the Vietnam War. Later, though Fonda retracted her claims, but the impression of betraying one's nation at a time when it was most vulnerable stuck on with the actress personally long after. 8. The dubious case Oskar Schindler, the Nazi Jew: Hollywood blockbuster film Schindler's List did attempt to refurbish the image of this Nazi German who helped more Jews than anyone else could during the World War II. But doubts have been cast on his role as someone who at personal risk saved over 1200 Jews during the Holocaust. It has been alleged that he was an opportunist industrialist and profited from the German war machines. This doubt on his intention behind saving the Jews looms like a shadow on the impeccable image cut out by Steven Spielberg. 7. Dr Shakil Afridi in the assassination mission of Osama bin Laden: It was one of the longest manhunts in human history spanning 10 years, but fugitive Osama bin Laden – the Al Qaeda terrorist responsible for 9/11 – would not have been hunted down had not Dr. Shakil Afridi helped CIA track down the most wanted man. Osama bin Laden's crusade against America had turned him into a hero in the Islamic world but after the assassination mission succeeded in gunning him down on May 2, 2011, information leaked out that it was Afridi who helped the Americans get their target. He was locked up in a prison in Pakistan. Having lost out on friends and enemies, Afridi's case is being treated as one who has betrayed a brother Muslim. 6. Mir Jafar betraying Siraj-ud-Daula: Brutus must have moved in his grave when Mir Jafar betrayed Siraj-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Bengal. Mir Jafar was a highly ambitious person who had risen to head of the army of Bengal, when the Mughal Empire in India was in decline. Jafar's ambitions were on securing the Bengal throne with the help of British colonists who had secured a foothold on the Indian sub-continent by 1757. At one of the most critical battles – the Battle of Plassey which subordinated a whole nation to two centuries of colonial rule –  Mir Jafar and his troops sad idly, while the British forces battled the armies of Siraj-ud-Daula. Jafar's treachery and Daula's defeat in the battle cost India dearly. 5. Dona Marina's provision of linguistic link: Dona Marina was born into an Aztec family in Central America and was taken as a slave by Spanish colonists who were expanding their domain after the continent had been discovered. Dona was taken as a mistress by Hernan Cortes, the Spanish colonist who founded much of today's Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Dona not only cozied up to Cortes but also acted as a translator of Nahuatl into Mayan language for him. The Spanish conquerors who did not understand Nahuatl were able to decipher it after it was translated into Mayan. Native Aztec people have not forgiven Dona Marina till date for having betrayed her own during a difficult phase in their history. 4.  Kim Philby's double betrayal: A high ranking British intelligence officer turning out to be a double agent and defecting to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War is a case not easily forgotten in British and US intelligence networks. As an officer of the Order of the British Empire from 1946 to 1965, Philby's activities were directly monitored by Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union dictator. Working in Central and Eastern Europe with the task of fostering Ukrainians to stir-up anti-Soviet Revolutions, he was familiar with plans and operational details of MI6, the British intelligence service. Philby being a double agent came into light when he was replaced by the first British-sponsored team of Albanian agents in Albania. Around twenty agents were attacked within few hours after reaching there, out of which four were killed. 3. Benedict Arnold – A War hero who turned a traitor: Americans hold Benedict Arnold, a general who fought in the American War of Independence, as a traitor who betrayed the cause by playing into the hands of British colonists. With the rank of a General, Arnold as part of American Continental Army was given the task of defending West Point Fort, New York in 1779, but holding a grudge with others in the same army, he opened negotiations with the British army for surrendering the strategic fort. After the plan was exposed in 1780, Arnold defected to the British forces and was commissioned as a brigadier general. Brutus must have been rocked in hell! 2. Marshal Petain's collaboration with Nazis: Marshal Petain was a French military hero of World War I but had the dubious distinction of being convicted for treason in the aftermath of World War II. It was after Germany defeated France early in World War II and occupied much of the country that Marshal Petain's true colours came out. On being appointed premier of occupied France, Petain established a Fascist-oriented government at Vichy in central France and signed an armistice with Nazi Powers. The Vichy collaboration with Nazi Germany led to the passing of a notorious anti-Semitic law under which French and Eastern European Jews were deported to the infamous concentration camps. 1. Jim West and the US Gay community: Maybe Brutus couldn't have done what Jim West did. As a member of House of Representatives, West was in the forefront of anti-homosexuality lobby. Not only was he vocal but firmly did back a bill that was to ban gay people from working in schools, day care centres and state agencies. A chance discovery in 2004 about West figuring on a gay dating website, gave the man away. Soon newspapers were splashing the story on front pages with many boys coming forward to claim being seduced by him in office and other places. West's career as a lawmaker is a case of having betrayed the secret community to which he belonged. The post Top 10 Cases Which May Shame People Like Brutus appeared first on TopYaps.

5 Best Adventure Travel Companies Posted: 20 Jun 2013 12:41 AM PDT If you are in search for amazing, exciting, intriguing, rejuvenating and memorable tours with your friends as well as your family than you are at right place to invest yourself properly and cheerfully. Have a look below our listed best travel companies that will give you an intense pleasure to enjoy world differently in their unique way. Enjoy & dont let your dreams be dreams. 5. Myths and Mountains: Myths and Mountains is one of the coolest adventure company which will give you a ride towards any culture of any country that you would like to visit. People nowadays are so much interested to study about culture and their different-different traditions just like you see in Taboo in National Geographic Channel.  They will share your passion and will help you with their guidance to reach any destination from inside as well as outside.   4. Abercrombie & Kent: Abercrombiie & Kent travel company focus on experiences rather than possessions. They will give you an encouraging rousing journey full of wild and adventures in a friendly environment.   3. Out Adventures: Out Adventures team has itself explore themselves and travel all the 7 continents to the extreme. They have no issues taking out the straight groups with themselves but they find it more comfortable to travel with LGBT tribes. They have gather all lesbians and gays from everywhere and have offer them a package full of adventure to enjoy themselves comfortably.   2. Mountain Travel Sobek: Mountain Travel Sobek will give you wonderful tales of their adventures. They have a potential to change your life with their travel experience. They have an admirable aristocratic staff who are worldly wise professionals in travel.This organization is awesome in sustaining the world’s unique cultures and their environments.   1. Lindblad Expeditions: Lindblad Expeditions is one of the most delightedly travel experience you can ever have. Which ever country you choose and go you will definitely have an unique experience of learning and exposure towards adventure in their own remarkable style. The post 5 Best Adventure Travel Companies appeared first on TopYaps.

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