List of pre-twentieth century structures by height
Name | Municipality (current) | Country (current) | Height | Completed | Comments | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(feet) | (metres) | |||||
Eiffel Tower | Paris | France | 986 | 300 | 1889 | |
New Brighton Tower | New Brighton | United Kingdom | 567 | 173 | 1898-1900 | Tower dismantled from 1919. |
Washington Monument | Washington, D.C. | United States | 555 | 169 | 1884 | |
Mole Antonelliana | Turin | Italy | 549.54 | 167.5 | 1889 | |
Philadelphia City Hall | Philadelphia | United States | 548 | 167 | 1894 | City Hall was the tallest habitable building in the world from 1894 to 1908. |
Ulm Minster | Ulm | Germany | 529.92 | 161.53 | 1890 | |
Lincoln Cathedral | Lincoln | United Kingdom | 525 | 160 | 1311 | Spire destroyed in 1548. |
St. Olaf's Church | Tallinn | Estonia | 522 | 159 | 1519 | Spire destroyed in 1625. Reconstructed with 139 meters. |
Blackpool Tower | Blackpool | United Kingdom | 518 | 158 | 1894 | |
Cologne Cathedral | Cologne | Germany | 516 | 157 | 1880 | |
Yongning Pagoda (永宁宝塔) | Luoyang | China | 448 | 137~154.95 | 516 | Burned to the ground in 534 after being struck by lightning. |
Beauvais Cathedral | Beauvais | France | 156 (choir) 502 (tower) | 47.5 (choir) 153 (tower) | 1272/1569 | From 1569 to 1573, the tower was the tallest structure on Earth. |
Rouen Cathedral | Rouen | France | 495 | 151 | 1876 | |
St. Mary's Church | Stralsund | Germany | 495 | 151 | 1625 | Spire destroyed 1647. Reconstructed with about 104 meters. |
Old St. Paul's Cathedral | London | United Kingdom | 493 | 150.2 | 1314 | Spire destroyed in 1561. Completely destroyed in 1666. |
St. Nikolai | Hamburg | Germany | 482 | 147 | 1874 | |
Great Pyramid | Giza | Egypt | 481 | 146.6 | c. 2570 BC | One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. |
Pyramid of Khafre | Giza | Egypt | 475 | 143 | c. 2530 BC | |
Strasbourg Cathedral | Strasbourg | France | 472 | 142 | 1439 | Highest building between 1647 and 1874, between the St. Mary's Church spire collapse and the construction of the Church of St. Nicholas. |
Halsbrücker Esse | Halsbrücke | Germany | 459 | 140 | 1889 | |
St. Peter's Basilica | Vatican City | 452 | 138 | 1626 | ||
St. Stephen's Cathedral | Vienna | Austria | 448 | c. 136.74 | 1433 | |
St. Lambert's Cathedral | Liège | Belgium | 443 | 135 | 1391 | Dismantled from 1794. |
St. Martin's Church | Landshut | Germany | 428 | 130.6 | 1500 | Tallest brickwork tower in the world. |
Amiens Cathedral | Amiens | France | 415 | 126.6 | 1533 | |
St. Mary's | Lübeck | Germany | 410 | 125 | 1350 | Second tallest brickwork tower in the world. |
Cathedral of Our Lady | Antwerp | Belgium | 404 | 123 | 1521 | |
Salisbury Cathedral | Salisbury | United Kingdom | 404 | 123 | 1320 | |
Belltower of Peter and Paul Cathedral | Saint Petersburg | Russia | 401 | 122.5 | 1733 | |
Jetavanaramaya | Anuradhapura | Sri Lanka | 400 | 122 | 273–301 | |
Basilica of San Gaudenzio | Novara | Italy | 397 | 121 | 1887 | |
Phra Pathommachedi | Nakhon Pathom | Thailand | 396 | 120.45 | 1870 | |
Kanishka stupa | Peshawar | Pakistan | 400 | 120 | 200 | Destroyed by White Huns in 460 CE. |
Pharos Lighthouse | Alexandria | Egypt | 338~387 | 103~118 [1] | c. 280 BC | One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Destroyed by earthquakes in 1303 and 1323. |
Sint-Walburgiskerk | Zutphen | Netherlands | 384 | 117 | 16th century | Current height: 76 m. Until 1600, the church was 117 m tall and the highest structure in the Netherlands before the 20th century. |
Potala Palace | Lhasa | China | 384 | 117 | 1694 | |
Freiburg Minster | Freiburg im Breisgau | Germany | 380.7 | 116 | c. 1330 | |
Church of Our Lady | Bruges | Belgium | 379.3 | 115.6 | c. 1465 | Third tallest brickwork tower in the world. |
St. Andrew's Church | Hildesheim | Germany | 376 | 114.5 | 1883 | Tallest church tower in Lower Saxony. |
Florence Cathedral | Florence | Italy | 375 | 114.5 | 1436 | |
Torrazzo of Cremona | Cremona | Italy | 369.75 | 112.7 | 1309 | |
Shwedagon Pagoda | Yangon | Myanmar | 367 | 112 | 1775 | Successively rebuilt taller: 18m (1362); 40m (1462) |
New St. Paul's Cathedral | London | United Kingdom | 365 | 111.2 | 1677 | Built after the destruction of Old St. Paul's. |
Seven-Story Pagoda at Shōkoku-ji | Kyoto | Japan | 358 | 109.1 | 1399 | Destroyed by fire in 1403. |
Dom Tower of Utrecht | Utrecht | Netherlands | 358 | 109 | 1382 | Restored in 1912 to reach current height of 112 metres. |
Nieuwe Kerk (Delft) | Delft | Netherlands | 356.79 | 108.75 | 1895 | |
Milwaukee City Hall | Milwaukee | United States | 353 | 108 | 1895 | |
Chaturbhuj Temple | Orchha | India | 344 | 104.8 | c. 1558 | Chaturbhuj Temple dedicated to Vishnu was the tallest structure in the Indian subcontinent from 1558 to 1970. |
Red Pyramid | Dahshur | Egypt | 345 | 105 | c. 2600 BC | |
St. Catherine's Church | Hoogstraten | Belgium | 343.5 | 104.7 | 1548 | |
Palace of Justice | Brussels | Belgium | 341 | 104 | 1883 | |
Old City Hall (Toronto) | Toronto | Canada | 340 | 103.6 | 1899 | Largest civic building in North America prior to 20th century |
Cathedral of St. Bartholomew (Plzeň) | Plzeň | Czech Republic | 335 | 103 | c. 1480 | Construction begun in 1342. |
St Martin's Cathedral | Ypres | Belgium | 335 | 102 | 1370 | |
Giralda | Seville | Spain | 330 | 104.1 | 1568 | 88 m when was constructed in 1171; built it higher in 1568 |
Shwesandaw Pagoda | Bagan | Myanmar | 328+ | 100+ | c. 1057 | 100 meters tall without counting its hti spire |
St. Patrick's Cathedral (Midtown Manhattan) | New York City | United States | 329.6 | 100.5 | 1888 | |
East Seven-Story Pagoda at Tōdai-ji | Nara | Japan | 328 | 100 | c. 743 | Burned down by war in 1181 |
West Seven-Story Pagoda at Tōdai-ji | Nara | Japan | 328 | 100 | c. 743 | Burned down by lightning in 943 |
Shwemawdaw Pagoda | Bago | Myanmar | 324 | 98.8 | 1796 | Raised to 125 m ( hti spire inclusive) in 1954 |
St Mark's Campanile | Venice | Italy | 323 | 98.6 | 1514 | |
Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren | Amersfoort | Netherlands | 322.6 | 98.33 | 1470 | |
St Vitus Church | Hilversum | Netherlands | 321.5 | 98 | 1892 | |
St. Rumbold's Cathedral | Mechelen | Belgium | 319 | 97.28 | c. 1520 | |
Torre Asinelli | Bologna | Italy | 318.9 | 97.2 | before 1185 | |
Grote Kerk (Breda) | Breda | Netherlands | 318.24 | 97 | 1547 | |
Martinitoren | Groningen | Netherlands | 318.24 | 96.8 | c. 1550 | |
Great Lavra Bell Tower | Kyiv | Ukraine | 316 | 96.5 | 1745 | |
Brussels Town Hall | Brussels | Belgium | 315 | 96 | 1454 | |
Norwich Cathedral | Norwich | United Kingdom | 315 | 96 | 1480 | Building of current spire commenced |
Latting Observatory | New York City | United States | 315 | 96 | 1853 | Shortened by 75 feet in 1855; destroyed by fire in 1856. |
Martinikerk (Doesburg) | Doesburg | Netherlands | 308.5 | 94 | c. 1430 | |
Church of St Walburge, Preston | Preston | United Kingdom | 308.5 | 94 | 1873 | |
Sint-Jacobus de Meerderekerk | The Hague | Netherlands | 308.5 | 94 | 1878 | |
St Eusebius' Church, Arnhem | Arnhem | Netherlands | 305 | 93 | 1550 | |
Saint Vincent's Church | Eeklo | Belgium | 305 | 93 | 1883 | |
St James Cathedral | Toronto | Canada | 305 | 92.9 | 1874 | |
Grote or Sint-Jacobskerk | The Hague | Netherlands | 303.5 | 92.5 | 1424 | |
Ruwanwelisaya | Anuradhapura | Sri Lanka | 301 | 92 | c. 140 BC | |
Lakshmi Vilas Palace | Vadodara | India | 300 | 91.44 | 1890 | |
Notre-Dame de Paris | Paris | France | 300 | 91.44 | 1345 | Spire destroyed on April 15, 2019 (Notre-Dame fire) |
Etemenanki | Babylon | Iraq | 298.56 | 91 | c. 601 BC | Ziggurat dedicated to Marduk. Alleged to have originally been built, to an unknown height, between the 14th and 9th centuries BC, then destroyed in 689 BC by Sennacherib. Rebuilt c. 600 BC by Nebuchadnezzar II. Finally demolished by Alexander the Great in 323 BC. |
Belfry of Ghent | Ghent | Belgium | 298.5 | 91 | 1380 | |
Abdijtoren | Middelburg | Netherlands | 296.6 | 90.4 | 1350–1400 | |
Coventry Cathedral | Coventry | United Kingdom | 295 | 90 | 1500 | |
Dormition Cathedral | Kharkiv | Ukraine | 294 | 89.5 | 1841 | |
St Bavo's Cathedral | Ghent | Belgium | 292 | 89 | 1569 | |
Torre del Mangia | Siena | Italy | 289 | 88 | 1348 | |
St Walburga Church | Oudenaarde | Belgium | 289 | 88 | 1627 | |
United States Capitol Building | Washington, D.C. | United States | 288 | 87 | 1866 | |
Westerkerk | Amsterdam | Netherlands | 285 | 87 | 1631 | |
Belfry of Mons | Mons | Belgium | 285 | 87 | 1669 | |
The Roman-Catholic Parish Church | Spišská Nová Ves | Slovakia | 285 | 87 | 1894 | |
St Medardus Church | Wervik | Belgium | 282 | 86 | 1433 | |
Grote of Sint-Clemenskerk | Steenwijk | Netherlands | 282 | 86 | 15th century | |
Rajabai Clock Tower | Bombay (now Mumbai) | India | 280 | 85.3 | 1878 | |
Liaodi Pagoda | Dingzhou | China | 276 | 84 | 1055 | |
Cathedral of Our Lady | Aarschot | Belgium | 276 | 84 | 1337 | |
St Tillo Church | Izegem | Belgium | 276 | 84 | 1868 | |
Brooklyn Bridge | New York City | United States | 276 | 84 | 1883 | |
St Willibrordus Church, Berchem | Antwerp | Belgium | 276 | 84 | 1891 | |
St Martin's Church | Kortrijk | Belgium | 272 | 83 | 1466 | |
Belfry of Bruges | Bruges | Belgium | 272 | 83 | 1487 | |
Sint-Petrus' Stoel van Antiochiëkerk | Sittard | Netherlands | 272 | 83 | c. 1505 | |
St Gummarus Church | Lier | Belgium | 272 | 83 | 1540 | |
Minarets of Selimiye Mosque | Edirne | Turkey | 239.5 | 70.89 [2] | 1574 | |
Tournai Cathedral | Tournai | Belgium | 272 | 83 | 1700 | |
St. Mary's Church | Gdańsk | Poland | 269 | 82 | 1502 | |
Cunerakerk | Rhenen | Netherlands | 268.4 | 81.8 | 1531 | |
Hwangryongsa | Gyeongju | South Korea | 262 | 80 | 660 | Built by the Silla kingdom following their defeat of Baekjae. Burned by the Mongols in 1238 |
St. Christopher's Cathedral, Roermond | Roermond | Netherlands | 261 | 79.7 | 1663 | |
St Salvator's Cathedral | Bruges | Belgium | 259 | 79 | 1350, 1871 | |
Sint-Janskerk | Maastricht | Netherlands | 259 | 79 | 1450–1500 | |
Clifton Hill Shot Tower | Melbourne | Australia | 256 | 78 | 1882 | The Clifton Hill Shot Tower held the title of Australia's tallest structure from its construction until 1930. The landmark has been proclaimed as the world's tallest shot tower by Guinness World Records. [3] |
Municipal Corporation Building | Bombay (now Mumbai) | India | 255 | 77.7 | 1893 | |
Kutubiyya Mosque | Marrakesh | Morocco | 253 | 77 | 1195 | |
Parish Church Saints Nicholas and Stephen | Eggenfelden | Germany | 253 | 77 | 1519 | |
Victoria Terminus (Renamed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) | Bombay (now Mumbai) | India | 250 | 76.2 | 1888 | Data obtained from UNESCO document to ensure authenticity. |
Beisi Pagoda | Suzhou | China | 249 | 76 | 1153 | |
St Nicholas Church | Ghent | Belgium | 249 | 76 | 1300–1330 | Construction completed early in the 14th century, with further extensions during the following centuries to accommodate the growing population. |
Aa-kerk | Groningen | Netherlands | 249 | 76 | 1718 | The church's current tower was built between 1711 and 1718, after previous versions collapsed in 1671 and 1710. |
Clérigos Church | Porto | Portugal | 248 | 75.6 | 1750 | |
Wakefield Cathedral | Wakefield | United Kingdom | 247 | 75.3 | 1420 | |
Oude Kerk (Delft) | Delft | Netherlands | 246 | 75 | 1350 | |
Great Pyramid of Toniná | Toniná | Mexico | 246 | 75 | 850 | Tallest pre-Columbian building in the Americas. |
Abayagiriya | Anuradhapura | Sri Lanka | 245 | 74.6 | c. 103 BC | |
Mahachaitya | Amaravathi | India | 242 | 73 | c. 300 BC | |
Taj Mahal | Agra, Uttar Pradesh | India | 240 | 73 | 1653 | |
Qutb Minar | Delhi | India | 238 | 72.5 | c. 1200 | The tower is the tallest free-standing masonry structure in India, and was the tallest in the world until the completion of the Anaconda Smelter Stack in 1919. |
La Danta Temple | El Mirador | Guatemala | 236 | 72 | 300 BC | |
Minarets of Süleymaniye Mosque | Istanbul | Turkey | 236 | 72 | 1558 | |
Gonbad-e Qabus | Gonbad-e Qabus | Iran | 236 | 72 | 1006 | |
Canterbury Cathedral | Canterbury | United Kingdom | 235 | 71.6 | 1498 | |
York Minster | York | United Kingdom | 235 | 71.6 | 1472 | |
Pyramid of the Sun | Teotihuacan | Mexico | 233.6 | 71.2 | 100 | |
The Ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu | Dur-Kurigalzu | Iraq | 230 | 70 | c. 1400 BC | |
Belfry of Tournai | Tournai | Belgium | 230 | 70 | 1294 | |
Qianxun Pagoda | Dali City | China | 228 | 69.6 | 823–840 | |
Gloucester Cathedral | Gloucester | United Kingdom | 225 | 69 | 1089–1499 | |
Bunker Hill Monument | Boston | United States | 221 | 67 | 1843 | |
General Post Office | Calcutta (now Kolkata) | India | 220+ | 67+ | 1868 | |
Pagoda of Fogong Temple | Ying County | China | 220 | 67.3 | 1056 | |
Galata Tower | Istanbul | Turkey | 219 | 66.9 | 1348 | |
Husainabad Clock Tower | Lucknow | India | 219 | 67 | 1881 | |
Great Pyramid of Cholula | Cholula | Mexico | 217 | 66 | 200 BC | |
Arunachaleswara Temple (Also called Annamalaiyar Temple) | Tiruvannamalai | India | 217 | 66 | 9th century | |
Brihadiswara Temple | Thanjavur | India | 217 | 66 | 1010 | Tallest structure of India when built |
Ely Cathedral | Ely | United Kingdom | 217 | 66 | 1375 | |
Malbork Castle | Malbork | Poland | 217 | 66 | 13th century | Castle Belfry |
Thatbyinnyu Temple | Bagan | Myanmar | 217 | 66 | 1150 | |
Angkor Wat | Angkor | Cambodia | 213 | 65 | c. 1150 | |
Jagannath Temple | Puri | India | 213 | 65 | 1161 | |
Temple of the Two-Headed Serpent (Tikal Pyramid IV) | Tikal | Guatemala | 212 | 64.6 | c. 741 | |
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda | Xi'an | China | 210 | 64 | 704 | |
Minarets of Sultan Ahmed Mosque | Istanbul | Turkey | 210 | 64 | 1616 | |
Minaret of Jam | Shahrak District | Afghanistan | 203 | 62 | c. 1190 | The minaret was built around 1190 entirely of baked bricks and is famous for its intricate brick, stucco and glazed tile decoration |
Gol Gumbaz | Bijapur (now Vijayapura) | India | 203 | 61.9 | 1656 | |
Notre-Dame Basilica | Montreal | Canada | 200 | 60 | 1843 | |
Liuhe Pagoda | Hangzhou | China | 196 | 59.89 | 1165 | |
Srivilliputhur Andal temple | Srivilliputhur | India | 194 | 59 | 14th–17th centuries | Precise date not available |
Ulagalantha Perumal Temple | Tirukoyilur, Tamil Nadu | India | 194 | 59 | 15th–17th centuries | |
Taroona Shot Tower | Hobart | Australia | 192.6 | 58.7 | 1870 | The Taroona Shot Tower held the title of Australia's tallest building between 1870 and 1875. It is the tallest cylindrical sandstone tower in the Southern Hemisphere. |
Mirisawetiya Vihara | Anuradhapura | Sri Lanka | 192 | 58.5 | c. 161 BC | |
Ekambareswarar Temple | Kanchipuram | India | 192 | 58.5 | 1509–29 | |
Leaning Tower of Pisa | Pisa | Italy | 191.47 | 58.36 | 1372 | |
Leh Palace | Leh | India | 190.3 | 58 | c. 1610 | |
Pagoda of Tianning Temple | Beijing | China | 189 | 57.8 | 1100–1120 | |
Tikal Pyramid V | Tikal | Guatemala | 187 | 57 | c. 700 | |
Hagia Sophia Cathedral | Istanbul | Turkey | 184 | 56.1 | 537 | |
Charminar | Hyderabad | India | 184 | 56 | 1591 | |
Kwidzyn Castle | Kwidzyn | Poland | 183 | 56 | 1230 | Castle Belfry |
El Tigre | El Mirador | Guatemala | 183 | 55.8 | 100 | |
Mahabodhi Temple | Bodh Gaya | India | 180.4+ | 55+ | 5th / 6th century | Tallest structure of India until 1010 CE |
Main Pyramid of Calakmul | Calakmul | Mexico | 180.4 | 55 | 100 | |
Temple of the Jaguar Priest (Tikal Pyramid III) | Tikal | Guatemala | 180.4 | 55 | c. 810 | |
BrihadiswaraTemple | Gangaikonda Cholapuram | India | 180.4 | 55 | 1035 | |
Château de Coucy | Picardy | France | 180 | 55 | c. 1220 | Height of Keep, destroyed in 1917. |
Lingaraja Temple | Bhubaneshwar | India | 180 | 54.9 | c. 1090 | |
Varadaraja Perumal Temple | Kanchipuram | India | 180 | 54.9 | 13–16th century | |
Calcutta High Court | Calcutta (now Kolkata) | India | 180 | 54.9 | 1872 | |
Five-Story Pagoda of Tō-ji | Kyoto | Japan | 180 | 54.8 | 1643 | Tallest existing wooden tower in Japan. |
Bombay High Court | Bombay (now Mumbai) | India | 178.5 | 54.5 | 1862 | |
Washington Monument | Baltimore | United States | 178 | 54.4 | 1829 | |
Buland Darwaza | Fatehpur Sikri | India | 177 | 54 | 1575 | |
Basilica and Convent of St. Francis | Salta | Argentina | 177 | 54 | 1877 | |
Saint Paul's Cathedral | Calcutta (now Kolkata) | India | 175 | 53.3 | 1847 | Its original height was 61m; after damages caused by earthquake, its top was reconstructed to present height, including flagstaff |
Madras High Court | Madras (Now Chennai) | India | 175 | 53.3 | 1892 | |
Saint Andrew's Church | Calcutta (now Kolkata) | India | 174+ | 53+ | 1818 | Height of this church was intended to be more than St John's Church, Calcutta, which in turn was 174 ft. |
St John's Church | Calcutta (Now Kolkata) | India | 174 | 53 | 1787 | |
Sarangapani Temple | Kumbakonam | India | 173 | 52.7 | 13th–17th century | |
Akbar Tomb (South Gateway) | Agra | India | 172 | 52.4 | 1613 | |
Australian Building | Melbourne | Australia | 170.6 | 53 | 1890 | Demolished in 1980 |
Meenakshi Amman Temple | Madurai | India | 170+ | 52+ | 16th century | |
Cathedral of Bogotá | Bogotá | Colombia | 170 | 52 | 1823 | |
Dwarkadhish Temple | Dwarka | India | 170 | 51.8 | 16th century | |
Ananda Temple | Bagan | Myanmar | 167+ | 51+ | 1105 | 51 meters tall without counting its hti spire |
Saint Andrew's Church | Madras (Now Chennai) | India | 166.6 | 50.8 | 1818 | |
Huaca del Sol | Trujillo | Peru | 164 | 50 | 450 | |
Virupaksha Temple | Hampi | India | 164 | 50 | 14th century | |
Htupayon Pagoda | Sagaing | Myanmar | 161+ | 49+ | 1851/52 | 49 meters tall without counting its hti spire; originally built in 1444–1454; now raised to 61.5 m (since 2016) |
Kalyan Minaret | Bukhara | Uzbekistan | 157+ | 48 | 1127 | One of the few monuments that survived Mongol conquest of Central Asia |
Colosseum | Rome | Italy | 157 | 48 | 80 | |
Ochterlony Monument (Renamed as Shaheed Minar) | Calcutta (now Kolkata) | India | 157 | 48 | 1828 | |
San Thome Basilica | Madras (now Chennai) | India | 155 | 47.2 | 1896 | |
Temple of the Great Jaguar (Tikal Pyramid I) | Tikal | Guatemala | 154 | 47 | 740–750 | |
Rajagopalaswamy Temple | Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu | India | 154 | 47 | 1532–1575 | |
Humayun Tomb | Delhi | India | 154 | 47 | 1572 | |
Asafi Masjid | Lucknow | India | 153 | 46.6 | 1784 | |
Laksmi Narasimha Temple | Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh | India | 153 | 46.6 | 1803 | |
Ichkabal Structure E-4 | Ichkabal | Mexico | 151 | 46 | 600 | |
Church of Saint Augustine | Goa | India | 150.9 | 46 | 1602 | Only side part of the tower is still standing, most part is in ruined state |
Garh Kundar (Fort) | Madhya Pradesh | India | 150 | 45.7 | 1605-1627 | The fort is older, last renovation is considered as the time for its tallest part |
Mahakaleshwar Temple | Ujjain | India | 150 | 45.7 | c. 1740 | Height is approximate |
Narmadeshwar Mahadeo Manduk Temple | Oel, Lakhimpur Kheri | India | 150 | 45.7 | 1870 | |
Templo Mayor | Mexico City | Mexico | c. 150 | c. 45 | 1325 | Destroyed in 1521. |
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus | Bodrum | Turkey | 148 | 45 | c. 350 BC | One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. |
Cathedral of Córdoba | Córdoba | Argentina | 148 | 45 | 1787 | |
Zvartnots Cathedral | Zvartnots | Armenia | 148 | 45 | 652 | |
Sundaravarada Perumal Temple | Uthiramerur, Kanchipuram | India | 145 | 44.2 | 12–16th century | |
Hassan Tower | Rabat | Morocco | 144 | 44 | 1199 | |
Ranganathaswamy Temple Vellai Gopuram | Srirangam | India | 144 | 44 | 12–17th century | Tallest part of the temple is Rajagopuram (73m), which started to be built around 1500 and completed in 1987. |
Thanumalayan Temple (also called Sthanumalayan Temple) | Suchindram, Kanyakumari | India | 144 | 44 | 17th century | |
Pyramid of the Moon | Teotihuacan | Mexico | 141 | 43 | 100 | |
Nataraja Temple Gopuram | Chidambaram | India | 140 | 42.7 | 16th century | |
Iswari Minar Swarga Sal (Also called Isarlat Sargasuli) | Jaipur | India | 140 | 42.7 | 1749 | |
Dhamek Stupa | Sarnath | India | 139.8 | 42.6 | 5th / 6th century | |
Saint George's Cathedral | Madras (Now Chennai) | India | 139 | 42.4 | 1815 | |
Nohoch Mul Pyramid | Coba | Mexico | 138 | 42 | 800 | |
Temple of the Masks (Tikal Pyramid II) | Tikal | Guatemala | 138 | 42 | c. 700 | |
Bahu Begum ka Maqbara | Oudh (Now Ayodhya) | India | 137.8 | 42 | 1816 | |
Bibi ka Maqbara | Aurangabad (Now Sambhaji Nagar) | India | 137 | 41.8 | 1668 | |
Madras Central Railway Station (Renamed as MGR Central Railway Station) | Madras (Now Chennai) | India | 136 | 41.4 | 1873 | |
Sankara Narayanaswamy Temple | Sankarankovil, Tamil Nadu | India | 135 | 41 | 12th century | |
Jama Masjid | Delhi | India | 135 | 41 | 1656 | |
Prong's Lighthouse | Bombay (now Mumbai) | India | 135 | 41 | 1875 | |
Pyramid of the Magician | Uxmal | Mexico | 131 | 40 | 560 | |
Mahmud Gawan Madrasa | Bidar | India | 131 | 39.9 | 1472 | |
El Castillo | Xunantunich | Belize | 130 | 40 | 600 | |
St. Ignatius Church | Buenos Aires | Argentina | 130 | 40 | 1722 | |
Christ Church | Kanpur | India | 130 | 39.6 | 1840 | |
Sun Temple | Konark | India | 128 | 39 | 1250 | Its original height was 70m, got damaged. Present height is that of surviving structure. |
Senate House, Madras University | Madras (Now Chennai) | India | 128 | 39 | 1879 | |
Ramanathaswamy Temple | Rameshwaram | India | 126 | 38.4 | 17th century | Temple itself is much older, its tallest part, East Gopuram in its present form is from 17th century |
Old Lighthouse | Madras (Now Chennai) | India | 125 | 38.1 | 1843 | |
Cooch Behar Palace | Cooch Behar | India | 125 | 38.1 | 1887 | |
Vijaya Stambha (Victory Tower) | Chittorgarh | India | 122 | 37.2 | 1448 | |
Sher Shah Suri Tomb | Sasaram | India | 122 | 37.2 | 1545 | |
Dead Letter Office Building | Calcutta (now Kolkata) | India | 120 | 36.6 | 1876 | |
Secunderabad Clock Tower | Secunderabad | India | 120 | 36.6 | 1897 | |
Qila Mubarak (Fort) | Bathinda | India | 118 | 36 | c. 1200 | Fort existed in 100 AD, was probably upgraded in 12th century |
Mehrangarh Fort | Jodhpur | India | 118 | 36 | 1459 | |
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple | Khajuraho | India | 117 | 35.7 | 1030 | Includes height for jagati also |
Se Cathedral | Goa | India | 115 | 35 | 1619 | |
Bir Singh Deo Palace | Datia | India | 115 | 35 | 1620 | |
Sidi Bashir Mosque | Ahmedabad | India | 111.5 | 34 | 1452 | |
Great Pyramid of La Venta | La Venta | Mexico | 110 | 34 | c. 900 BC | |
Rochester Castle | Rochester | United Kingdom | 113 | 34 | 1127 | Height of Keep |
Kilmacduagh monastery | County Galway | Ireland | 113 | 34 | 10th century | Height of Round Tower, Tallest surviving Irish round tower |
Victoria Public Hall | Madras (Now Chennai) | India | 111.5 | 34 | 1890 | |
Colossus of Rhodes | Rhodes | Greece | 110 | 33.5 | c. 280 BC | One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It fell after standing for 56 years and then collapsed in an earthquake. |
Church of St Anne | Goa | India | 110 | 33.5 | 1695 | |
High Temple | Lamanai | Belize | 108 | 33 | 400–100 BC | |
Red Fort | Delhi | India | 108 | 33 | 1648 | |
Kailash Temple | Ellora | India | 107 | 32.6 | 756–773 | World's largest sculpted monolithic building |
Five-Story Pagoda of Horyuji-Temple | Ikaruga | Japan | 107 | 32.55 | 670–711 | Oldest wooden tower in the world. |
Shuja-Ud-Daula Tomb, Gulab Bari | Oudh (Now Ayodhya) | India | 106.6 | 32.5 | 1753–1775 | |
Kesariya Stupa | Kesariya | India | 104 | 32 | ~8th / 9th century | |
Sivasagar Sivadol | Sivasagar | India | 104 | 32 | 1734 | |
Ranakpur Jain Temple | Ranakpur | India | 102 | 31 | 1439 | |
Dakshineswar Kali Temple | Calcutta (now Kolkata) | India | 100+ | 30+ | 1855 | |
Chand Baori (Stepwell) | Abhaneri | India | 100 | 30 | 900 | The figure is for depth below ground level. From bottom, total height shall include superstructure above ground also |
Kakanmath Temple | Sihoniya, MP | India | 100 | 30 | 1015–1035 | |
City Palace | Udaipur | India | 100 | 30 | 16–17th century | |
Ghata Masjid (Also called Zeenat-Ul-Masajid) | Delhi | India | 100 | 30 | 1707 | |
Padmanabhaswamy Temple | Thiruvananthapuram | India | 100 | 30 | 1729–1758 | |
Obelisk of Axum | Axum | Ethiopia | 78 | 24 [4] [5] | c. 4th century | Taken to Italy as a spoil of war in 1937. Reinstalled in 2008. |
Tomb of Askia | Gao | Mali | 55 [6] | 17 [7] | 1495 |
A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (adhan) from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can have a variety of forms, from thick, squat towers to soaring, pencil-thin spires.
Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century, mostly in England. Increasingly serious and learned admirers sought to revive medieval Gothic architecture, intending to complement or even supersede the neoclassical styles prevalent at the time. Gothic Revival draws upon features of medieval examples, including decorative patterns, finials, lancet windows, and hood moulds. By the middle of the 19th century, Gothic Revival had become the pre-eminent architectural style in the Western world, only to begin to fall out of fashion in the 1880s and early 1890s.
Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design. The style commonly makes use of exposed, unpainted concrete or brick, angular geometric shapes and a predominantly monochrome colour palette; other materials, such as steel, timber, and glass, are also featured.
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical, political, technical or architectural importance. Examples of monuments include statues, (war) memorials, historical buildings, archaeological sites, and cultural assets. If there is a public interest in its preservation, a monument can for example be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cultural Heritage and Conflict gives the next definition of monument:
Monuments result from social practices of construction or conservation of material artifacts through which the ideology of their promoters is manifested. The concept of the modern monument emerged with the development of capital and the nation-state in the fifteenth century when the ruling classes began to build and conserve what were termed monuments. These practices proliferated significantly in the nineteenth century, creating the ideological frameworks for their conservation as a universal humanist duty. The twentieth century has marked a movement toward some monuments being conceived as cultural heritage in the form of remains to be preserved, and concerning commemorative monuments, there has been a shift toward the abstract counter monument. In both cases, their conflictive nature is explicit in the need for their conservation, given that a fundamental component of state action following the construction or declaration of monuments is litigating vandalism and iconoclasm. However, not all monuments represent the interests of nation-states and the ruling classes; their forms are also employed beyond Western borders and by social movements as part of subversive practices which use monuments as a means of expression, where forms previously exclusive to European elites are used by new social groups or for generating anti-monumental artifacts that directly challenge the state and the ruling classes. In conflicts, therefore, it is not so much the monument which is relevant but rather what happens to the communities that participate in its construction or destruction and their instigation of forms of social interaction.
The Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, or colloquially Old Joe, is a clock tower and campanile located in Chancellor's court at the University of Birmingham, in the suburb of Edgbaston. It is the tallest free-standing clock tower in the world, although its actual height is the subject of some confusion. The university lists it variously as 110 metres (361 ft), 99 metres (325 ft), and 100 metres tall, the last of which is supported by other sources. In a lecture in 1945, Mr C. G. Burton, secretary of the University, stated that "the tower stands 329 ft [100 m] high, the clock dials measure 17 ft [5.2 m] in diameter, the length of the clock hands are 10 and 6 ft [3.0 and 1.8 m], and the bell weighs 5 long tons [5.1 tonnes]".
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and the principles of formal classical architecture from ancient Greek and Roman traditions. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Palladio's interpretation of this classical architecture developed into the style known as Palladianism.
The Qutb Minar, also spelled Qutub Minar and Qutab Minar, is a minaret and "victory tower" that forms part of the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi's oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of South Delhi, India. It was mostly built between 1199 and 1220, contains 399 steps, and is one of the most visited tourist spots in the city. Qutab-ud-din Aibak initiated construction of the Qutub Minar, but only managed to finish the first level. His later rulers continued the construction, and in 1368, Firuz Shah Tughlaq rebuilt the top parts and added a cupola.
Iranian architecture or Persian architecture is the architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Its history dates back to at least 5,000 BC with characteristic examples distributed over a vast area from Turkey and Iraq to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and from the Caucasus to Zanzibar. Persian buildings vary greatly in scale and function, from vernacular architecture to monumental complexes. In addition to historic gates, palaces, and mosques, the rapid growth of cities such as the capital Tehran has brought about a wave of demolition and new construction.
Hassan Tower or Tour Hassan (Arabic: صومعة حسان; is the minaret of an incomplete mosque in Rabat, Morocco. It was commissioned by Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, the third caliph of the Almohad Caliphate, near the end of the 12th century. The tower was intended to be the largest minaret in the world, and the mosque, if completed, would have been the largest in the western Muslim world. When al-Mansur died in 1199, construction on the mosque stopped. The minaret was left standing at a height of 44 meters. The rest of the mosque was also left incomplete, with only the beginnings of several walls and 348 columns being constructed. The tower, along with the remains of the mosque and the modern Mausoleum of Mohammed V, forms an important historical and tourist complex in Rabat.
Haji Piyada Mosque or Noh Gonbad Mosque is a historic building in Balkh province of northern Afghanistan. It is thought to be the oldest Islamic building in Afghanistan, dating to the 9th century or possibly to the late 8th century.
The building form most closely associated with New York City is the skyscraper, which has shifted many commercial and residential districts from low-rise to high-rise. Surrounded mostly by water, the city has amassed one of the largest and most varied collection of skyscrapers in the world.
There have been many architectural styles used in Egyptian buildings over the centuries, including Ancient Egyptian architecture, Greco-Roman architecture, Islamic architecture, and modern architecture.
Bridgewater House is a packing and shipping warehouse at 58–60 Whitworth Street, Manchester, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
The Aula Palatina, also called Basilica of Constantine, at Trier, Germany, is a Roman palace basilica and an early Christian structure built between AD 300 and 310 during the reigns of Constantius Chlorus and Constantine the Great.
Poulton-le-Fylde is a market town in the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, situated on a coastal plain called the Fylde. There are 16 buildings and structures in the town which have been listed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. One is classified as Grade II*, and the rest as Grade II; Poulton-le-Fylde has no Grade I listed buildings. The Grade II* designation is for St Chad's Church. There is written evidence of a church on the site since 1094, although it may have been built earlier. It became the Anglican parish church at the time of the Reformation and was largely rebuilt in the 18th century.
St Mark's Church is a redundant Anglican parish church in St Mark's Road, Preston, Lancashire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. In 1993 its benefice was united with that of St Michael and All Angels, Ashton-on-Ribble.
Francis Xavier Velarde OBE was an English architect who practised in Liverpool, Merseyside, England.
There are 48 Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester, England. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of exceptional interest". In England, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Historic England, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.