Some history we don’t know in our life.

 When was the lock invented?

Some kinds of locks must have been used in ancient civilizations like the Indian, Chinese and Egyptian. But the first locks we know about were used by Egyptians more than 4,000 years ago. They were very large and were made of wood.

The Egyptian locks consisted of two pieces, one crossbar or bolt and another piece of wood with a slot in it. The key for these locks looked like a very big toothbrush, with wooden pins instead of the bristles we have today. The locks were expertly made and could be opened with only the particular key made for each.

Where is the perfume tower?

Unbelievable, though it may sound, a 220-foot-high tower in the city of Marrakesh, Morocco, gives off a fragrance of ‘musk’ constantly. The tower is called the Koutoubiya Minaret and it was built in 1195.

When the minaret was built, about 950 sacks of musk – a strong exotic perfume made from animal secretions – were mixed into the building material used for the tower. The fragrance of the musk still remains and can be enjoyed almost 800 years later!

Which country has the largest palace?

The palace of the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties in Beijing, China is so large that it is almost a city in itself! There are many buildings surrounded by walls from all sides.

The palace was called “The Forbidden City” because no outsider was ever allowed to go inside it.

The Forbidden City, the largest palace on earth, is about 3,150 feet long and 2,460 feet wide and contains 17 individual palaces.

Almost 180 acres of area is covered by the palace city and the wall around it is 10 meters high and a moat 52 meters wide.

Any visitors can now enter the Forbidden City and see the palace which is now a museum.

What is a ziggurat?

Ziggurats are ancient pyramids with steps all along the sides, from the bottom to the top. These step pyramids were built by kings in some flourishing civilizations thousands of years ago.

The biggest ziggurat was in the city of Ur, in Sumer which was a rich civilization in the Middle-east around the year 2100 B.C. The structure was made of sun-baked bricks stacked in seven layers, with each one smaller than the one below.

The one at Ur was about 160 feet high and covered an area of more than 30,000 square feet. On every step of the three front stairways of this ziggurat was written the name of the Babylonian king.

At the top of this ziggurat, a couch and a table were kept reserved for Nanna – the moon goddess!

When did an army of elephants cross the Alps?

The mountains of the Alps in Europe are High Mountains and are difficult to climb and cross. But long ago in 247 B.C., a great general, Hannibal was born in the ancient city of Carthage in North Africa.

At the age of 25, he became the leader of the Carthaginian army in Spain across the Mediterranean Sea. When he led his army into Spain, which then belonged to Rome, the Romans declared war on Carthage.

Hannibal used elephants to carry men and supplies even in Spain and France. To invade Italy, he marched his army of elephants over the towering Alps. His invasion of Italy was the most serious threat the Romans ever faced.

His army spent 15 years in Italy but could not conquer Rome. Instead, the Roman army invaded Carthage in 146 B.C. and destroyed the city completely.

 

Read more: Five people we want to know about their story.