Apr 23, 2009

World's Tallest Couple

World's Tallest Couple

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World's biggest hand

World's biggest hand

A Chinese man who had the world's biggest hand is hoping for a normal life after undergoing surgery.

Liu Hua, 24, from Jiangsu Province, had fingers thicker than his arms before the operation to remove 11lbs of bone and tissue, reports Xinmin Evening News.

Liu Hua's giant thumb and index finger /Ext

His left thumb, index finger and middle finger were deformed at birth but they have since grown to an amazing size.

Liu said: "My thumb and index finger are even thicker than my arms, and make my left hand useless.

"When I go out, I have to wrap my left hand in clothes and pretend I’m holding a bag."

Doctors at Shanghai City 9th People’s hospital took seven hours to do the surgery. They plan another operation in about six months.

"We kept his five fingers, and hopefully his left hand will eventually regain normal function," a spokesman said.

Liu was suffering from a rare disease called macrodactyly, a birth defect in which toes or fingers are abnormally large.

macrodactyly0822.jpg

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World's biggest TV

The world's biggest TV - a whopping 150 inch plasma screen and standing six feet tall - has been unveiled.

The monster Panasonic TV, which is expected to cost a wallet-busting £50,000, is the star attraction at a gadget show in Las Vegas.

The high-definition screen, which is understood to weigh more than a quarter of a tonne (220kg), smashes the previous record size for a TV by 42 inches - the height of a small child.

Towering six feet high, it is tall enough to show full-scale footballers and will cost £5,000 to install.

And with any buyer needing a huge house and plenty of money, Premiership stars could be at the front of the queue when it goes on sale.

Scroll down for more...

television

The world's biggest television is six feet high and a staggering 11 feet wide




* Jumbo-vision: As the world's biggest television screen is unveiled, one TV critic says size isn't everything
* The £25,000 bed you can live in - and that even stops you snoring
* Computers will soon be controlled by 'voice and touch', predicts Bill Gates

Two years ago, Panasonic launched a then world record 103-inch (8.6 ft) TV at the same Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas.

John Lewis on London's Oxford Street later sold it but there was a a three-month waiting list for the TV, which had to be ordered from Panasonic's factory in Japan.

And last year, Sharp went one better when it created an 108-inch (9 ft) LCD flatscreen.

Technology experts estimate that the new Panasonic will use up to 3,000 watts of electricity.

And general guidance for watching TV is to check the size and then sit two-and-a-half times further away, giving it a viewing distance of 375 inches (31.2 ft).

Panasonic had hoped to keep the TV's existence under wraps until the show.

But after word leaked out, its spokesman Jeff Samuels admitted: "It exists and will eventually be a viable commercial product."

James Beechinor-Collins, founder of gadget website ElectricPig, marvelled: "This will be the Formula 1 car of TV. It's pushing the boundaries of technology.

"Once you get TVs that are 80, 90, 100 inches, you're compelled to go and see them because the scale is out of your mind."

But he cautioned: "How many people are going to buy a 150-inch TV for £50,000?

"These things are always about awe and wonderment. If you're too close, the picture isn't very good and I don't know of any 31-feet living rooms."

The first 3D TV sets designed for home use will also be unveiled at the Vegas event.

And the world's biggest electronics companies hope to have their products in the shops by the end of the year.

Philips is showing off TVs which can screen three-dimensional content, in which objects appear to leap out at the viewer, without the need for special glasses used in cinemas.

Its technology uses a special lens on the screen to create the effect.

Samsung has a competing 3D TV but it will require viewers to wear special glasses.

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World's biggest TV

The world's biggest TV - a whopping 150 inch plasma screen and standing six feet tall - has been unveiled.

The monster Panasonic TV, which is expected to cost a wallet-busting £50,000, is the star attraction at a gadget show in Las Vegas.

The high-definition screen, which is understood to weigh more than a quarter of a tonne (220kg), smashes the previous record size for a TV by 42 inches - the height of a small child.

Towering six feet high, it is tall enough to show full-scale footballers and will cost £5,000 to install.

And with any buyer needing a huge house and plenty of money, Premiership stars could be at the front of the queue when it goes on sale.

Scroll down for more...

television

The world's biggest television is six feet high and a staggering 11 feet wide




* Jumbo-vision: As the world's biggest television screen is unveiled, one TV critic says size isn't everything
* The £25,000 bed you can live in - and that even stops you snoring
* Computers will soon be controlled by 'voice and touch', predicts Bill Gates

Two years ago, Panasonic launched a then world record 103-inch (8.6 ft) TV at the same Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas.

John Lewis on London's Oxford Street later sold it but there was a a three-month waiting list for the TV, which had to be ordered from Panasonic's factory in Japan.

And last year, Sharp went one better when it created an 108-inch (9 ft) LCD flatscreen.

Technology experts estimate that the new Panasonic will use up to 3,000 watts of electricity.

And general guidance for watching TV is to check the size and then sit two-and-a-half times further away, giving it a viewing distance of 375 inches (31.2 ft).

Panasonic had hoped to keep the TV's existence under wraps until the show.

But after word leaked out, its spokesman Jeff Samuels admitted: "It exists and will eventually be a viable commercial product."

James Beechinor-Collins, founder of gadget website ElectricPig, marvelled: "This will be the Formula 1 car of TV. It's pushing the boundaries of technology.

"Once you get TVs that are 80, 90, 100 inches, you're compelled to go and see them because the scale is out of your mind."

But he cautioned: "How many people are going to buy a 150-inch TV for £50,000?

"These things are always about awe and wonderment. If you're too close, the picture isn't very good and I don't know of any 31-feet living rooms."

The first 3D TV sets designed for home use will also be unveiled at the Vegas event.

And the world's biggest electronics companies hope to have their products in the shops by the end of the year.

Philips is showing off TVs which can screen three-dimensional content, in which objects appear to leap out at the viewer, without the need for special glasses used in cinemas.

Its technology uses a special lens on the screen to create the effect.

Samsung has a competing 3D TV but it will require viewers to wear special glasses.

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World's Largest Oceans and sea



World Top 10 - Largest Oceans and sea

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World's Biggest Spider

Largest Spider in the World


The Goliath Birdeater, Theraphosa leblondi, is a tarantula, and it is the largest spider in the world. Despite its name, the Goliath Birdeater does not eat birds; it eats invertebrates such as crickets and mealworms, and also small vertebrates such as mice and lizards. Native to South America, these spiders can be as large as 30 centimetres (12 inches) in leg span, when their legs are stretched out. You can see an approximately life size photograph of this huge spider here. The Goliath Birdeater is one of the few tarantulas which can catch, kill, and eat a full-grown mouse.



Spiders are high in protein! The Piaroha tribe in Venezuela collect Goliath Birdeater tarantulas and roast them over hot coals, eating them as if they were big hairy crabs ... carefully avoiding the large fangs and the poison sacs. The fangs are later used as toothpicks.

Female Birdeaters have an average life span of 6 to 14 years. Males die soon after maturity, and have a lifespan of only 3 to 6 years. Colours range from dark to light brown, with faint markings on the legs. They have hair on the body, abdomen, and legs. The female lays anywhere from 100 to 400 eggs, which will hatch within two months. Young spiders are called 'spiderlings'.

Wild Goliath Birdeaters are a deep burrowing species, found commonly in marshy or swampy areas. They may make a hissing noise when disturbed, and can defend themselves by biting, or by releasing their body hairs.

- The Goliath Birdeater, like all tarantulas, has fangs large enough to break the skin of a human. But its venom is relatively non-toxic; the bite will cause mild discomfort and swelling for a few hours, but problems will occur only if the victim is allergic to spiders, or if the wound becomes infected.


- The Goliath Birdeater, like many tarantulas, can also release its hairs, which are barbed. These can cause severe discomfort and irritation when they make contact with bare skin, or when they are inhaled.

Tarantulas are often kept as pets; many owners breed and sell them. The Goliath Birdeater is quite commonly kept as a pet, despite its aggressive nature, willingness to bite, and irritating hairs.



Like all spiders, these huge tarantulas are arthropods, and must shed their skin regularly in order to grow.





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World biggest flower

largest flower in the world


The Titan Arum, or "corpse flower," is the world's largest flower, with blooms that can have a diameter of well over a metre. It is also very rare. The fully open flower emits a repulsive, 'rotting-fish' scent. This odour is to attract pollinators which, where it lives, are mainly carrion beetles and flesh flies.

The Titan Arum's natural home is the equatorial rainforest of central Sumatra, in Indonesia. The plant is in the same family as the common houseplants Dieffenbachia and Philodendrons, but is incredibly larger ... The Titan Arum grows from a large tuber that can weigh over 80 kg (170 pounds); the flowering stalk can reach 3 metres in height, and open to a diameter of over a metre. Thousands of true flowers are hidden inside at the base (the fleshy central column). The large, frilly-edged, leafy "skirt" enclosing column is the spathe, which when open resembles an upturned, fluted bell.
This giant flowering structure is called an inflorescence.

Amorphophallus titanum


The giant 'corpse flower' blooms only occasionally in captivity, and its blooming, which only lasts a day or two, is usually a sensation. It happens within about six hours, as the spathe unfurls. Inside this bell-shaped 'flower' are actually many smaller true flowers, both male and female. The female flowers inside the spathe mature first, followed a day later by the male flowers. Following successful pollination, after about a week the spathe withers and falls off, and bright red cherry-sized berries containing seeds are exposed, hopefully to be eaten by birds, which excrete the seeds that will grow into new plants elsewhere.




photograph of Titan arum

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World's Biggest Truck

World's Biggest Truck

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World biggest Nose

World biggest Nose

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World largest trees

Certified list of largest trees and tallest trees in the world.

Tallest trees refer to the height of the tree and largest trees refer to the volume of its trunk. Here are the world's 5 tallest and 4 largest trees.

Tallest Trees in the World

  1. Coast Redwood



    Hyperion, a Coast Redwood in California, at 115.5 m tall the tallest tree in the world, found in 2006. Hyperion is the name of a coast redwood tree in Northern California that has been confirmed to measure 115.55 m (379.1 feet), which ranks it as the world's tallest known living tree. Despite its great height, Hyperion is not the largest known coast redwood; that distinction belongs to the Lost Monarch tree.
  2. Coast Douglas Fir


    Coast Douglas-fir is a very tall tree, the second-tallest conifer in the world (after Coast Redwood). Trees 60-75 m (200-250 feet) or more in height and 1.5-2 m (5-6 feet) in diameter are common in old growth stands, and heights of 100-120 m (300-400 feet) were reported by early lumbermen. The tallest living specimen is the “Doerner Fir”, (previously known as the Brummit fir), 100.3 m tall, at East Fork Brummit Creek in Coos County, Oregon. The stoutest is the “Queets Fir”, 4.85 m diameter, in the Queets River valley, Olympic National Park, Washington. It commonly lives more than 500 years and occasionally more than 1,000 years
  3. Australian Mountain-ash



    Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria. It is known to attain heights over 295 feet (90 meters) and is described as the tallest of the flowering plants.
  4. Sitka Spruce



    The Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 50-70 m tall, exceptionally to 90 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 5 m. It is by far the largest species of spruce and the third tallest conifer species in the world (after Coast Redwood and Coast Douglas-fir). It acquires its name from the community of Sitka, Alaska.
  5. Giant Sequoia



    This Giant Sequoia or Sequoiadendron giganteum is 94.9 m (311.4 ft) tall located in Redwood Mountain Grove, Kings Canyon National Park, California, United States

Largest Trees in the World

The top four species measured so far are:

  1. Giant Sequoia



    General Sherman is the name of this Giant Sequoia. It is one of the tallest Giant Sequoia trees in the world with a height of about 275 feet (84.8 meters). Although not the tallest tree in the world (coast redwood being taller), it is the biggest in terms of volume, making it the world's largest known single organism by volume. As of 2002, the volume of its trunk measured about 1487 cubic meters. The tree is located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in the US. The tree is believed to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years old. It was named after General William Tecumseh Sherman, American Civil War leader in 1879. Measuring over 115 meters, the Hyperion in Redwood National park is currently the world's tallest tree.
  2. Coast Redwood



    The second largest volume tree is the Del Norte Titan, discovered June 1998 in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California. This tree has an estimated stem volume of 1044.7 cubic meters and is 93.57 m tall with a dbh of 7.22 m.
  3. Western Red Cedar



    Western red cedar is a large tree, to 50-60 m tall and 3 m (exceptionally 6 m) trunk diameter. The Quinault Lake red cedar (left) is the largest known western red cedar in the world with a wood volume of 500 cubic meters. It is located near the northwest shore of Lake Quinault north of Aberdeen, Washington.
  4. Kauri Tane Mahuta Tree



    Tane Mahuta, a giant Kauri in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. The tree's Maori name means “Lord of the Forest” and is the name of a god in the Maori pantheon. Tāne Mahuta is the most massive kauri known to stand today. It is 51 meters (169 feet) in height, and has a circumference of 13.8 meters (45 feet). There is no proof of the tree's age, but it is estimated to be between 1250 and 2500 years old. The trunk girth is 13.77 m, the trunk height is 17.68 m, the total height is 51.2 m and the trunk volume is 244.5 m3. It is the most famous tree in New Zealand and the oldest.

However, the Alerce Fitzroya cupressoides, as yet un-measured, may well slot in at third or fourth place, Montezuma Cypress Taxodium mucronatum, and Old Lost Monarch and other giants are also likely to be high in the list. The largest angiosperm tree is an Australian Mountain-ash (Eucalyptus regnans) in Tasmania, known as the “Two Towers” tree, with a volume of 430 m³ (15,185 cu ft

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World largest trees

Certified list of largest trees and tallest trees in the world.

Tallest trees refer to the height of the tree and largest trees refer to the volume of its trunk. Here are the world's 5 tallest and 4 largest trees.

Tallest Trees in the World

  1. Coast Redwood



    Hyperion, a Coast Redwood in California, at 115.5 m tall the tallest tree in the world, found in 2006. Hyperion is the name of a coast redwood tree in Northern California that has been confirmed to measure 115.55 m (379.1 feet), which ranks it as the world's tallest known living tree. Despite its great height, Hyperion is not the largest known coast redwood; that distinction belongs to the Lost Monarch tree.
  2. Coast Douglas Fir



    Coast Douglas-fir is a very tall tree, the second-tallest conifer in the world (after Coast Redwood). Trees 60-75 m (200-250 feet) or more in height and 1.5-2 m (5-6 feet) in diameter are common in old growth stands, and heights of 100-120 m (300-400 feet) were reported by early lumbermen. The tallest living specimen is the “Doerner Fir”, (previously known as the Brummit fir), 100.3 m tall, at East Fork Brummit Creek in Coos County, Oregon. The stoutest is the “Queets Fir”, 4.85 m diameter, in the Queets River valley, Olympic National Park, Washington. It commonly lives more than 500 years and occasionally more than 1,000 years
  3. Australian Mountain-ash



    Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria. It is known to attain heights over 295 feet (90 meters) and is described as the tallest of the flowering plants.
  4. Sitka Spruce



    The Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 50-70 m tall, exceptionally to 90 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 5 m. It is by far the largest species of spruce and the third tallest conifer species in the world (after Coast Redwood and Coast Douglas-fir). It acquires its name from the community of Sitka, Alaska.
  5. Giant Sequoia



    This Giant Sequoia or Sequoiadendron giganteum is 94.9 m (311.4 ft) tall located in Redwood Mountain Grove, Kings Canyon National Park, California, United States

Largest Trees in the World

The top four species measured so far are:

  1. Giant Sequoia



    General Sherman is the name of this Giant Sequoia. It is one of the tallest Giant Sequoia trees in the world with a height of about 275 feet (84.8 meters). Although not the tallest tree in the world (coast redwood being taller), it is the biggest in terms of volume, making it the world's largest known single organism by volume. As of 2002, the volume of its trunk measured about 1487 cubic meters. The tree is located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in the US. The tree is believed to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years old. It was named after General William Tecumseh Sherman, American Civil War leader in 1879. Measuring over 115 meters, the Hyperion in Redwood National park is currently the world's tallest tree.
  2. Coast Redwood



    The second largest volume tree is the Del Norte Titan, discovered June 1998 in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California. This tree has an estimated stem volume of 1044.7 cubic meters and is 93.57 m tall with a dbh of 7.22 m.
  3. Western Red Cedar



    Western red cedar is a large tree, to 50-60 m tall and 3 m (exceptionally 6 m) trunk diameter. The Quinault Lake red cedar (left) is the largest known western red cedar in the world with a wood volume of 500 cubic meters. It is located near the northwest shore of Lake Quinault north of Aberdeen, Washington.
  4. Kauri Tane Mahuta Tree



    Tane Mahuta, a giant Kauri in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. The tree's Maori name means “Lord of the Forest” and is the name of a god in the Maori pantheon. Tāne Mahuta is the most massive kauri known to stand today. It is 51 meters (169 feet) in height, and has a circumference of 13.8 meters (45 feet). There is no proof of the tree's age, but it is estimated to be between 1250 and 2500 years old. The trunk girth is 13.77 m, the trunk height is 17.68 m, the total height is 51.2 m and the trunk volume is 244.5 m3. It is the most famous tree in New Zealand and the oldest.

However, the Alerce Fitzroya cupressoides, as yet un-measured, may well slot in at third or fourth place, Montezuma Cypress Taxodium mucronatum, and Old Lost Monarch and other giants are also likely to be high in the list. The largest angiosperm tree is an Australian Mountain-ash (Eucalyptus regnans) in Tasmania, known as the “Two Towers” tree, with a volume of 430 m³ (15,185 cu ft

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World's largest Bridge

World's largest Bridge

Italy to build the world's largest suspension bridge between Calabria and Sicily

According to The Daily Telegraph (Feb 25th 2009), Italy will forge ahead with a controversial plan to build the world's largest suspension bridge, a massive structure which will arch between the mainland and Sicily, the government said on Wednesday.


Italy to build the world's largest suspension bridge between Calabria and Sicily
Photo simulation of suspention bridge, connecting mainland Italy to Sicily. Photo: AP

Critics say that at six billion euros (£5.4bn), the cost of the two-and-a-half mile bridge across the Strait of Messina is far too high and have questioned the wisdom of building such a giant span in a region which is prone to earthquakes.

Some engineers have given warning that the area's huge pylons would be vulnerable to high winds.

"It's true that it costs six billion euros but this is the project and we're not going back on it," Altero Matteoli, the public works minister, told Italian radio.

He acknowledged that it would be essential to improve the ramshackle roads and railways on either side of the bridge, in Sicily and the mainland region of Calabria.

"The bridge will oblige us to improve railway and motorway infrastructure as well as the ports. It's an enormous amount of work that will also increase tourism."

The project, which Mr Matteoli said could get underway this year, was first envisioned by Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister, when he was in office in 2001-2006, but then ditched by his centre-left successor, Romano Prodi, amid concerns that it would mostly benefit construction firms run by the mafia.

Mr Prodi's administration labelled it a vanity project and "the most useless and harmful plan of the past 100 years."

Mr Berlusconi was re-elected prime minister last year and put the project back on track.

He insists that it will create thousands of jobs, boost tourism and improve transport links between the 'toe' of the Italian mainland and Sicily, replacing ferry services.

The bridge would be able to handle nearly 5,000 cars an hour as well as high-speed trains.

The dream of building a bridge across the narrow strait was first envisioned by the Romans and later considered by Sicily's Norman rulers.

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World's tallest man

In terms of height they are worlds apart.

The world's tallest man, Bao Xishun today shook hands with He Pingping who claims to be Earth's shortest.

But these two men actually hail from the same region of Inner Mongolia.

.

Mr Xishun shakes hands with Mr Ping Ping


While Mr Xishun, 56, towers above everyone at an astonishing 7.9ft, 19-year-old Mr Pingping is a mere 2.4ft high.


Bao Xishun, a herdsman from Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, was recently married in a traditional ceremony to a 28-year-old saleswoman from his hometown. At 5ft 6" Xia Shujian only comes up to his elbow and is half his age.

He claims he was of normal height until he was 16 when he experienced a growth spurt and reached his present height seven years later.

Mr Xishun was confirmed as the tallest person by the Guinness Book of Records last year.

Mr Pingping was born nearby in Wulanchabu city, Inner Mongolia. His father claims he was only the size of an adult's palm at birth.

He is now seeking to be registered as the world's shortest man by the Guinness Book of Recrods. He could be in for a disappointment though. While Mr Pingping is 73cms tall, the current holder of the title Lin Yih-Chih was measured as 67.5cm.

http://www.instadaily.com/images/worlds-tallest-man-saves-dolphin_18.jpg

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World biggest Man

biggest man

A New world record! This man is the biggest in the world, weighing 560 kilograms (1200 pounds). Interestingly enough, he probably will also be added in the World Guiness Book of Records in 2008 for the man who lost the more weight (200 kilograms - 440 pounds). This Mexican, who is suffering from obesity for 20 years now, is not able to walk anymore.

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World's Largest Mosque

Shah Faisal:The World's Largest Mosque


history facts

Where: Islamabad, Pakistan
When: 1976
Architecture: The world's largest Mosque, housing 100,000 Muslims in Turkish, Italian and Arabian influenced modern luxury


* * *



At the foothills of the Margalla Hills in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad, the Shah Faisal Mosque is one of the core places of Muslim worship in Southern Asia. It was erected from foundations to prayer in just 5 years in 1976. A dominant and empowering Mosque was fast becoming a necessity to establish the new state of Pakistan after the Partition from India in 1948, and the massive $50 million cost of the grand mosque was generously donanted by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, after whom the mosque is named as well as the Faisal Avenue highway leading to it.

Architectural feats

The massive contructions represents an 8 faced desert 'tent' surrounded by 4 huge towering minarets. It is thought to be the largest mosque in the world, able to house 100,000 praying muslim at the same time, although not all in the same venue! 10,000 fit in the main hall, 24,000 in the verandahs and 40,000 in the main court yard with another 30,000 in outbuildings. Designed by Turkish architect Vadat Dolokay, it was the result of an architecture competition. The Mosque has much in common with the designs of major sites of worship in Istanbul.

The mosque is like a whole mini-village with its own library, museum, lecture hall, café, and University of 700 students. However, it is not only the impressive size and exterior for which the mosque is famed - it also supports as an equally elegantly designed interior. The Qibla Wall inside the Main Prayer Hall has many decorated glazed tiles from Turkey and a giant golden crescent in the roof. Underneath the wall are reflection pools which allows for air conditioning by adjusting the water level of the pool. There is a giant chadelier in the main prayer hall which weighs some 7.5 tons and uses 1000 electric bulbs.

There is a Women's gallery which is rare for a mosque; women in Pakistan rarely enter mosques but instead pray at home. Zebra marble and white marble from Greece are used here. The courtyard is paved in Italian granite making it quite an international affair.

Visiting Faisal Mosque

When visiting a mosque, you must leave your shoes at the door. Dress decoriously covering everything except hands and head, but women should wear a head scarf. It is possible to take an elevator or staircase up each of the four 280ft towering minarets to the visitor's gallery 190ft above the ground, offering fantastic views of urban Islamabad.



World Largest Mosque

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