Christianity>>December 2-4: My journey began in the Vatican City, which is surrounded by Rome, Italy. While exploring Roman Catholicism, a major branch of Christianity, I visited some religious structures of the Christian religion. Of these buildings, I toured St. Peter's Basilica. This structure is the tomb and resting place of St. Peter, who is referred to as the "Prince of the Apostles". St. Peter was a follower of Jesus Christ, the son of God. While visiting the Vatican City, I also got the opportunity to see the Sistine Chapel. This building is the home to the famous painting by Michelangelo, which stretches across the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I arrived in the Vatican City on December second and left the sacred site of Christianity on the fourth.
Hinduism>>December 5-7: After a short drive and a long flight to Cambodia, I arrived on Monday, December fifth. On Wednesday, I began my exploration of the Hindu religion. I journeyed to the Angkor Wat, which is a Hindu temple to honor the Hindu god, Vishnu. The Angkor Wat consists of 100 stone temples and is a stunning structure due to it's scale and intricacy. The shape of the temple resembles Mt. Olympus of the Hindu religion. The temple is referred to as the heart and soul of Cambodia and is believed to be the world's largest religious building. After my exploration, I left Cambodia on December seventh.
Buddhism>>December 7-9: After my visit to Cambodia, I flew a quick flight to Indonesia and landed on December seventh. During my visit, I explored the Buddhist religion by going to the Borobudur temple. This religious structure dates back to the eighth and ninth centuries and is located in the center of the island Java. It is believed that this massive monument is a gigantic textbook of Buddhism, as it is a major temple of enlightenment. After two more days in Indonesia, I left on December ninth.
Islam>>December 9-11: While Indonesia was a beautiful journey, my next stop was to Mecca, Saudi Arabia to explore the Islamic religion. Mecca, Saudi Arabia is home to the Masjid al Haram, one of the most sacred temples of the Islamic religion, and the largest temple in the world. The Masjid al Haram, also known as "The Holy Mosque", was built in the seventh century and has been modified and expanded on a regular basis since then. The Masjid al Haram is a major destination for Islamic pilgrimage, and does not allow non-Muslims to enter. After arriving to Mecca on the ninth, I left on December eleventh.
Judaism>>December 11-13: After leaving Saudi Arabia, my final religious destination is Jerusalem, Israel. Jerusalem has been a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims to worship at for thousands of years. Within this religious city, there are many structures that are of significant value to Judaism. Of these structures include the Kotel, also known as the "Western Wall". This site is a major destination for Jewish worship, as it was once a Jewish temple that got destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. After arriving on December eleventh, I left the holy city of Jerusalem on December thirteenth.
Credits:
Created with images by Freeimages9 - "park doi inthanon" • uroburos - "vatican city state italy italia" • piet theisohn - "St. Peter" • WikimediaImages - "balcony niche facade" • mattriley89 - "Sistine Chapel, The Vatican" • WikimediaImages - "baptismal fonts saint" • Aza Raskin - "Side Temple at Angkor Wat" • dia_n - "Sunrise at Angkor Wat" • bluebird666 - "cambodia angkor wat monks" • sharonang - "banteay srei temple travel" • terimakasih0 - "ankor wat cambodia asia" • null0 - "Borobudur" • Joseph82 - "buddha indonesia borobudur" • zazuli - "budha stupa borobudur" • Prayudi Hartono - "Borobudur Sunrise" • beggs - "IMG_0687" • kashifaziz - "IMAG0200" • Jorge Lascar - "Courtyard - The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) with people digitally removed" • Jorge Lascar - "Hassan II Mosque" • YoTuT - "Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco" • rictulio - "P1110135" • beggs - "IMG_0020" • rictulio - "P1080299" • BRBurton23 - "western wall israel prayer"