The Great White Part 4: Alabaster Architecture Quiz

Answer: New Delhi, India

The Baha'i Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India was designed by Fairborz Sahba, an Iranian-American architect, when he was only 26. It took over ten years to complete. The flower shape used 27 free-standing marble petals in clusters of three. A steel and glass roof at the very top allows light to filter into the interior. At sunset, the white marble, from Mount Pentelicus in Greece, appears to turn purple.

Another of Sahba's projects, the Baha'i shrine and hanging gardens of Mount Carmel in Israel, was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008.

Question submitted by pitegny.

Answer: Leinster House

Leinster House is the building in Dublin, Ireland where the Irish Oireachtas or Parliament now meets. It was built in 1748 and was originally the home of the Duke of Leinster. Both the White House and Leinster House share the same overall design and white façade. Over the years, both buildings have under gone renovations so there are some differences. For instance, the White House has columns in the front while Leinster House does not.

Question submitted by Joepetz.

Answer: Budapest

The Fisherman's Bastion is located on Castle Hill in Budapest, Hungary. It was one of many structures built to commemorate 1000 years of the Hungarian state in the late 19th to early 20th century. The bastion has seven turrets with each turret representing one of the original Magyar tribes that founded the country in 895. There is also a statue of Stephen I, the first king of Hungary. The bastion provides panoramic views of the Danube and the Hungarian Parliament building.

Question submitted by zorba_scank.

Answer: Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House was the result of a design competition held in the 1950s. Danish architect Jan Utzon's design was the final selection for the building on Bennelong Point on Sydney Harbour. The venue houses multiple performance venues and is home to Opera Australia, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
The Eureka Tower can be found in Melbourne, Australia and, although some of it is white, it has a mainly glass exterior (common to many skyscrapers. Q1 is Brisbane's answer to sky scrapers, with the building losing it's title as the world's tallest residential building in 2011 to "The Marina Torch" in Dubai. The MCG, although one of Australia's most well-known sporting locations, is based in Melbourne and its shape is more reminiscent of a donut that the sails of a ship.

Question submitted by Lones78.

Answer: Kyrgyzstan

The White House in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan was designed in the neoclassical modernist style. It is situated at Panfilov Street near Chuy Prospekt. The Spartak stadium, Panfilov Park and the State History Museum are all within walking distance.

Argentina's presidential office is the Casa Rosada (Pink House). Brunei and Morocco are not republics, but monarchies ruled by a sultan or a king respectively.

Question submitted by JanIQ.

Answer: The White Temple

While the Wat Rong Khun, or White Temple, might on first appearances look like one of the country's ancient Buddhist places of worship, it actually only dates back to 1997. It was designed by a Thai artist named Chalermchai Kositpipat and while construction might have begun in the 20th century, realisation of the artist's full plans for the site would take many decades of the 21st century as well. Progress on the building was also delayed when the beautiful main building - known as an Ubosot - was damaged by an earthquake in 2014.

The Chiang Rai province includes the northernmost part of the country and borders both Myanmar and Laos.

Question submitted by Fifiona81.

Answer: Islam

The Mughal Empire, of which Shah Jahan was the fifth emperor, was, throughout the three centuries of its existence, always strongly aligned with the Sunni denomination of Islam. The incredible splendor of the building seems in direct contradiction with Islamic law, which forbids elaborately decorated graves, however the actual burial chamber is located below the floor level of the building and is kept plain in accordance with tradition. The ground level hall contains a highly decorated sarcophagus, but this is actually a cenotaph - an empty memorial. Two smaller red sandstone buildings flank the main mausoleum; the western one is a functional mosque (it is located between the grave and Mecca, so worshipers will face away from the burial site) and the eastern one is not known to have had a function; it may have been erected merely to give symmetry to the entire complex which cost the equivalent of more than 1 billion dollars in today's value to build.

Question submitted by WesleyCrusher.

Answer: Casablanca

Although Rabat is the capital of Morocco, Casablanca is probably its most important city, being by far the largest by population, the country's major port, and also its business hub.

Founded by Berbers by the 7th C BC, Casablanca (formerly Anfa) was used as a port by the Phoenicians and the Romans. In the 15th century, it was used as a port by pirates and privateers, resulting in its destruction in 1468 by the Portuguese to prevent further pillage of its merchant fleet. The Portuguese used the ruins to build a fortress, which it called "Casa Branca". This name was later modified to the Spanish, and became 'Casablanca'.

Question submitted by windrush

Answer: Museum

The Museum of Australian Democracy is an old Parliament House. Australian Parliament was held there from 1927 to 1988. It was built from Canberra clay bricks that were rendered with white concrete. When the new Parliament house was opened in 1988, moves were made to knock down the older building, but several local groups opposed this. It then became The Museum of Australian Democracy and a very interesting place to visit.

Compiled by em1958

Answer: United Arab Emirates

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is one of the most visited mosques in the world with tens of thousands of people visiting during the Muslim holy days. It is also a popular tourist attraction. Completed in 2007, the mosque was the brainchild of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan who died before its completion. He is buried at the mosque. The sheikh wanted the mosque built to display the diverseness and culture of Islam. The mosque was built with materials from around the world and contains decorations, furniture and other items from a wide variety of countries both predominately Muslim and not.

Question contributed by Joepetz.