The Great Wall of China is not the only monument under threat

   The Great Wall of China is weathering due to neglect of officials

  Historical buildings have always kept us intrigued and fascinated with their astonishing architecture and rich stories hidden in their pillars. These are the threads that have kept us connected to history and served as a memoir of kings and their kingdoms. But in the recent past these buildings have been damaged by devastating acts of nature and man-made activities.According to recent report in Beijing Times, a survey carried out by The Great Wall of China Society found that one-third of the Great Wall of China is weathering owing to natural erosion and increasing human activities. The report further states that UNESCO needs to pay urgent attention to the deteriorating condition of the Wall as it is a declared UNESCO World Heritage site. The newspaper further states that the Chinese government is only repairing and maintaining the parts that attract tourists. The rest of the Wall has been facing erosion by rain, and the growth of trees and grass in its cracks, has increased the risk of collapse. Moreover, locals from nearby villages steal bricks from the Wall and illegally trade them.

China is not the only one. India's pride Taj Mahal has undergone neglect many a times at the expense of rising pollution. The 358-year-old mausoleum has often grabbed attention for its degrading condition. Taj Mahal was constructed on a wooden base which depends on constant moisture from the nearby Yamuna river. But the wood has begun to rot as the industries located near the banks of the river were dumping unfiltered junk into it. There is also steep decline in the water table in the past decade according to a 2010 report filed by the National Environment Engineering Research Institute. Past governments have spent money in 1998 and 2000 when stories of the white marble palace turning yellow flared up.

Taj Mahal

These epitomes of history sometimes collapse due to harsh environmental conditions. Last month, there were reports in Reuters regarding damage to the 188-year-old George Washington monument in the US, dedicated to the country's first president. It was partially damaged in a violent lightning storm in Maryland according to the reports. The monument is now closed for an indefinite period for repairs.

Nepal, which attracted tourists at a large scale for its culture and historical stupas and buildings, is now in shreds. In the recent earthquake, many historical buildings crashed. Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO told BBC that the three urban Durbar squares of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan are completely destroyed. The four major religious sites containing Buddhist stupas at Swayambhunath and Boudhanath and Hindu temple complexes at Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan are also badly damaged.

A monk walks out from the damaged monastery at Swayambhunath Stupa, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Continuing strife in Islamic countries has also had devastating effects on monuments.

Who doesn't remember the magnificent Buddha statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan that were approximately 2,000-years-old, and were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 via dynamite. These statues of Buddha were carved in sandstone in the Bamiyan Valley in the Hindu Kush mountains of central Afghanistan.

The statues of Buddha which were carved in the cliff of Bamiyan Valley, central Afghanistan.

A few years later, the al-Askari Mosque of Samarra, Iraq, was destroyed via bombing in 2006. The gilded dome was one of the holiest shrines for Shiites, followers of a branch of Islam. It was also known as the Golden Mosque of Shiites and holds the tombs of two revered 9th century Shiite imams, according to a report in the Washington Post.

The ongoing Syrian civil war has also threatened many historical buildings and monuments. The struggle which started in 2011 against the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad's government, has taken a turn for the worse. The recent drone footage by AJ+ clearly shows the damage caused by the civil war. Historic monuments, museums, mosque, churches and citadels in the city of Aleppo that are over a 1,000 years old, have been destroyed and severely damaged.

People walking amidst debris in the old city of Aleppo, Syria.

In May 2015, the Indian government withdrew Delhi's nomination from the UNESCO World Heritage City list. The reason given behind the withdrawal was that it will hamper infrastructure growth in the city in the long run. If this will compromise the city's rich architectural heritage, waits to be seen.