World Wonders Under Wraps

Big Ben, the iconic bell inside the clock tower above the U.K.’s Houses of Parliament in London, was silenced on Aug. 21 for four years for repairs. Here, other tourist hot spots currently obscured by restoration works.

THE ACROPOLIS

The costly Acropolis Restoration Project began in 1975 and is finally nearing completion. Repairs to the Parthenon, the temple on the Greek citadel, have taken longer than it took to build it in 447 B.C.

TA PROHM

The restoration of Ta Prohm, the temple near Angkor Wat in Cambodia, featured in the movie Tomb Raider, began in 2004 and is in its third stage. Indian archaeologists are leading the project.

TAJ MAHAL

Intense restoration work is under way at the Indian monument because of air pollution. Workers are applying marble-cleaning mud packs to the entire surface of the Agra site, built in 1631.