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.
This appears in the September 04, 2017 issue of TIME.
- Alison Roman Won't Sugarcoat It
- If Donald Trump Is Indicted, Here's What Would Happen Next in the Process
- All of the Other Major Investigations Into Donald Trump
- Who Should Be on the 2023 TIME100? Vote Now
- The Case for Betting on Succession's Tom Wambsgans
- Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's Surprising Second Act
- In This Texas County, There's No Such Thing as Moving on From COVID-19
- Why Trump's Call to Protest Is Flopping
- Column: Ozempic Exposed the Cracks in the Body Positivity Movement