Intramuros walls

Right in the heart of Manila is found the "Walled City" - Intramuros founded by the Spanish in 1571 offers a glimpse of the colonial past. The Spanish ruling class lived inside the massive walls with seven gates. It is shaped like an uneven pentagon and covers almost 160 acres. It was attacked by Chinese warlord Lim Ah-hong in 1574, gutted by fire in 1583, and rebuilt in 1590. A moat was added in 1603 when all entrances to the city were closed at night. The moat was filled during the American administration to combat disease. The old city remained intact until bombing raids and fires at the end of world war II. Although the Pacific War of the 1940s took its tool on Intramuros, it had been one of the world's best preserved medieval cities. The site is a timeless journey through forts and dungeons, old churches, colonial houses, and horse-drawn carriages. Shown on this photo is a part of the walls, you will notice several canyons lining it. This is because these walls served as the Spaniards first defence in both word wars I and II. Today these walls are the usual hang outs of students studying in various universities around the area, various restaurants also line these walls and just recently an 18 hole golf course was constructed on the other side.

Technorati tags: Philippines, Manila Photos, Manila Daily Photos, Intramuros

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Photos posted on 2/13/2006 08:02:00 AM

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