Treasures of the World Series
Liverpool

The city of Liverpool, England, once the major port of the British Empire, and home of the Beatles.

Liverpool’s former prestige, prowess and prosperity are symbolized by the “Three Graces”, a trio of majestic structures down by the old Pier Head: the Port of Liverpool Building, the Cunard Building, and the Royal Liver Building. 
Thanks to the Beatles, since the 1960s Liverpool has been synonymous with pop music.
In 2004 UNESCO declared Liverpool to be part of the world’s cultural heritage - not on account of the Beatles, but because it reflects the former greatness of the British Empire. 

Treasures of the World Series
The Koguryo Tombs

The burial mounds of North Korea are over 1500 years old and tell of an empire called Koguryo which stretched from Manchuria to present-day South Korea.

The burial mounds of North Korea are over 1500 years old and tell of an ancient empire that stretched from Manchuria to present-day South Korea. 
Its name was Koguryo. 
The burial mounds were reserved for kings and figures of high standing. 
The furnishings meant for a happy afterlife have all been plundered. 
All that remain are the murals painted directly on the stone walls, representing a dragon, a phoenix, a snake and a turtle, all four intended to ensure a peaceful afterlife for the person buried there.
The tombs were decorated with realistic pictures of everyday life.
Taosim was the main religion in the initial stages of the empire.
Buddhism came to the Korean peninsula from China and was declared the state religion in 372 A.D.
The war-like Koguryan Empire had a dual defensive system: a fortified city and a mountain fortress close by. 
When it was no longer possible to hold the town, the entire population, from the king down to the peasantry, withdrew behind the walls of the mountain fortress.
The martial art of taekwondo has its origins in the Koguryo era. Koguryo’s trade network extended as far as southern China, Japan, central Asia and Siberia.
The Koguryo Empire that was founded in 37 BC and existed for seven centuries until 668 AD when it was toppled.  Modern day North Korea prides itself on being the descendent of this ancient empire.