Nepal's destroyed cultural heritage

The Kathmandu Valley, the cultural and spiritual heart of the country, was shattered by the 7.8 earthquake. A concentration of seven UNESCO World Heritage sites can be found here within the foothills of the Himalayas. This picture of the Swayambunath temple complex was taken before the quake.

The Buddhist stupas and temples of Swayambhunath (pictured here) are a major spiritual center in Nepal. The World Heritage site includes the Boudhanath temple complex, the Durbar noble court squares in Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, and the Hindu temple sites in Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan outside Kathmandu.

Centuries ago, royal families used to live in the palaces found on the Durbar Squares in Bhaktapur (pictured here), Kathmandu and Patan. The Nepalese abolished monarchy in 2007, and the country became a federal republic the following year.

Many of the temples and statues built from the 12th to the 18th centuries in the royal cities of Bhaktapur, Patan and Kathmandu were damaged or completely destroyed. On Sunday (26.04.2015), the UN's cultural organization, UNESCO, was still gathering information on the situation, but feared the worst.

The Durbar Square in the capital, Kathmandu, showcased temples with two- or three-storied roofs, which are typical of Nepalese architecture.

The earthquake destroyed several temples. P.D. Balaji, history and archaeology expert at the Indian University of Madras, believes it will be impossible to completely restore all the damaged historical sites. "It's an irreparable loss for Nepal and the rest of the world," he told AFP News service.

The nine-story, 62-meter-tall (203 feet) Dharahara tower used to be an important tourist attraction in Kathmandu. It collapsed in the earthquake on Saturday (25.04.2015).

This tower, which contained a spiraling staircase of over 200 steps, was reduced to just a stump of its base. Rescuers tried to free those caught in the structure, up to 200 people according to Reuters. The original tower built in 1826 had already been destroyed by an earthquake in 1934. The first version was 12-stories high, two stories taller than the reconstruction.

Changu Narayan's four elaborately built temples and three palaces bear testimony to the rich religious and political history of this poor Himalayan country. UNESCO added this site to the World Heritage list in 2006.

This Hindu temple complex is one of the most important of its kind in Nepal. Hinduism and Buddhism spread over the centuries in Nepal. These magnificent temples were mostly built during the fifth century.

Beyond the ones found in the Kathmandu Valley, there are three more World Heritage sites in Nepal: Lumbini (pictured here), the Chitwan National Park and Sagarmatha National Park. UNESCO is still trying to assess the extent of the damage in Lumbini. The town, located about 280 kilometers (174 miles) west of Kathmandu, is considered the birthplace of Buddha.

The epicenter of Saturday's earthquake was about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Kathmandu. The 7.8 magnitude quake occurred at a shallow depth, which worsened its impact. Nepal has 28 million inhabitants and its territory covers 147,181 square Kilometers (56,827 square miles). It is one of the poorest countries in South Asia - and its economy is almost completely dependent on tourism.