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Introduction xxiii city that includes numerous pathways along with a range of structures that host a great diversity of plant life. In planned parks and gardens, such as those connected to the fifteenth-century CHANGDEOKGUNG PALACE in Seoul, Korea, the landscape becomes part of an overall architectural design. In the Classical Medi- terranean world, the Greek theater is a paradigm of the synchronicity that can exist between landscape and architecture. Ancient architects designed these the- aters to be set on hillsides, allowing for their natural slopes to form a foundation for the venue’s seating. In addition to allowing for unobstructed views of the stage area below, the audience’s vantage points provided them with panoramic vistas of the surrounding landscape. Specific locations can be essential to a building’s function and symbolism. LAS LAJAS SANCTUARY in rural Colombia, for example, was built on the site of miraculous eighteenth-century events. Moreover, this extraordinarily Catholic church is dramatically poised on a cliffside and is attached to a bridge that spans a ravine. Many important sites from the ancient world are tied to astronomical phe- nomenon, such as Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, which was a ceremonial center used to observe celestial cycles. The massive Hindu and Bud- dhist temple complex of ANGKOR WAT in Cambodia is believed to be located on an axis mundi, or a location on earth cosmically connected to the heavens. Other locations are selected or become desirable building sites due to their proximity to human activity. Whether a building is set in the business center of a thriving metropolis or on a major trade route, the allure of commerce is a major factor in selecting building sites many entries in this publication are connected to the Silk Road’s history from a variety of periods. Politically and militarily strate- gic considerations are also important, as KRONBORG CASTLE in Denmark demonstrates. The castle protected vital and profitable waterways, thereby serving as a physical and symbolic manifestation of the Danish king’s power. The multiple facets of a building’s practical function, location, and its symbolic projection typically work in parallel or in conjunction with one another. The PAL- ACE OF WESTMINSTER in London, also known as the British Houses of Parlia- ment, is an expansive government complex that from the late nineteenth century to today has been the seat of the United Kingdom’s legislative branch of govern- ment. Built in an English Gothic Revival style, the building’s form also acts as a symbolic link to the legacy of the nation’s past, one that stretches back over a thousand years. The Palace of Westminster was built after a catastrophic fire in 1834 on the site that had housed royal palaces and other important government buildings since the Middle Ages. It was also built during the Victorian era (1837– 1901), when the British Empire’s power reached across the globe the majestic presence and scale of the Houses of Parliament were meant to reflect the empire’s status. From the women’s suffrage movements in the early twentieth century to Black Lives Matter protests today, Westminster has served as a site of activism for social movements precisely because it is a venerated symbol of British authority and the site at which the nation’s laws are created. Overall, this historic and iconic site, set on the scenic banks of the River Thames and where throngs of tourists gather, has a function and design tied to a complex legacy of symbolism that includes political, cultural, and social elements.