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In his poem Ozymandias, Shelley famously describes the ruinof a colossal ancient statue, with a "wrinkled lip and sneer of coldcommand". He continues:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Many real-world egos have poured vast wealth into doomed projects. Here Times Money lists 10 of the most spectacular:
Pictured is a statue of Saparmurat Niyazov (see below), theTurkmen dictator whose monuments are being torn down just two yearsafter his death
Naypidaw, Burma
Burma'sjunta shifted the country's capital from bustling Rangoon to a tract ofmalarial jungle in 2005 to "combat overcrowding". Much of the epic4,600km2 new city, named Naypidaw or "the abode of kings", remains asodden building site. Completed, however, are colossal gilded statuesof ancient kings, a military fortress complex and the private palacesof generals. No reliable figures are available, but the project isestimated to have cost around |
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