Apart from defense, other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road, regulation or encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and emigration.
Turkish towels! Absorbent woven cotton or linen gets softer the more you use it, doesn't pick up unwanted sand, minimizes frizzy hair, rolls into a small bundle for easy packing, and doubles as a wrap, blanket or tablecloth.
epic structure - Landmark commissioned by the city of Senftenberg in Brandenburg, Germany called "Landmarke Lausitzer Seenland". Designed by Stefan Giers and Susanne Gabriel, architects.