The world in the 11th century

1001–1100World Heritage

Modena Cathedral was founded in the 11th century and consecrated in 1184. It is a major example of Romanesque architecture in Europe and a World Heritage Site.

1001–1100World Heritage

Around the 11th century, an Anglican church dedicated to Margaret of Antioch was founded within the grounds of Westminster Abbey. The church later served as the parish church of the British House of Commons.

1001–1100World Heritage

The Nea Moni monastery was founded on the Greek island of Chios around the 11th century. Renowned for its mid-Byzantine architecture and mosaics, the mosaics, together with those at Daphni and Hosios Loukas, are considered among the finest examples of Macedonian Renaissance art. The monastery was later inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1001–1100World Heritage

The White Tower was built as the central keep of the Tower of London by William the Conqueror in the late 11th century. Replacing an earlier timber fortification, it served as both a military stronghold and a royal residence, symbolizing Norman power in England after the Conquest.

1001–1100World Heritage

In the 11th century, the Basilica of Saint-Remi was founded in Reims, France, over the burial site of Saint Remi. It later became the largest Romanesque church in northern France.

1001–1100World Heritage

Between about the 11th and 14th centuries, the Spanish city of Ávila built a Romanesque defensive wall completely enclosing its old town. The walls form a complete circuit and rank among the most complex and best-preserved medieval fortifications in Spain, as well as being an outstanding example of military architecture in Europe. The Old Town of Ávila, including the walls and extramural churches, was later inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1095–1291Jerusalem

In November 1095, Pope Urban II officially called for Christians to take up arms and reconquer Jerusalem at the Council of Clermont, launching the First Crusade and inaugurating a series of crusades that continued until 1291. The call promised spiritual rewards, and the success led to the establishment of four Crusader states in the Levant.

1099

From 7 June to 15 July 1099, the First Crusade reached its climax with a five‑week siege of Jerusalem. Crusader forces captured the city from the Fatimid Caliphate and subsequently founded the Kingdom of Jerusalem, marking a culminating moment of the campaign.

1001–1100World Heritage

The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is an Orthodox Christian cathedral located in the historic town of Mtskheta, Georgia. Built around the 11th century, it is a masterpiece of Early and High Medieval Georgian architecture. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the second-largest church building in Georgia.

1001–1100World Heritage

Towards the end of the 11th century, the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian was founded on the island of Patmos, Greece. Named after St John of Patmos, the reputed author of the Book of Revelation, the Greek Orthodox monastery has been a pilgrimage site and a place of learning and worship since its founding. It integrates the surrounding community of Chora, and early Christian religious ceremonies are still practised. In 1999 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1037Nishapur

The Seljuk Empire was founded in 1037 in Nishapur, Khorasan, by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It was a Sunni Muslim empire characterized by a Turko-Persian culture.

1071

On 26 August 1071, Byzantine and Seljuk forces fought at Manzikert. Sultan Alp Arslan won a decisive victory and captured Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes. The defeat severely undermined Byzantine authority in Anatolia and Armenia and opened the way for the gradual Turkification and Islamization of Asia Minor, marking a turning point in the region’s religious and cultural balance.

1051–1063

In the later Heian period, the Zenkunen War broke out between the Imperial Court and the Abe clan in Mutsu Province around 1051, lasting over a decade and ending with the Court's victory and the fall of the Abe clan. It was a major power struggle among samurai clans of the era.

1001–1100World Heritage

The Western Xia mausoleums are located at the foot of the Helan Mountains, about 40 km from the Western Xia capital Xingqing (modern Yinchuan), covering an area of about 50 km². The complex includes nine imperial mausoleums and about 250 tombs of imperial relatives and officials, being one of the largest and best-preserved imperial burial complexes in China. Construction began during the Western Xia dynasty, though the exact date is unknown.

1001–1100

The Western Xia dynasty founded the border fortress of Khara-Khoto near present-day Ejin Banner in western Inner Mongolia. Built in the 11th century, it became a military stronghold and agricultural base, and later served as a post station during the Yuan dynasty before being abandoned.

1056

The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple (Yingxian Wooden Pagoda) was constructed in 1056 during the Liao dynasty, commissioned by Emperor Daozong at the site of his grandmother's family home. As the oldest surviving wooden pagoda in China, it stands 67.31 meters tall and was long the world's tallest wooden structure. It has withstood multiple earthquakes and wars over the centuries.

1063

Tsurugaoka Hachimangū was founded in 1063 by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, who transferred the deity from Iwashimizu Hachimangū in Kyoto to Yuigahama in Kamakura. The shrine served as the guardian shrine of the Kamakura samurai (warriors of the Minamoto clan). Later, in 1180, it was moved to its current location and expanded by Minamoto no Yoritomo, becoming the religious center of the Kamakura shogunate.

1073

In 1073, Khön Könchog Gyalpo founded Sakya Monastery at the foot of Mount Benpo in Tsang, Tibet, establishing it as the seat of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. This event marked the formal emergence of the Sakya tradition.

1001–1100World Heritage

In the early 11th century, Emperor Lý Thái Tổ began building the Imperial Citadel in Thang Long (present-day Hanoi), marking the consolidation of the independent Dai Viet polity. The citadel was constructed on drained land in the Red River Delta, over the remains of a 7th-century Chinese fortress. For nearly 13 centuries, the site remained a regional political center.

1001–1100World Heritage

Lahore Fort was originally constructed as a mud fort during the Ghaznavid dynasty in the 11th century. It later became a Mughal military stronghold, rebuilt by Emperor Akbar in the 16th century and extensively remodelled in the 17th century, reflecting the opulence of the Mughal Empire at its height.

1010World Heritage

Chola emperor Rajaraja I laid the foundation of the Brihadisvara Temple, a Shaivite Hindu shrine in Thanjavur. Built in the Chola architectural style, it became one of the largest Hindu temples and was later designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

1026

The Modhera Sun Temple was constructed around the 11th century by Bhima I and his successor Karna I of the Chaulukya dynasty. Situated on the bank of the river Pushpavati, it is dedicated to the solar deity Surya and renowned for its intricately carved exteriors and pillars. The complex comprises a shrine hall, an assembly hall, and a reservoir, and is now a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.

1035World Heritage

The Chola king Rajendra I completed a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva in his new capital, Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The temple resembles the earlier Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur in design but is smaller and more refined. Both are among the largest Shiva temples in South India and exemplify Dravidian architecture.

1040

In 1040, the Seljuq Turkmens decisively defeated the Ghaznavid Empire at Dandanaqan near Merv, ending Ghaznavid rule in Khorasan. The Seljuqs occupied the region, while the Ghaznavids were pushed back to Afghanistan and India.

1001–1100World Heritage

In the 11th century, the Zirids built a Sunni mosque and mausoleum near the old citadel of Algiers, later known as the Sidi Ramdan Mosque. It is potentially the oldest mosque in Algiers and now forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Casbah of Algiers.

1007World Heritage

A fortified palatine city was founded around the early 11th century, later serving as the first capital of the Hammadid dynasty. The site lies in the Hodna Mountains east of M'Sila, Algeria, at 1,418 metres elevation, benefiting from abundant mountain water. Now in ruins, it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1980.

1008

The town of Bejaad in central Morocco was founded as a religious centre and later developed into a significant cultural and scholarly hub. From its creation, it was endowed with numerous madrasas that produced eminent scholars and, over the centuries, expanded instruction from purely religious subjects to theology, law, calligraphy, literature, and even astronomy, thereby shaping Morocco’s intellectual tradition.

1028

The Great Mosque of Salé, also known as the Masjid al-Tal'a, is the main mosque of the old city of Salé, Morocco. Covering an area of about 5,070 m², it is the third-largest mosque in the country.

1048World Heritage

Ghardaïa was founded in the M'zab valley and later became the capital of Ghardaïa Province.

1057

Around 1057, the Hammudid dynasty began constructing a palatial fortification in Málaga, Al-Andalus, which later became known as the Alcazaba. The complex was subsequently modified and rebuilt several times, and is now one of the best-preserved alcazabas in Spain.

1050World Heritage

Cahokia was a large pre-Columbian city of the Mississippian culture, located in present-day southwestern Illinois across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Around the 12th century AD, the city reached its peak, covering about 6 square miles (16 km²) with some 120 mounds and a population estimated between 15,000 and 30,000, making it one of the largest population centers in North America at the time.

1001–1100World Heritage

The Burana Tower, a minaret in the Chüy Valley of northern Kyrgyzstan, was built in the 11th century as part of the Karakhanid city of Balasagun.

1001–1100World Heritage

Around the 11th century, the Mapungubwe Kingdom was founded at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers in northern South Africa. It grew into the largest kingdom in the subcontinent, leaving palace ruins and settlement remains. The site was later abandoned and rediscovered in 1932.