Sigiriya is located in Sri Lanka in the Central Province. The ruins are positioned in the Matale District, a cultural area which contains a number of other world heritage sites in the country.
The location was first inhabited by humans around 3000 BC. The site was made the capital of the kingdom from 477 to 495 AD and developed into a complex structure with a fortress. The ruins of Sigiriya were rediscovered by British explorer John Still in 1907.
Sigiriya was built from a hardened magma plug of an extinct volcano. Remains of the site feature a number of different human additions including portions of a palace constructed on top of the plug and a terrace with a gate near the mid-level.
Surrounding the structure is a series of gardens built over time. These gardens constitute some of the oldest landscaping in the world. Examples of these include water gardens and boulder gardens.
Two of the major features of Sigiriya are a mirrored wall and a series of frescoes. The wall is comprised of polished rock and the frescoes feature over 500 pictures of women painted into the rock.
