9/11 Memorial now for public visit

NEW YORK: On Monday the National September 11 Memorial opens to the public in New York City, after a decade twin towers of the World Trade Center destroyed by the terrorists.

Here the visitors can see the reflecting pools surrounded by bronze panels engraved with the names of those lost on September 11, 2001 and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Sitting in the footprints of where the towers once stood, the dark granite, cube-shaped pools, each about a half-hectare in size, are the largest man-made waterfalls in North America. Hundreds of trees line the paths to the serene pools that offer an escape in the midst of the bustling city.

Also office towers and an underground portion of the site are part of the project, which is expected to be complete in 2015.

Families of the 9/11 victims toured the memorial on its 10th anniversary on Sunday, along with President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush. With the hum of the waterfalls in the background, the names of the nearly 3,000 people lost 10 years ago were read aloud during an anniversary ceremony.

(News Editor- Naushin Fatima Khan)