Next Saturday marks 20 years since the world was traumatised by the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In the first piece of our series marking the anniversary of the attack, we look at how the site was rebuilt.
Once the tallest buildings in the world, the 110-storey World Trade Center towers in lower Manhattan, New York City, were destroyed on 11 September 2001 in a terrorist attack.
The attack shocked the world, causing stock markets to nosedive and leading to the US invasion of Afghanistan. It also led many to question the future safety and viability of skyscrapers.
Top: the World Trade Center site has been rebuilt over the past 20 years. Photo by Hufton +Crow. Above: the Twin Towers stood on the site in 2001. Photo by Carol M Highsmith Known as the Twin Towers, the distinctive skyscrapers designed by American architect Minoru Yamasaki formed part of the Manhattan skyline since they were completed in 1973.
At 1,368 and 1,362 feet (417 and 415 metres) tall, the towers overtook the Empire State Building to become the world's tallest buildings when they opened.
Designed by Minoru Yamasaki, the World Trade Center towers were the tallest buildings in the world when they opened. Photo by Jeffmock
On 11 September 2001, the towers were hit by a pair of Boeing 767 passenger jets flown by Al-Qaeda hijackers. The impact and resulting fire caused both of the Twin Towers to collapse within two hours.
As a result of the attack on the World Trade Center, 2,753 people died...