While modern structures
can be more than impressive in their own right with respect to
architecture, technological advancement, and beauty, there’s something
to be said about structures from the past.
Ruins around the world have withstood the test of time and remain
standing for travelers to marvel at. (Well, they haven’t completely
withstood the test of time, or else they wouldn’t be called ruins.) Many
of the methods used to create these ancient cities, temples, and
monuments remain rather mysterious, as building them in this day and age
would still be considered an impressive feat.
Check out these 30 awesome ancient ruins around the globe and see for yourself.
1
Machu Picchu (Cusco Region, Peru)
Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca site believed to be an
estate for emperor Pachacuti, was “discovered” by Hiram Bingham in
1911. A well-trod tourist attraction, Machu Picchu sits 7,970 feet above
sea level.
Photo:
Boris G
2
Chichén Itzá (Tinum, Mexico)
The pre-Columbian Mayan city of Chichén Itzá is visited
by over 1.2 million people annually (making it one of Mexico’s
most-visited archaeological sites).
Photo:
Ted Van Pelt
3
Stonehenge (Wiltshire, England)
Surrounded by hundreds of nearby burial mounds,
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England.
Archeologists postulate that the site was built between 3000 and 2000
BC.
Photo:
Kate Williams
4
Ta Prohm (Siem Reap Province, Cambodia)
Seen in the film
Tomb Raider, Ta Prohm was
originally named Rajavihara. While
most Angkorian temples have been largely rebuilt, Ta Prohm remains
mostly in its original state. It was founded as a Mahayana Buddhist
monastery and university.
Photo:
Paolo Macorig
5
Longmen Grottoes (Henan Province, China)
Over 1,400 caves filled with over 100,000 statues make
up Longmen Grottoes, also known as the Longmen Caves. Some of the
statues are only one inch tall, while the largest Buddha statue measures
57 feet tall.
Photo:
Jiang Jiang
6
Borobudur (Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia)
The world’s largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur is
composed of six square platforms with three circular platforms resting
on top of them. 2,672 reliefs and 504 Buddha statues adorn the temple.
Photo:
Dennis Stauffer
7
Luxor Temple (Luxor, Egypt)
Founded in 1400 BC, the Luxor Temple is a sandstone
temple complex located in current-day Luxor (known as Thebes in ancient
times). Five other large temples can be found in the area.
Photo:
Scott D. Haddow
8
Hadrian’s Wall (Cumbria, England)
Hadrian’s Wall was a fortification in Roman Britain. A
large portion of the wall still remains, and was made a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1987. The majority of the wall was built over six years
and marked the de facto border of the Roman Empire in the British
Isles.
Photo:
Jimmy McIntyre
9
The Colosseum (Rome, Italy)
Found in Rome, the Colosseum is also known as the
Flavian Amphitheatre. The largest amphitheater in the world, it was
built of concrete and stone from 70 to 80 AD.
Photo:
I-Ta Tsai
10
Baalbek (Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon)
Home to some of Lebanon’s best-preserved Roman ruins,
Baalbek can be found in the Beqaa Valley. The city was known as
Heliopolis during the Roman period.
Photo:
Debraj Ghosh
11
Volubilis (Meknès-Tafilalet, Morocco)
A partially excavated Roman city founded in the 3rd
century BC, Volubilis was originally a Phoenician settlement. The city
was abandoned around the 11th century AD when Morocco’s seat of power
was relocated to Fes.
Photo:
Mark A Neal
12
Bagan (Mandalay Region, Burma)
Bagan was the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan from the
9th century to the 13th century. In present time, over 2,200 temples and
pagodas can be found. At its peak, the city contained over 10,000
Buddhist temples.
Photo:
opalpeterliu
13
Mycenae (Argolis, Greece)
Mycenae, a Greek military stronghold, was considered one
of ancient Greece’s most significant sites. The period of history from
1600 to 1100 BC is referred to as Mycenaean, in reference to the city.
Photo:
I-Ta Tsai
14
Jerash (Jerash Governorate, Jordan)
Originally constructed around the time of Alexander the
Great, the ancient city of Jerash was held by a number of successive
empires. In 749 AD, an earthquake destroyed much of the city. Wars and
subsequent earthquakes added to the deterioration. The ruins remained
buried until discovered in 1806.
Photo:
Jeremy Seto
15
Moai of Rano Raraku (Easter Island, Chile)
Rano Raraku is the main quarry of
moai on Easter Island. The Rapa Nui people carved the human figures, or
moai, between 1250 and 1500 AD. The tallest
moai weighs 82 tons – the simple act of moving it is considered a more-than-impressive feat.
Photo:
anoldent
16
Tulum (Quintana Roo, Mexico)
Tulum is another pre-Columbian Maya site, known to be
one of the last cities built by the Maya. The well-preserved walled
city’s most famous buildings are El Castillo, the Temple of the
Descending God, and the Temple of the Frescoes.
Photo:
Chris Lemanz
17
Tiwanaku (Tiwanaku Muncipality, Bolivia)
Scholars consider Tiwanaku (also known as Tihuanaco) to be one of the most
important pre-Incan civilizations in this region. The empire of which Tiwanaku was the capital
flourished from 300 to 1000 AD.
Photo:
Cata Bravo
18
Teotihuacán (San Juan Teotihuacán, Mexico)
The origins of this Mesoamerican city are cloudy, but
it’s postulated that it reached a population of over 150,000 at its
peak. It not only houses the Pyramid of the Moon and Pyramid of the Sun,
but residential compounds and the Avenue of the Dead as well.
Photo:
José Luis Ruiz
19
Palmyra (Syria)
134 miles northeast of Damascus, Palmyra was an ancient
Aramaic city located at an oasis. The city’s most notable building is
the temple of Ba’al.
Photo:
James Gordon
20
Cappadocia (Central Anatolian Region, Turkey)
Cappadocia was the home of the Hittite Empire. Many of
Cappadocia’s temples and homes were cut directly into the rock
structures known as fairy chimneys visible in the photo above. The
earliest mention of the region’s name dates back to the late 6th century
BC.
Photo:
Nick Wadge
21
Amphitheatre of El Jem (Mahdia Governorate, Tunisia)
The Amphitheatre of El Jem is one of the remains of the
Roman city of Thysdrus, known today as El Djem. The amphitheatre was
capable of seating 35,000 people. Several scenes from
Life of Brian and
Gladiator were filmed here.
Photo:
Walid Mahfoudh
22
Wat Ratchaburana (Ayutthaya, Thailand)
A Buddhist temple located in Ayutthaya Historical Park,
Wat Ratchaburana was founded in 1424 by King Borommarachathirat II on
the cremation site of his two elder brothers, who died in a duel for the
succession of the throne.
Photo:
Heiko S
23
Petra (Ma'an Governorate, Jordan)
Jordan’s most-visited tourist attraction, Petra is
famous for its rock-cut architecture. The city is also known as the Rose
City due to the color of the rock from which it has been hewn.
Photo:
Jimmy Álvarez
24
Roman Baths (Bath, England)
Constructed from 60 to 70 AD, the Roman Baths complex in
Bath is very well preserved. Combined with the Grand Pump Room, the
site receives over 1 million visitors annually. (Sorry: No bathing!)
Photo:
Ignacio García
25
Pompeii (Pompei, Italy)
Pompeii, an ancient Roman city near current-day Naples,
was destroyed and buried in ash and pumice after the eruption of Mount
Vesuvius in 79 AD. Approximately 2.5 million people visit Pompeii
yearly.
Photo:
Francesco Minciotti
26
Ellora (Maharashtra, India)
Ellora, an Indian archeological site, is best known for
its caves. There are 34 of them, and they were cut out of the rock faces
of the Charanandri Hills.
Photo:
Kunal Mukherjee
27
Montezuma Castle National Monument (Camp Verde, Arizona, United States)
These very well-preserved cliff dwellings can be found
in Arizona’s Montezuma Castle National Monument. They were built by the
pre-Columbian Sinagua people.
Photo:
Steven Reynolds
28
Ephesus (Izmir Province, Turkey)
An ancient Greek city on Ionia’s coast, Ephesus was best
known for its Temple of Artemis. The temple, one of the Seven Wonders
of the Ancient World, was largely destroyed in 268 AD by the Goths.
Photo:
Kunal Mukherjee
29
Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra, India)
Similar to the caves at Ellora, the Ajanta Caves consist
of about 30 rock-cut Buddhist monuments. The area was covered in dense
foliage until it was rediscovered by chance in 1819.
Photo:
Kunal Mukherjee
30
Cobá (Quintana Roo, Mexico)
Not
far from Tulum’s ruins, Cobá was a pre-Columbian Mayan city. At its
peak, it is said to have housed over 50,000 people. The site’s tallest
pyramid is 138 feet in height.
Photo:
Alejandro C
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