Ancient Marvels: A Global Tour of Impressive Ruins
By Jack Ripley | April 12, 2024
The Hegra Archaeological Site, Saudi Arabia
Every region has unique sights to explore, offering a wealth of travel possibilities. While you might not get to visit every corner of the globe, this virtual tour will let you see and learn about a range of compelling UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Authentic, amazing, and unique, each of these sites reveals something unexpected that resonates with visitors across the globe.
Learn fascinating details about ancient civilizations, secret settlements, and devotional constructs that take you back in time. Experience the flavor of long-lost cultures from history and explore the remaining ruins. Discover a collection of some of the most compelling places on the planet.
As the first UNESCO World Site in Saudi Arabia, the Hegra Archaeological Site reveals the sophistication of the ancient Nabataean Kingdom, which dates to the first century CE. Due to the arid desert climate of the Hejaz region, these ruins are in an astonishing state of preservation. Hegra has been mostly untouched over the past two millennia. The site, which was the center of spice, incense and myrrh trade in its heyday, includes 131 tombs cut directly into the mountainside and enormous free-standing rocks.
Saudi Arabia opened Hegra for tours recently in 2020. Hegra and its sister site, Petra, are the work of the ancient Nabataeans, who became rich by fostering trade in the region from the fourth century BCE until the first century CE. They are responsible for the fabulous tombs guarded by stone sphinxes, eagles, and griffons above their entrances.
A Transplanted Monument: Abu Simbel, Egypt
During his reign in the 13th century BCE, Pharoah Ramses II commissioned Amu Simbel to create this monument. Cut from the rocky hillside, it features four gigantic statues of Ramesses II that flank the entrance. Abu Simbel was strategically placed so sunlight would enter the inner chamber twice yearly on each equinox. An earthquake caused the damage shown in the photo.
When the Aswan Dam was built in the 1960s and 70s, which created Lake Nasser, water would have covered the ruins in their original location. Therefore, archeologists moved the Abu Simbel temples to a higher spot known as the UNESCO Nubian Monuments. Despite the move, they did not reconstruct the damaged statue, preferring to leave the broken pieces just as they had fallen.
The Architectural Delights of Ayutthaya, Thailand
This Heritage Site was the center of the Siamese kingdom from 1351 to 1787 and a predecessor of modern Thailand. According to popular belief, King Uthong founded the city in the 14th century. It was initially a maritime city and trade center. Over the years, the city grew through consolidation with nearby settlements and political alliances.
Its decline was the result of a 14-month siege by the Burmese military, which culminated in its destruction. The ancient ruins of this historic site include tall, pointed stone towers known as prang and massive Buddhist monasteries in a striking mélange of Khmer and early Sukhothai architectural styles. The site contains four temples — Wat Phra Ram, Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana, and Wat Phra Si Sanphet — as well as the Royal Palace.
Monument to the Gods: Prambanan Temple Compounds, Indonesia
Indonesia is the locale of another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Prambanan Temple Compounds. Built during the ninth century, the Prambanan was not only the first of the Hindu temples on the site but also the largest in the land, with the central tower soaring 47 meters into the sky.
Three of the compound's distinctive, conical stone towers honor the Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Reliefs depicting their Ramayana epic adventures adorn the walls of these temples. Three smaller tower structures honor these gods' servant animals. The Prambanan Temple Compound originally included 240 buildings and a perimeter stone wall.
Residents abandoned the Temple Compounds near the end of the 10th century. In the 16th century, a strong earthquake destroyed many of the buildings. Restoration of the site has been ongoing since 1918.
Hellenic History in Baalbek, Lebanon
The ancient Roman ruins of Baalbek in Lebanon were a tribute to three Roman gods, Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury. The city fell under the sword of Alexander the Great in 334 BCE, and he changed its name to Heliopolis.
During subsequent years, leaders commissioned several distinctive Roman-style temples, of which the Temple of Bacchus, shown in the photo, is one of the most elaborate and expansive at this UNESCO site. These ruins contain some of the finest examples of Hellenic architecture that still exist today.
New World Pyramids at Chichén Itzá, Mexico
This ancient Mayan Temple of Kukulcan is among the most spectacular structures in the Mexican state of Yucatan. Built within the large city of Chichén Itza sometime during the eighth to 12th centuries CE, the temple honors the feathered serpent Kukulcan, a deity in the Mayan religious pantheon. As a city on the region's trade route, it became a powerful capital in Yucatan County and home to both Mayan and Toltec populations.
The distinctive step pyramid of Chichén Itza features a stack of square stone terraces and stairways extending up each of the four sides. The total number of steps equals the number of days in the Mayan calendar: 365. Other surviving buildings in the complex include a circular observatory and the Warrior's Temple.
Derinkuyu: An Underground Sanctuary City in Türkiye
Hidden deep beneath the astonishing natural "fairy towers" of the Cappadocia region, the ancient underground city of Derinkuyu inspires wonder of a different type. A four-level, multifaceted city carved from volcanic stone, Derinkuyu extends 280 feet below ground level.
It could accommodate about 20,000 people and contained tools for everyday life, such as linseed presses to fuel lanterns, wine presses, and grindstones. The area included classrooms, storage rooms, and stables as well as living quarters.
Dating to the Middle Ages, the underground city was often a refuge for people fleeing from invaders or religious persecution. When these forces threatened, residents of the underground metropolis could seal themselves inside with round stone doors and wait out the attacks.
Religious Harmony in the Ellora Caves, India
This unique UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, is a complex of about 100 elaborately constructed caves hewn from the basalt volcanic formations in the Charanandri Hills. Of the 34 caves open for tours, 17 are of Hindu origin, 12 are Buddhist-built, and 5 are of Jain origin. Each exhibits its own religious and mythological artifacts.
All of the caves were built during the first millennium CE, suggesting a harmonic society where different faiths could peacefully coexist. The Ellora Caves offered pilgrims a place to rest and revive during their treks and a place for traveling traders to ply their wares.
Some of these caves are particularly notable. Dhumar Lena, Cave 29, is among the largest and earliest excavations. It is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and features a waterfall. Visvakarma, Cave 10, is a Buddhist site carved with the illusion of wooden beams, thus nicknamed "Carpenter's Cave." Chhota Kailasa, Cave 30, is one of the five Jain caves, featuring two giant bas-reliefs of the deity Isra.
Love and History: The Heart of Neolithic Orkney, Scotland
This UNESCO site is a combination of multiple structures from the late Stone Age. Located on the Orkney Island of Mainland, the Heart of Neolithic Orkney includes Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Stones of Stenness, and the Ring of Brodgar. These and other Neolithic sites on the island offer a rare look into a culture from 5,000 years ago.
Skara Brae is a village made from stone. Walls, hallways, and even furnishings like beds and dressers hewn from native stone stand testament to a way of life long forgotten. Maeshowe is an intact example of a Neolithic tomb. This tomb, composed of multiple stone chambers, was intentionally built so that the winter solstice sunset would fill the main chamber with light.
An ancient stone circle, the Stones of Stenness, as shown in the photo, reaches up to 20 feet tall. Situated on a high cliff above Loch Stenness, this dramatic formation is likely the oldest henge in the region. The Ring of Brodgar is another stone circle in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney. It features the remaining 13 stones of the original 60 plus more than a dozen burial mounds.
Mysterious Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
This World Heritage site is in Montezuma County, Colorado. Established as a National Park in 1906 by President Teddy Roosevelt, this 15,000-acre preserve hosts 600 ancient cliff dwellings built and occupied by tribes of indigenous people, including Hopi. This archeological site is among the largest of its kind on the continent.
In the late 12th century, indigenous hunters and gatherers began building dwellings in cliff alcoves. Sandstone blocks, mortar, and wood were their primary construction materials. Some alcoves were simple storerooms. Nearly 75 percent of the dwelling complexes had one to five rooms. Cliff Palace, shown in the photograph, has about 150 separate chambers, plus administrative offices and devotional kivas.
The people thrived in their Mesa Verde environment, producing basketry, jewelry, and plentiful crops, until the 13th century, when a severe, decades-long drought drove them away in search of greener pastures. The well-preserved cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park remain a testament to their unique qualities.
