White Sands, USA – Cool dunes of powdered gypsum have created a pristine landscape.
Wat Arun, Thailand – The majestic Temple of Dawn, a Bangkok landmark, contrasts with modern urban development.
Western Wall, Israel – Original wall section of the Temple of Solomon, which was destroyed by the Roman army; Judaism’s most sacred pilgrimage site.
Ur, Iraq – Ruins of an important Sumerian city state over 6000 years old.
Troy, Turkey – A lost city until the 19th century; famous for the myth of the Trojan Horse.
Stave Churches, Norway – Steep wooden buildings of unique design, c.1200.
Serengeti Plain, United Rep. of Tanzania – Includes World renowned national park and game reserve; noted for vast migrations of wild animals.
San’a, Yemen – One of the World’s oldest cities; surrounded by walls.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan – Ancient and exotic city on the silk road.
Sagrada Familia, Spain – Masterpiece of organic architecture; work still in progress; begun 1882.
Red Fort, India – Opulent sandstone palace of the 17th century Mogul Empire.
Potala Palace, Tibet – Winter residence of the Dali Lamas; now a museum.
Petra, Jordan – Remains of classical monuments cut into rock.
Palmyra, Syrian Arab Rep. – Magnificent ruined city of the Roman Empire.
Nazca Lines, Peru – Puzzling lines and drawings of an enormous scale etched on stony desert; origins and function unclear.
Mount Ararat, Turkey – Mountain associated with Noah’s Ark.
Motherland, Russian Federation – Mammoth statue; commemorates the Russians who died in the fierce 1942-43 battle for Stalingrad (now Volgograd).
Monument Valley, USA – One of the World’s serene landscapes; wind-carved sandstone monoliths rise from the desert plain.
Mont-Saint-Michel, France – Famous medieval abbey and architectural marvel atop a massive rock in the coastal sandbanks of Normandy.
Meteora, Greece – Lofty pinnacles of rock dotted with Byzantine monasteries.
Meroe Ruins, Sudan – Pyramid remains of Ancient Nubia.
Leptis Magna, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya – World’s best-preserved remains of a Roman city.
Legoland, Denmark – 30-million Lego blocks recreate the World in miniature.
Lascaux Caves, France – World renowned prehistoric cave paintings; 15-20 thousand years old; discovered by children in 1940.
Lalibela Rock Churches, Ethiopia – Eleven hand-chiseled churches carved into a granite mountain; c.1200.
Kronborg Castle, Denmark – Famous setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Khyber Pass, Afganistan – Strategic trade and invasion route to India.
Itsukushima Shrine, Japan – Surrounded by sea, Japan’s biggest and most famous torii (gateway) guards the entrance to a Shinto shrine.
Itaipu Dam, Brazil – World’s most powerful hydroelectric dam.
Iguacu Falls, Argentina – World’s broadest waterfall, 4km wide.
House of Slaves, Senegal – Once a center of the slave trade; now a memorial to the 10 million African victims.
Hermitage, Russian Federation – Amongst the World’s largest museums; sumptuous buildings include the Winter Palace and Hermitage Theatre.
Hadrian’s Wall, England – 120-km Roman fortification against barbarians to the north; rugged landscape.
Guilin, China – Romantic yet surreal landscape of steep-sided limestone hills that jut out from a flat plain.
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Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe – Remains of an impressive stone city, created without mortar, c.1100; origins unclear.
Golden Temple, India – Spiritual center of the Sikh religion.
Giant’s Causeway, N. Ireland – Honeycombed columns of volcanic rock form a gigantic stairway into the sea.
Ellora and Ajanta Caves, India – Huge complex of temple caves.
El Escorial, Spain – Austere and majestic palace/monastery built in 1584; seat of Philip II’s Spanish Empire.
Copan, Honduras – Mayan royal city abandoned c.1000.
Church of the Transfiguration, Russian Federation – All wood construction featuring 22 domes.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Israel – Important Christian sanctuary; located near sites of Jesus’ crucifixion and entombment.
Chichen Itza, Mexico – Dramatic Mayan/Toltec city known for its huge ball court and well of human sacrifice; abandoned c.1224.
Chernobyl, Ukraine – Site of the World’s worst nuclear accident, 1986.
Chartres Cathedral, France – One of the most inspiring examples of Gothic architecture; includes some of the finest stained-glass windows in the World.
Chan Chan, Peru – Ruins of the World’s largest adobe city; former capital of Chimu empire (12th Century); fell to the Incas c.1470.
Cappadocia, Turkey – Hundreds of early Byzantine churches carved into a haunting landscape of volcanic rock cones.
Banaue Rice Terraces, Philippines – Amazing 2000-year-old terraces carved into hillsides.
Atomic Bomb Done, Japan – Skeleton of a building serves as a grim memorial to Hiroshima’s atomic destruction in 1945.
Alhambra, Sprain – Elegant palace/fortress of Spain’s Moorish rulers
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