Photo by Barry Kaufman

History has always ensnared the minds of mankind. Whether excavating a new wonder from the depths of the earth or exploring the engineering feats conquered through the world’s most timeless buildings, uncovering how great civilizations functioned is a topic that always creates much deliberation. That’s why visitors are drawn to the following seven ancient sites.  Although their bodies are centuries-old, the treasures and legends they conceal are an adventurious ride to the past. 

Citadel of Sigiriya

Steeped in history, this monumental stone hovers above the landscape of the Matale District in Sri Lanka like a sleeping giant. Inside of its red rock walls, legends of mystery, jealousy and conquest anxiously wait to be told to any listening ear. The Citadel of Sigiriya surfaced into Sri Lanka’s history when King Kassapa I became ruler after ordering the assassination of his father and banishing his brother. 

Seeking refuge in this imposing boulder, he ordered for it to be transformed into a fortress in the sky, carving its face into a petrifying lion; perhaps to scare trespassers away. After his horrifying death in battle, his brother claimed the throne, resulting in the site’s abandonment.

One man’s need for power has created an astonishing attraction that is visited year-round by curious tourists.  Climbing the steps leading to the infamous mountain, visitors are greeted by photo-worthy rock paintings, rhymes carved into its walls known as "Sigiri graffiti," as well as the pointy claws of the lion. 

Turkey: The Library of Celsus

Sure, the Romans are known to create wonderful masterpieces as a sign of respect for their deities and well-respected officials, and the same can be said about the Library of Celsus. Built around 117 A.D., the emblematic structure was commissioned by Galius Julius Aquila in honor of his father and acting governor Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus.

The Library of Celsus was believed to be one of the richest of its kind, offering enough space to fit approximately 1,200 scrolls. Although much of the library’s façade has eroded, a great majorty of its intricate designs are still magically intact, including its colossal columns, windows and archways. However, the figurines decorating the ancient ruin are replicas of the original statues signifying wisdom, knowledge, valor and intelligence. 

Greece: Parthenon

In the heart of Athens sits an impeccable work of art called the Parthenon.  Dressed in Doric décor, this timeless attraction was constructed as a temple to the goddess Athena for preserving the city as well as Greece during the Persian Wars in 447 BC, but it wasn’t officially completed until around 432 BC. 

Traces of Greece’s most powerful periods can be found along its remarkable features as it continuously looms over the city while perched on the Acropolis of Athens. The Parthenon, formerly known as Temple of Athena the Virgin, acted as a place of worship as well as a treasury before it became a tourist magnet. Because its landscape is constantly flooded with visitors the rocks leading to the site have been smoothed like ice, so proceed with caution.

China: Terracotta Army

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t bring the Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor back from the dead; but this rich stone display is an archeological wonder every tourist must see. As one of the world’s newest finds, it is an amazement that this exquisite funerary attraction called the Terracotta Army remained a buried secret for centuries.

The Terracotta Army is an enormous treasure of life-sized horses and soldiers that were excavated from the burial site of the Chinese ruler, who believed this stone army would protect him in the afterlife.  Placed into three divisions based on when they were discovered, thousands of the Qin Shi Huang's guardian angels are housed in the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses. 

Turkey: Lycian Rock Tombs

Some mountains prove to be much more than glorious rock formations formed when Earth’s tectonic plates shift.  Some are fashioned into gateways of the spirit world like the Lycian Rock Tombs. 

The graves were formed on the belief that spiritual ancestors would be able to access the dead easier by digging holes in the cliffs. From the outside, many of the tombs are donned in beautiful columns while others are huge doorways that invite onlookers to take a peek inside although it is merely impossible. If you’re intrigued by ghosts then you’ll want to venture onto this eerie Turkish destination which is presumed to have been visited by many of them based on the variety of holes piecing the mountain’s side. 

Egypt: Abu Simbel Temples

Of course a trip to Egypt would be incomplete without exploring its historical monuments.  But we are not talking about the pyramids, although they are a wonderful sight to behold.  The site we are referring to were moved from its original positon to the banks of Lake Nasser in Southern Egypt in the city of Aswan. 

The Abu Simbel Temples are comprised of two separate shrines that were created in the likeness of Pharaoh Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari called the Great Temple of Ramesses II and the Small Temple of Nefertari. The king commissioned the Great Temple of Ramesses II to be built in honor of himself, featuring four huge statues of him sitting on his thrown while wearing the crown that represents Lower and Upper Egypt.  The temple is also decorated with much smaller images of Queen Nefertari and other royal women.

Although smaller in size, The Small Temple of Nefertari speaks volumes with displays of six figures imprinted into rock that depict the pharaoh and the queen. Once inside the monument of the Great Temple of Ramesses II, its chambers unveil stories and artifacts mirroring Egypt’s fascinating ancient culture.

India: Nalanda University Ruins

When this institution was founded in the 5^th century it was the world’s largest Buddhist learning center that was attended by thousands of students. Flash forward to the 21^st century, the school is a testament to India’s religious past with deep dark secrets nursed within its red bricks. Nalanda, which undeniably brightens the eyes of its spectators, fell under the hands of an unwanted trespasser and since then it sits in shambles.

Nonetheless, in its heyday it was an architectural beauty that boasted a nine-story library in addition to the Hieun Tsang Memorial Hall which adopted the name from a celebrated Chinese student and traveler. Even Buddha was impressed by Nalanda’s innovative façade, since he too is believed to have wandered through its halls.