Top 20 Inspiring Ancient Places You Can Visit Around the Planet

Located in the central part of Sri Lanka, Sigiriya is a rock fortress dating from the 5th century CE. The gardens here are among the oldest landscaped gardens in the world.

More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek poet Antipater of Sidon listed the Great Pyramid of Giza as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Pyramid was built about 4,500 years ago and is the oldest in a complex consisting of pyramids and the Sphinx on the outskirts of Cairo.

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A collection of over 3,000 standing stones near the village of Carnac in northwestern France dates back to between 4500 and 3300 BCE. One local legend has it that the rocks used to be a Roman legion turned to stone by the wizard Merlin of King Arthur fame.

England’s most famous ancient monument was probably built between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago. It’s still a mystery who built Stonehenge and why but according to one medieval legend, the wizard Merlin built it with the help of some giants.

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Back in the day, the Roman Forum was the Parliament Hill of Rome. The site was first selected in the 7th century BCE and over time, government buildings, temples, basilicas and other structures were added.

The Nabataeans were a nomadic tribe living in Arabia and the Levant. More than 2,000 years ago they carved their capital out of solid rock in what today is Jordan. Originally known as Raqmu, Petra is now Jordan’s most visited attraction.

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Even though Guatemala is home to many more famous Mayan archaeological sites, Tak’alik Ab’aj is one of the oldest. It was first occupied about 3,000 years ago, flourished for about 2,000 years and shows Olmec and Maya features.

The Cave of Pettakere on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi features 26 primitive stencils of hands. These paintings haven’t been dated yet but a similar stencil in the nearby Leang Tempuseng cave is estimated to have been made 39,900 years ago.

The Cradle of Humankind is a series of caves near Johannesburg and home to some of the oldest hominin fossils ever found. Among these are Mrs. Ples, an Australopithecus africanus who lived about 2.3 million years ago.

The Nazca Lines are huge figures, up to 370 m in length, drawn in the ground in the Nazca Desert. They were made between 500 BCE and 500 CE and even though the best way to see them is from an aircraft, they are also visible from hills and viewing platforms in the area.

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The Namib has been a desert for between 55 and 80 million years, making it the world’s oldest desert. It’s also home to welwitschia plants that may be over 2,000 years old.

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Some 5,500 years ago, the indigenous people of what is now southern Alberta started hunting buffalo by driving them off the cliff at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. The Blackfoot gave the site its name and used it as a buffalo jump until the 19th century.

Lake Baikal is not only the world’s deepest and one of its largest lakes but is also the oldest. It was formed about 25 million years ago.

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It took between 13,000 and 14,000 tons of stone to build the Cairn of Barnenez. The structure in northwest France was constructed between 4850 and 4000 BCE, making it one of the world’s oldest structures built by humans.

Argos in southern Greece was founded about 7,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world. According to Greek myth, the hero Perseus – who slayed Medusa – was born here.

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Shahr-e Sukhteh in southeast Iran was one of the world’s earliest cities. It was first occupied in about 3200 BCE and some of the archaeological finds here include the earliest known artificial eye, backgammon, dice, animation and caraway seeds.

Archaeological evidence shows that Jericho may have first been settled about 12,000 years ago, even though the first permanent settlement was started between 9500 and 9000 BCE. Its protective wall, believed to have been built about 10,000 years ago, is the oldest known wall of its kind.

Located in southeast Turkey, Göbekli Tepe is believed to be the world’s oldest religious site. It was founded about 11,500 years ago and among the archaeological finds here are pillars bearing carved images of animals.

The area of Shark Bay on Australia’s west coast was first occupied by Aboriginal people about 22,000 years ago. It is one of the few places in the world where you can still find living stromatolites, one of the earliest forms of life on Earth.

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The Amazon Rainforest, the world’s largest tropical rainforest, is also one of its oldest. It formed at least 55 million years ago and the first humans moved in about 11,200 years ago.