Great Ruins of the World
I submit my proposed list
for the greatest ruins in the world. I define a ruin as any
man-made structure whose original function has now been lost and may
not even be known, but which is preserved for its exceptional aesthetic
and cultural value. The ones marked * I have not yet visited, and
I'm sure there will be many more added to this list by the time I
finish this trip.
Mesa Verde, USA *
Teotihuacan, Mexico
Palenque, Mexico
Uxmal, Mexico
Chichen Itza, Mexico
Tikal, Guatemala
Copan, Honduras
Chan Chan, Peru
Machu Picchu, Peru
Rapa Nui, Chile
Borobudur, Indonesia
Pura Besakih, Indonesia
Angkor, Cambodia
Bagan, Myanmar
Kailasa Temple, India
Petra, Jordan
Giza, Egypt
Luxor, Egypt
Abu Simbel, Egypt *
Leptus Magnus, Libya *
Acropolis, Greece
Stonehenge, England
Capadoccia, Turkey
Great Wall, China
Xian tombs, China *
Leshan buddha, China
Samarkand Timurid monuments, Uzbekistan
Bukhara old town, Uzbekistan
Khiva Ichon-Qala, Uzbekistan
Persepolis, Iran
Baalbek, Lebanon
Palmyra, Syria
Ishak Pasha palace, Turkey
Ani, Turkey
Bamiyan buddhas, Afghanistan
Lalibela, Ethiopia
Abu Simbel, Egypt
Luxor and Upper Nile temples, Egypt
Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Brihadishwara temple, Tanjore, India
Mamallapuram rock temples, India
Konark temple, India
Khajuraho temples, India