Deep in the far south of Egypt, close to the border with Sudan, four giant figures sit carved into a cliff of golden sandstone, each of them a portrait of

Among the many temples of ancient Egypt, few are as sacred, or as beautiful, as Abydos. For thousands of years this was the holiest cult centre of Osiris, the god

On a ridge above the southern coast of Sicily stands one of the most spectacular groups of Greek temples anywhere in the world. The Valley of the Temples at Agrigento

In the highlands of northern Ethiopia stand rows of towering carved stone monoliths, the tallest of which once rose over thirty metres. These are the stelae of Aksum, markers of

Deep in the forests of northern Cambodia lies the largest religious monument ever built. Angkor Wat is only the most famous of hundreds of temples that once formed the heart

On a windswept plateau on the border between Turkey and Armenia, where a river gorge marks the modern frontier, stand the haunting ruins of Ani. Once a great medieval city

In the dry plains of north-central Sri Lanka lie the ruins of Anuradhapura, the island’s first great capital and one of the longest-inhabited cities of the ancient world. For more

In the countryside of western Turkey lies Aphrodisias, one of the most beautiful and best-preserved ancient cities in the world. Named after Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, it

On an island where three rivers meet in central Thailand lie the ruins of Ayutthaya, once the glittering capital of the kingdom of Siam and one of the largest and

In the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon stand some of the most colossal temples the Roman world ever built. This is Baalbek, known in antiquity as Heliopolis, the City of the