World's Best Ruins
There are any number of lists -
as we continue with this site, we will certainly find other lists that we think
worth consideration. This list, prepared by Christine Sarkis
Take a look and determine for yourself if the list is at all worthwhile. Locations seen in red, as with the other lists, denote places we have visited.
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Provided
by:
World's
Best Ruins
By Christine Sarkis
Ruins reach across
centuries to fire the imagination and fuel travel plans. The very best make you
feel young, small, and utterly amazed by the architectural chops of the
ancients. Among the many amazing ruins that still exist today, a few stand out
as the trip of a lifetime.
No matter which ruins you
visit, a few rules hold true: Time your trip for the less crowded times of day,
often early or late. Give yourself plenty of time, as some ruins require days of
exploration. Hire a knowledgeable guide, since the history is rich but the
signage is often cursory. And get beyond the most popular parts of the ruin;
you'll need a bit of quiet space to appreciate this kind of ancient majesty.
Machu
Picchu, Peru
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Thinkstock/iStockphoto
The journey to Machu Picchu
is epic even with relatively newfangled transportation like trains. But each
year, about 25,000 people forgo the more direct routes and walk for days along
the 27-mile Inca Trail to reach the ruin. Since its rediscovery a century ago,
this treasure of the Inca set high in a cloud forest of the Peruvian Andes has
captured imaginations worldwide. The massive stone blocks tell the story of both
a sprawling agricultural zone with terracing and ancient food storehouses and an
urban zone replete with temples, squares, tombs, and living quarters. If you're
considering a trek to Machu Picchu, plan ahead: You can only make the hike with
a licensed company, and spots book up quickly, especially in high season.
Acropolis,
Greece
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Thinkstock/iStockphoto
Waiting for the traffic to
speed past at a crowded intersection in Athens, you're likely to forget that
history keeps constant watch over the city. Glance up, however, and you'll catch
the view Athenians and visitors alike have been admiring for the last 2,500
years. Time has battered the once-pristine temples and gates that crown the hill
of the Acropolis, leaving stone ruins that retain a familiar splendor even after
thousands of years of wear and destruction. The elegant proportions of the
fifth-century B.C. Parthenon and the Temple of Athena Nike—both dedicated to
the city's patron deity—are a reminder of how much we still rely on ancient
Greece for our concepts of beauty.
Mesa
Verde, United States
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Thinkstock/iStockphoto
Angkor,
Cambodia
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Thinkstock/iStockphoto
War or natural disaster
might have weakened the Khmer Empire's ancient capital, but ultimately, it was
the jungle that conquered this ninth- to fifteenth-century urban center. Today,
the densely forested 150-square-mile Angkor Archaeological Park protects part of
a vast cluster of ancient capitals, many of which remain buried. The park's most
famous temple, Angkor
Wat,
is the world's largest religious building. But the park's dozens of other ruins,
including Bayon temple with its wall of 11,000 carved figures, offer quieter
glimpses into the art and architecture of this culturally rich 600-year period.
Great
Pyramids And Memphis, Egypt
Great
Pyramids And Memphis, Egypt
Photo:
Thinkstock/iStockphoto
Political unrest or no, a
roundup of the world's best ruins can't exclude Egypt. The last existing ancient
wonder of the world, the Great
Pyramid of Giza
stands as a lone window into the far past. With more than 4,000 years to ponder
the question, experts still can't agree on how the builders placed more than 2
million stone blocks so perfectly. The rest of the Giza Necropolis holds more
wonders: two more Great Pyramids, built during 80 years by 20,000 to 30,000
workers, plus the Great Sphinx,
cemeteries, and the ruins of a village. The pyramids are part of a larger UNESCO
World Heritage site that includes Memphis, the capital of the Old Kingdom of
Egypt. A trip can even include some up-close-and-personal time: Visitors can
explore the interiors of some of the pyramids. And the recent drop in tourism
offers intrepid travelers the rare chance to experience the pyramids without the
usual crowds.
Tikal,
Guatemala
Photo: Thinkstock/iStockphoto
Stay overnight in the
national park for the ultimate experience at Tikal, an ancient Maya city in
northern Guatemala
that was home to 90,000 people before being abandoned in the tenth century.
Early the next morning, before the park opens to the general public, join a
small group making the trek through a jungle awash in the pre-dawn symphony of
birds and insects. Climb to the top of Temple IV, the Temple of the Two-Headed
Serpent, to witness a sunrise that reveals ancient temples and pyramids rising
from the verdant forest blanket. You've still got hours to explore this vast
complex of pyramids, temples, and plazas before the big crowds roll in. Along
the way, catch glimpses of brown coatis, toucans, howler monkeys, and some of
the hundreds of other species to call Tikal home.
Petra,
Jordan
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Thinkstock/Photos.com
Hailed as a "rose-red
city half as old as time" in a 19th-century poem, the ancient city of Petra
was half built and half carved into red sandstone cliffs. Nabataean Arabs
established the city in the sixth century B.C., and for hundreds of years it
thrived as a trade center for frankincense, myrrh, and spices. Now, as then,
enter the ruins of the city through a narrow, half-mile-long gorge squeezed
between cliffs nearly 300 feet high. Inside, explore architecturally elaborate
tombs and temples, sacrificial altars, and even a Roman-style amphitheater. Most
people explore on foot, but visitors can also ride camels and donkeys. The sun
lights up the red cliffs of Petra most dramatically in mid-morning and late
afternoon, so be sure to time your visit accordingly.
Colosseum,
Italy
Photo:
Thinkstock/Hemera
Digitally reimagined in
Hollywood blockbusters such as Gladiator, the camera really shaves millennia off
Rome's
Colosseum
But the 2,000-year-old ruins are so evocative up close that special effects seem
superfluous. With a bloody history of fights to the death between gladiators,
slaves, prisoners, and wild animals, the Colosseum held 50,000 spectators or
more in its heyday. Later, Romans used the abandoned arena as a quarry: Stones
from the Colosseum are part of the cathedrals of St. Peter and St. John Lateran.
Last summer, entirely new sections of the ruin—including the basement— were
opened for tours.
Great Wall of China, China
Great
Wall Of China, China
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Thinkstock/Hemera
Like a dragon, the Great
Wall of China
slithers its way across the landscape for about 4,500 miles, and, like a dragon,
the wall protects something treasured. Constructed to shelter China's people and
culture from the outside world, the "Long Wall of 10 Thousand Li" was
built during 2,000 years by many imperial dynasties. While some parts of the
wall are in ruins or have disappeared entirely, other sections have been
restored or preserved. The most popular section today is the Badaling Great
Wall, close to Beijing.
Slightly farther from the capital city and offering a more rugged (and less
crowded) experience is the Great Wall at Mutianyu. In Qinhuangdao City, the
Laolongtou Great Wall actually stretches into the sea, and is said to resemble a
dragon drinking water.
Palmyra,
Syria
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Thinkstock/Photos.com
Twice a day, at sunrise and
sunset, the Bride of the Desert blushes, even 18 centuries after her birth.
Palmyra,
also known as Tadmor, is in the desert northeast of Damascus, Syna,
and was once a wealthy caravan oasis along the Silk Road, linking Persia,
India, and China with the Roman Empire. At a crossroads of cultures, the ruins
of grand colonnaded streets, temples, funerary towers, and aqueducts demonstrate
a mingling of influences that made this an awfully cosmopolitan place for the
second century. Palmyra was also home to the warrior queen and conqueror Zenobia,
and tour guides tell exciting tales that give this seemingly isolated place a
starring role in world history