10 ancient wonders from the old world to visit
If you love all things ancient, these wonders from the old world are waiting to be ticked off your bucket list.
From the USA to Guatemala, Ireland to Pakistan, the world has evolved around ancient sites and monuments that have stood the test of time. It’s time to tick these ancient wonders off your bucket list.
1. Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
The Ancestral Puebloan people had a long-held union with the natural world that was part of everyday life, evidence of which can be found in the beautifully preserved ancient dwellings and religious kivas (meeting rooms) clustered on the cliffs in Mesa Verde National Park.
The name Mesa Verde means ‘green table’, and it was one of the first UNESCO World Heritage sites in the United States, designated in 1978 to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the 26 pueblos and tribal communities that lived on the plateau between 55 and 1300 CE.
The entrance fee to visit the 5000 or so stone sites in the southwestern corner of Colorado contributes to preserving and protecting the ruins and rock art at Mesa Verde. The stone dwellings, which make up the largest archaeological preserve in the country, provide a window into the lives of the Ancestral Puebloans who abandoned the buildings after six centuries. Archaeologists are still trying to find out why.
Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the Mesa Verde National Park between 55 and 1300 CE.
2. Temples of Tikal, El Petén, Guatemala
Travelling with: Sarah Reid
It’s impossible not to feel your heart beat faster when you spot the iconic temples of Tikal rising out of the tropical jungles of El Petén in northern Guatemala. Arguably the greatest Maya city uncovered to date, Tikal is particularly mesmerising at sunrise, when toucans flap through the mist and howler monkeys clamour in the verdant canopy. Yes, you’ll share this mystical moment with hundreds of other travellers, but it’s still incredibly moving.
Spectacular sunrise views over the iconic temples of Tikal.
3. The Old City, Jerusalem
Travelling with: Catherine Marshall
The greatest concentration of monotheistic holy sites occurs within the ramparts encircling this UNESCO World Heritage-listed city. Christian pilgrims pour into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to see Jesus’s tomb. Jews make entreaties to God at the Wailing Wall. Muslims supplicate themselves before Allah at Al Aqsa Mosque. So often at odds, this trio finds common ground at the Old City’s summit, where the gold-leafed Dome of the Rock blazes in the sunlight. It was here, they agree, that Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice.
The Golden Dome of the Rock sits atop the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount).
4. Fes, Morocco
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
Very little has changed in Morocco’s oldest city since the Middle Ages including the ancient tradition of leather tanning, which can be observed amid the labyrinthine alleys that make up the walled city of Fes. The ancient city within a city is a great place to practise your bazaar banter, with vendors touting their wares on every corner of the bustling medina. Days four and five of Abercrombie & Kent’s Mosaics & Medinas tour includes a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed medina and famed tanneries of Fes. Watch artisans at work dyeing leather using natural ingredients and admire the vibrant mosaics on display in the many mosques and medersas (schools).
Moroccans soak and dye cow and goat hides in large bins to produce leather.
5. Batad Rice Terraces, Luzon, Ifugao, Philippines
Travelling with: Cathlyn Mae Botor
To say the Batad Rice Terraces are a work of art would be an understatement. The amphitheatre-like cluster of Ifugao rice paddies, carved thousands of years ago, is a spectacle on its own. But what makes it truly remarkable can be seen through the eyes of a local. For Ifugao tribespeople, Baki rituals bring bountiful harvests. Locals honour the dead as much as they respect their ancestors. These centuries-old traditions are what keep breathtaking Batad most alive.
Undulating layers of rice paddies make up the UNESCO heritage-listed Batad Rice Terraces.
6. Taxila, Pothohar, Punjab, Pakistan
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
It’s one thing to marvel at religious relics and ancient art in a gallery or museum. It’s another thing entirely to wander through the streets of an excavated city regarded as one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. The 23-day Kashgar to Kashmir tour with Crooked Compass will take you from bustling bazaars in Kashgar and along the Old Silk Road to the sprawling city of Taxila, just a short drive from Islamabad, Pakistan. Taxila has always been regarded as one of the most important cities in Gandhāra, the historical name for the Peshawar Plain, as it’s where Gandhāran Buddhist art flourished. Crooked Compass will help you navigate around the archaeological sites, which include beautifully detailed Buddhist stupas and monasteries.
Jaulian Monastery is famed for its symbolic Buddhist carvings.
7. Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland
Travelling with: Emily Murphy
Perched atop a limestone outcrop, there is more to the medieval Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary than meets the eye. Also known as St Patrick’s Rock, legend has it that it was on this site in the 5th century that St Patrick converted King Aenghus to Christianity. Set amid the lush, green pastures Ireland is renowned for, the Rock’s multiple buildings are of great historical significance spanning the 12th, 13th and 15th centuries.
The historic site of Rock of Cashel is more than meets the eye.
8. The Great Pyramid of Giza, Giza, Egypt
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
There’s an unwavering feeling of awe that comes from standing at the base of the Pyramids of Giza and looking up. The fact these monumental tombs are relics of an ancient Egyptian civilisation that existed more than 4500 years ago makes the structures feel even more dramatic and otherworldly. And while archaeologists continue to look for pieces of the puzzle as to how these ancient wonders were constructed, one thing is for certain: the Great Pyramid stands as a giant geometric testament to the skills of the ancient Egyptian engineers. It’s for that reason it endures as the last remaining wonder of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Bedouins ride camels in the Egyptian desert at The Great Pyramid of Giza.
9. Ephesus, Selçuk, Turkey
Travelling with: Imogen Eveson
An excursion to Ephesus, located in modern-day Turkey and once one of the largest and most important cities in the ancient Mediterranean world, makes for a twist on a Greek Islands cruise with the likes of Crystal and Celebrity. Wander the well-preserved ruins of this once-thriving seaport, taking in its temples, elegant statues and broad streets, to be transported to another world.
Admire the intricate façade of the Library of Celsus.
10. Sigiriya, Matale, Sri Lanka
Travelling with: Carla Grossetti
Sigiriya, also called Lion Rock, is an ancient fortress built in the late 5th century, sitting atop a lava plug that dominates the landscape over the northern Matale district. Sinhalese King Kashyapa I built his palace in the shape of a lion on top of the 349-metre-high rock pillar as a stronghold against his enemies. However, the king was defeated in 495 CE and the fortified kingdom fell into ruin to be swallowed by the surrounding jungle. Thankfully, portions of the palace declared a World Heritage site in 1982 remain intact and visitors can wander up a stairway, dominated by a sculpture of giant lion’s paws, to see the frescoes, rock paintings and terraced gardens that remain.
The ancient Sigiriya rock fortress is perched atop a lava plug in Sri Lanka.
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