Ancient Cities
City ruins are some of the most evocative sights travelers can encounter. Some, like the Mayan sites of Central America, were long-lost cities that only recently emerged from the jungle, while others, such as Roman Trier, have left behind monuments that still stand alongside their modern successors. Below is an illustrated index of the 46 Ancient Cities profiled on Sacred Destinations so far. For photo credits, please see corresponding articles.
The capital city of Jordan, Amman is home to several historic sites of religious interest, including ancient Roman ruins, historic mosques and museums.
Known as the "Minoan Pompeii," this is one of the most important archaeological sites in the region. Still undergoing major excavations sheltered beneath a large shed, the site is not always open to visitors.
Ancient Thira consists of ruins dating from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras (including numerous Greek temples and a church) in a dramatic hilltop location.
Angkor Thom means "the great city" in Khmer. The 12th-century Buddhist royal city is famed for its grand Bayon Temple, but has several other sights of interest as well.
This ancient city features an exceptionally long Roman street and other classical ruins. In the Byzantine era, it was home to Evagrius the church historian, Theodoret the bishop, and Monophysitism.
Aphrodisias is one of the oldest sacred sites in Turkey, dedicated first to the ancient Mother Goddess and then the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
Excavations beneath Geneva's cathedral have revealed Roman mosaics, several Early Christian churches and a medieval crypt. A catwalk leads visitors through the ancient ruins.
Built in 310, this huge brick structure was the throne hall of Constantine and other Roman emperors. Today it is used as a Protestant church.
This southern Syrian city's most impressive feature is its well-preserved Roman theater complete with tall stage buildings. There are also early Christian ruins and several old mosques within its great walls.
Of course neither are a sacred site, but these less glamorous structures help bring ancient Ephesus to life.
This important Mayan city flourished in the 6th century and now lies in ruins in western Belize near Guatemala. Hidden in the jungle until 1938, it contains pyramids, tombs and Mayan art.
Located on an strategically important site, Carthage was an important classical city and a major center of early Christianity.
Once lined with shops and inns, Curetes Street was a main city street and an important processional route in the cult of Artemis.
Delos was a major sacred site in ancient Greece, second only to Delphi. A short boat ride from the island of Mykonos, the ruins of Delos include a variety of ancient temples and shrines.
One of the most sacred cities in the ancient Greek world, Didyma had an oracle of Apollo that rivaled Delphi. Today, its massive Temple of Apollo is still majestic in ruins.
Herod's great city of Caesarea included a theater facing the sea, which has been fully restored. Here an important inscription naming Pontius Pilate was discovered in the 1960s.
Believed to have been founded by Apollo, Hierapolis was the site of sacred hot springs associated with Pluto, god of the underworld. The city had a significant Jewish community and was mentioned by Paul in Colossians.
The ancient market of Smyrna lies in the center of modern Izmir. Originally constructed under Alexander the Great, it was rebuilt under the Romans in the 2nd century.
Dubbed the "Pompeii of the East," Jerash is a ruined Greco-Roman city 80 miles north of Amman. The impressive ruins include Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim buildings.
Located 18 km from Uxmal, Kabah was at its peak from 800 to 900 AD. The ruins feature elaborate carvings of the rain god Chac and fine examples of the Maya vault.
One of the great archaeological sites of the world, the Palace of Knossos was built between 2000 and 1250 BC. It was a political and religious center of the ancient Minoan culture.
This Roman market town was an early center of Christianity and one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. In the 4th century, Apollinaris of Laodicea taught the heresy of Apollinarianism.
This well-preserved ancient ceremonial site high on a mountain ridge in Peru contains the ruins of a large Inca palace, temples and other buildings.
An important port city visited by Paul, Miletus contains the ruins of a Temple of Serapis, a Byzantine church, an important inscription, and a Sacred Way to Didyma.
A small lakeside town in northwestern Turkey, Iznik is the modern successor of the Byzantine city of Nicea, where a famous church council was held in 325 AD.
This round plateau just outside the city was settled by Neolithic peoples, Romans, and Saxons before it hosted a Norman castle and cathedral from 1075 to 1219.
This historical park in north-central Thailand is the ruined capital of the Sukhothai kingdom, founded in 1238. The moated central zone contains 21 temples in a beautiful setting of lawns, lakes and trees.
Widely considered the most atmospheric and magical of the Mayan sites, Palenque was at its peak from 600 to 700 AD. It is famed for its unique and impressive architecture and royal history.
Palmyra was once a great and powerful Roman city, as its impressive ruins attest. Substantial ruins of temples to Bel and Baal can be seen here.
Philippi is a city in eastern Macedonia founded by Philip II in 356 BC. It was visited by the Apostle Paul during his missionary journeys and was the recipient of one of his biblical letters.
Founded by the Seleucids in the 3rd century BC, Pisidian Antioch became an important Roman colony. It was visited by St. Paul and hosted the first fully Gentile Christian community.
The impressive "Black Gate" sight is a 2nd-century Roman city gate. It owes its survival to its use by a revered hermit monk and subsequent transformation into a two-story church.
The capital of the kingdom of Lydia, Sardis had a very large and prosperous Jewish community and was one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. The ruined ancient synagogue here is the most impressive in the west.
The ancient aqueduct in Segovia is not a religious site, but it is such a magnificent monument that we can't bear to leave it out! Built in the 1st century AD, it is one of the best-preserved in the world.
Serjilla (also spelled Sarjella) gets Lonely Planet's vote as the "most eerie and evocative" of the Dead Cities of northern Syria. It also has the greatest number of semi-complete buildings.
These well-preserved dwellings provide an important window into the lifestyles of the Ephesian elite in Roman and Byzantine times.
Tarsus is a Turkish city 27 kilometers east of Mersin, best known as the home of Antony and Cleopatra and birthplace of Paul the Apostle.
Constructed around 300 AD, this astonishing collection of pyramids was believed to be the center of creation. The massive stone pyramids are laid out according to astronomical alignments.
This magnificent classical theater is considered an important biblical site: the probable place where Paul preached to the pagans in Acts. It is still in use and can seat thousands.
Thyatria was a Greek city and early center of Christianity. The apostle Paul visited the city several times and it was one of the Seven Churches of Revelation.
A Mayan city that flourished around 700 AD in modern-day Guatemala, Tikal is best known for its towering Temple of the Two-Headed Snake.
This ancient city was the capital of a powerful pre-Inca civilization that dominated the Andean region between 500 and 900 AD. Its monumental remains include several temples, a pyramid, symbolic gates, monoliths and carvings.
Ugarit is a Bronze Age city (c.1450-1200 BC) whose ruins lie on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. Excavations have revealed the world's first linear alphabet and information about Canaanite religion.
This important archaeological site was declared a World Heritage Site in 2004. Its structures date from the 3rd to 9th centuries and most have not yet been excavated, but magnificent Byzantine mosaics have been uncovered in two churches.
Umm Qais is the site of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Gadara, a member of the Decapolis. The city is mentioned in the Bible as the site where Jesus cast out demons and sent them into pigs.
If you're a scuba diver or snorkeler, you can't miss Caesarea's new "underwater museum," the first of its kind in the world.
