Did you know that of all the 7 Wonders of the World, only 1 still stands today? It’s the Great Giza Pyramids, by the way. But did you also know there are dozens if not hundreds of other ageless architectural masterpieces that deserve our attention too? Let’s take a short journey and check out these 14 gorgeous locations all over the world!
1. The Santa Sophia or Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, was completed in 537 AD, and since then has been a church, a mosque and a museum.
2. The Pantheon is a temple built in 117 AD in Rome, and has been standing strong since then! It is currently a museum and Roman Catholic church.
3. The church Santa Sabina in Rome, built in 422 AD, is still used by the Catholic Church… as a church. It’s as if well-put together bricks are sturdy enough to withstand centuries of wars and environmental hazards. Go figure!
4. Rome’s Mausoleum of Hadrian, not to be mixed up with the Colosseum, usually referred to as “Castel Sant Angelo” was built in 139 AD and since circa 400 AD it’s been a fortress and a museum.
5. And there’s the Colosseum. Initially used as an arena for those eager to witness the bloody mess of the gladiator fights. It’s now a half-ruined tourist bait with overpriced tickets and not a whole lot’s going on there.
6. Built in 62 BC in Rome, Ponte Fabricio was, and still is, a pretty sturdy bridge that’s served hundreds of generations of Romans.
7. This little Caravan Bridge was built around 850 BC, over the river Meles in Izmir, Turkey. Pretty certain this is the oldest functioning bridge in the world.
8. Church of the Nativity built in 565 AD, Bethlehem, is one of the oldest church buildings in the world, serving its purpose even to this day.
9. Probably all of the Thousand-Year-Old temples in Angkor, Cambodia, are still functioning to this day. And they’re most likely around 1000 years old, if I had to guess.
10. The Nanchan Buddhist Temple was built in 782 AD near the town of Doucun, in Shanxi Province, China. And this is currently China’s oldest preserved wooden building.
11. Welcome to Acoma Pueblo, also known as “The Sky City”! It’s a Native American settlement located west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. By some estimates they have lived in the village for more than 2000 years, so way before Columbus!
12. The Mosque of Uqba also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan was built in Tunisia in 670 AD, and is currently one of the most ancient mosques in the world.
13. Let’s face it, if you haven’t seen or heard of the Stonehenge, you’ve probably been living under it (get it? Because it’s a bunch of rocks!). Its estimated age is over 5000 years!
14. Built almost 2000 years ago, the Tower of Hercules is a Roman lighthouse near A Coruña, Spain. To this day it serves its purpose, guiding people and ships through the darkest stormy nights.
