🇹🇷 Turkey · Temple complex
Ephesus Arsinoeion-Octagon — Sanctuary Terrace of Arsinoe
Hellenistic to Roman (288 BCE – 262 CE) · Ptolemaic to Roman Ephesian
Curetes terrace with 36 m Arsinoeion rotunda and Octagon princess tomb.
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CategoriesTemple complexes
Sacred precincts, sanctuaries and the architecture of ritual.
🇮🇳 India · Archaeological wonder
Solanki Chaulukya 1022–1063 CE · Gujarati / Solanki Hindu (Maru-Gurjara)
Jewel-box stepwell (1022–1063 CE) built by Queen Udayamati in memory of Bhima I, 64 m long with seven descending galleries and 500+ principal sculptures.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Temple complex
Hellenistic to Roman (288 BCE – 262 CE) · Ptolemaic to Roman Ephesian
Curetes terrace with 36 m Arsinoeion rotunda and Octagon princess tomb.
🇮🇳 India · Temple complex
Eastern Ganga 1243–1255 CE · Odia / Kalinga Hindu (Surya)
13th-century (1243–1255 CE) Kalinga-style Sun temple built as colossal 30-m high chariot of Surya with 24 giant stone wheels (9.5 ft sundials) pulled by seven horses, originally 68 m shikhara…
🇮🇳 India · Temple complex
Chandela period 950–1050 CE · Chandela / Bundelkhand Hindu and Jain
Eighty-five (25 surviving) sandstone temples (950–1050 CE) of Chandela dynasty, celebrated for Nagara shikharas rising in clustered peaks and intricate sculptures.
🇬🇹 Guatemala · Temple complex
Early-Late Classic 600–650 CE, Holmul dynasty Teotihuacan influence · Maya (Holmul)
Vaulted mural building 1 km west of Holmul Group I containing 7 m-long polychrome mural c.600 CE depicting 8 royal figures with Teotihuacan-linked toponyms and Holmul-Tikal dynastic conflict.
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan · Temple complex
Qarakhanid to Timurid 11th–15th century CE · Qarakhanid / Timurid Islamic
Eleven medieval mausolea (11th–15th c) lining narrow alley on Afrasiyab tell above Samarkand, enshrining Kusam ibn Abbas (cousin of Prophet) and Timurid royal women and generals.
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka · Ancient city
Polonnaruwa Period 1070–1232 CE (Chola 993–1070 preceding) · Sinhalese / Chola Tamil Buddhist and Hindu
Second Sinhalese capital (1070–1232 CE) after Anuradhapura's sack, 12th c metropolis of Parakramabahu I with 3,400-ha Parakrama Samudra reservoir, Atadage Dalada Maligawa tooth relic temple, and Gal…
🇬🇷 Greece · Temple complex
Minoan 1900–1450 BCE · Minoan
Third Minoan palace with mysterious kernos stones for ritual offerings.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Early Hindu 8th–11th c + Gujarat Sultanate 1484–1535 CE · Rajput / Chalukya Hindu + Gujarat Sultanate Islamic
Concentrated ensemble of 8th–16th c heritage within 1,329 ha: Chalukya hill fort and Lakulisa temples on Pavagadh (737 m cone), and Sultanate Champaner – pre-Mughal Islamic city (1484–1535) of Mahmud…
🇨🇳 China · Megalith
Tang Dynasty 713–803 CE · Tang Chinese Buddhist (Maitreya cult)
71 m seated Maitreya monolith (713–803 CE) carved into Lingyun red sandstone cliff at confluence of Min and Dadu rivers, largest premodern Buddha worldwide.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Temple complex
Hellenistic Attalid to Roman Hadrianic (300 BCE – 130 CE) · Attalid Pergamene to Roman Asia provincial
Upper terrace Trajan–Hadrian Corinthian sanctuary behind Zeus altar.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Early Horizon · Andean
Earliest Andean pyramid Sechín Bajo (3500 BCE) two-storey temple 150×120 m with plaza and friezes of dugout, cradle, Old Temple.
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan · Archaeological wonder
Timurid Shaybanid 1417–1660 CE · Timurid / Uzbek (Turko-Persian Islamic)
Timurid and Shaybanid plaza framed by three majestic madrasas: Ulugh Beg (1417–1420) with astronomical iconography, Sher-Dor (1619–1636) with tiger mosaics defying aniconism, and Tilla-Kari…
🇮🇳 India · Temple complex
Mauryan 3rd c BCE to Gupta 12th c CE (original 528 BCE) · Indian Buddhist (Mauryan, Gupta)
Sacred Buddhist deer park where Buddha gave first sermon Dhammacakkappavattana 528 BCE setting Wheel of Dharma in motion.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Pyramid
Old Kingdom · Egyptian
Sun temple of Userkaf and Nyuserre at Abu Ghurab (5th Dynasty) open court with 20 m obelisk and alabaster altar, solar cult.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Vijayanagara Empire 1336–1565 CE (Sangama to Tuluva) · Vijayanagara Hindu (Telugu-Kannada)
Ruined imperial capital of Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1565 CE) sprawling 25 km² on Tungabhadra River among boulder hills.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Temple complex
Late Classic Rio Bec 550–800 CE · Maya (Rio Bec)
Mid-size Rio Bec forest palace 7 km S of Okolhuitz on Becán–Hormiguero track. Structure II combines Chenes monster mask lower register with Rio Bec twin towers upper, indicating stylistic hybridity.
🇮🇳 India · Temple complex
Maurya to Gupta 3rd century BCE–12th century CE (great stupa 260 BCE, gateways 25 BCE–50 CE) · Maurya / Sunga / Satavahana / Gupta Buddhist
Earliest stone Buddhist stupa (Maurya 3rd c BCE, enlarged Sunga 1st c BCE–1st c CE) crowning hilltop at Sanchi, 36.5 m diameter hemispheric brick-and-stone dome encasing relics.
🇮🇳 India · Temple complex
Pallava Dynasty 580–728 CE (Mamalla and Rajasimha phases) · Tamil / Pallava Hindu (Shaiva/Vaishnava)
Pallava (7th–8th c CE) coastal temple town with 40 rock-cut shrines: Shore Temple granite seaside, Five Rathas monolithic chariot-temples cut from single boulders, Arjuna's Penance 27 m bas-relief,…
🇬🇹 Guatemala · Temple complex
Classic · Maya/Andean
La Blanca — Mopán River vaulted acropolis.
🇰🇭 Cambodia · Temple complex
Khmer Empire, early Angkor period 1113–1150 CE · Khmer (Hindu then Theravada Buddhist)
Vishnuite then Buddhist temple-mountain and world's largest religious monument (162.6 ha), built early 12th century by Suryavarman II as state temple and center of Khmer Empire; oriented west with…
🇮🇳 India · Rock-cut
Early Chalukya, 6th–7th century CE · Hindu and Jain under Early Chalukya dynasty
Four 6th-c. Chalukya sandstone cave temples at Vatapi with Nataraja and Vishnu iconography.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Temple complex
Archaic to Roman Imperial (600 BCE – 400 CE) · Ionian Greek to Roman Asia
North portico with Hadrianic oracle conduit 200 m from Temple of Apollo.
🇬🇷 Greece · Temple complex
Minoan Neopalatial 1700–1450 BCE, origin 1900 BCE Old Palace · Minoan civilization
Minoan palatial maze of 1300 rooms - Labyrinth origin and Europe's first advanced palace.
