Visit the Gobustan petroglyphs

The "museum without walls": grassy royal burial mounds, the Cheomseongdae observatory and Silla-dynasty treasures across the town.

Ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire.

Xi'an's buried army of clay warriors.

Boulder-strewn ruins of the Vijayanagara empire along the Tungabhadra river.

Sanctuary of Apollo on the slopes of Mount Parnassus — home of the ancient oracle.

Sanctuary of Zeus where the Olympic Games were held for a thousand years — stadium, temples and the workshop of Phidias.

Ancient city of the Sun and Moon pyramids.

Maya city in the Chiapas jungle with the tomb of King Pakal, howler monkeys in the trees and morning mist on the temples.