Ancient & archaeological sites worth the detour
Detourmap maps 6,516 ancient & archaeological sites across 207 countries — ruins, stone circles, dolmens, pyramids, hillforts. The most famous is Athens in Greece; United Kingdom has the most (933). The 96 best known are below — every one with a photo and a Wikipedia article.
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Alexandria
Ancient & megalithic · 4th century BC · Iconic
Port city on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt
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Machu Picchu
Ancient & megalithic · 15th century · Iconic
15th-century Inca citadel in the Peruvian Andes and UNESCO World Heritage Site
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Colosseum
Ancient & megalithic · 1st century · Iconic
Ancient Roman amphitheatre, a landmark of Rome, Italy
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Parthenon
Ancient & megalithic · 5th century BC · Iconic
Former temple of Athena on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece
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Stonehenge
Ancient & megalithic · 30th century BC · Iconic
Neolithic henge monument in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England, UK
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Maastricht
Ancient & megalithic · Iconic
City, municipality and capital of province Limburg, the Netherlands
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Great Pyramid of Giza
Ancient & megalithic · 26th century BC · Iconic
Oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis; one of the seven ancient wonders of the world
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Troy
Ancient & megalithic · 30th century BC · Iconic
Ancient Homeric-era city in northwest Asia Minor; it is known as the setting for the Greek myth of the Trojan war
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Persepolis
Ancient & megalithic · 6th century BC · Iconic
Ancient city in Marvdasht County, Iranian national heritage site and World heritage site
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Acropolis of Athens
Ancient & megalithic · 5th century BC · Iconic
Ancient citadel above the city of Athens
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Temple of Ephesian Artemis
Ancient & megalithic · 4th century BC · Iconic
Temple in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
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Abu Simbel
Ancient & megalithic · 13th century BC · Iconic
UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Egypt
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Olympia, Greece
Ancient & megalithic · Iconic
Town on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, site of the ancient Olympic Games
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Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Ancient & megalithic · 4th century BC · Iconic
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
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Terracotta Army
Ancient & megalithic · 3rd century BC · Iconic
Collection of ancient Chinese military statues
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Egyptian pyramids
Ancient & megalithic · Iconic
Ancient masonry structures constructed by ancient Egyptians
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The Great Sphinx
Ancient & megalithic · 26th century BC · Iconic
Ancient Egyptian monumental sculpture
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Byblos
Ancient & megalithic · 80th century BC · Iconic
Mediterranean city in the Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon, a main Canaanite-Phoenician city
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Susa
Ancient & megalithic · 44th century BC · Iconic
Ancient city in Iran, World Heritage site in Iran
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Byzantium
Ancient & megalithic · 7th century BC · Iconic
Ancient Greek city, precursor of Constantinople
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Göbekli Tepe
Ancient & megalithic · 100th century BC · Iconic
Neolithic archaeological site in Turkey
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Ctesiphon
Ancient & megalithic · 2nd century BC · Iconic
Capital of the Iranian empire in the Parthian and Sasanian eras in present Iraq
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Cyrene
Ancient & megalithic · 7th century BC · Iconic
Ancient Greek and Roman city near present-day Shahhat, Libya
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Great Zimbabwe
Ancient & megalithic · Iconic
Ruined city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwe and the town of Masvingo, was once the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the cou…
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Pergamon
Ancient & megalithic · 8th century BC · Renowned
Ancient city of Ionia in modern-day Turkey and UNESCO World Heritage Site
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Miletus
Ancient & megalithic · 11th century BC · Renowned
Ancient city of Ionia, in modern-day Turkey
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Roman Forum
Ancient & megalithic · 8th century BC · Renowned
Ancient Roman center of the city, a landmark of Rome, Italy
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Knossos
Ancient & megalithic · 70th century BC · Renowned
Ancient Minoan through Roman administrative center and city
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Nalanda Mahavihara
Ancient & megalithic · Renowned
Ancient Hindu-Buddhist monastery in present-day Bihar, India
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Taxila
Ancient & megalithic · Renowned
Archaeological site of the ancient Indian subcontinent, at Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan
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Çatalhöyük
Ancient & megalithic · 75th century BC · Renowned
Archaeological site in Konya Province, Turkey
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Hampi
Ancient & megalithic · Renowned
Ancient and medieval monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India
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Nazca Lines
Ancient & megalithic · 2nd century BC · Renowned
Large geoglyphs made in the soil of the Nazca Desert in Peru
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Platonic Academy
Ancient & megalithic · 4th century BC · Renowned
Ancient philosophical, research and educative center, founded by Plato in Athens
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Capernaum
Ancient & megalithic · 2nd century BC · Renowned
Village at Lake Tiberias in the north of historical Judea, associated with Jesus
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Karnak Temple Complex
Ancient & megalithic · 19th century BC · Renowned
Ancient Egyptian temple complex
Ancient & archaeological sites by country
Every country with at least one. Those with eight or more have their own page.
- United Kingdom933
- Italy600
- Japan477
- Greece388
- Turkey354
- Spain231
- United States231
- Egypt196
- France169
- Israel153
- Germany138
- Mexico135
- Peru129
- Ireland116
- India96
- China85
- Syria83
- Portugal81
- Sweden70
- Russia66
- Iraq63
- Ancient Rome60
- Cambodia57
- Canada57
- Romania53
- Guatemala51
- Iran51
- Bulgaria45
- Switzerland45
- Denmark43
- Tunisia43
- Pakistan42
- Jordan41
- Ukraine40
- Algeria31
- Norway31
- Indonesia30
- Bangladesh29
- South Korea28
- Thailand28
- Palestine27
- Sudan24
- Malta23
- Serbia23
- Lebanon22
- Azerbaijan21
- Austria20
- Kosovo20
- North Macedonia20
- Afghanistan19
- Albania19
- Libya18
- Finland17
- Croatia16
- Georgia16
- Cyprus15
- Lithuania15
- Netherlands15
- Uzbekistan14
- Armenia13
- Belgium13
- Bolivia13
- Brazil13
- Hungary13
- South Africa13
- Australia12
- Belize12
- Kazakhstan12
- United Arab Emirates12
- Morocco11
- Argentina10
- Bosnia and Herzegovina10
- Chile10
- Czech Republic10
- Saudi Arabia10
- Colombia8
- Slovenia8
- Taiwan8
- Turkmenistan8
- Jersey7
- Kenya7
- Slovakia7
- Estonia6
- Greenland6
- Poland6
- Tajikistan6
- Ecuador5
- El Salvador5
- Ethiopia5
- Kyrgyzstan5
- Myanmar5
- Oman5
- Philippines5
- Vietnam5
- West Bank5
- Yemen5
- Classical Athens4
- Latvia4
- Malaysia4
- Mongolia4
- New Zealand4
- Nigeria4
- Somalia4
- British Virgin Islands3
- Isle of Man3
- Kingdom of England3
- Luxembourg3
- Mali3
- Niger3
- Portuguese Empire3
- Roman Empire3
- Sri Lanka3
- Tanzania3
- Zimbabwe3
- Achaemenid Empire2
- Bahrain2
- Belarus2
- Bosporan Kingdom2
- Botswana2
- Burkina Faso2
- Costa Rica2
- Cuba2
- Dominican Republic2
- Federated States of Micronesia2
- Gaul2
- Guernsey2
- Laos2
- Mauretania Caesariensis2
- Moldova2
- Nepal2
- Northern Cyprus2
- Palestinian National Authority2
- Panama2
- Qatar2
- Samoa2
- Somaliland2
- Vatican City2
- Venezuela2
- Abbasid Caliphate1
- Abkhazia1
- Aetolian League1
- Alodia1
- Ancient Carthage1
- Assyrian Empire1
- Babylonia1
- Benin1
- Byzantine Empire1
- Cameroon1
- Carchemish1
- Colomi Municipality1
- Crimea1
- Duchy of Schleswig1
- Elam1
- Empire of Japan1
- Eritrea1
- Faroe Islands1
- Golan Heights1
- Grenada1
- Heraclea Lucania1
- Honduras1
- Israeli-occupied territories1
- Jamaica1
- Khazar Khaganate1
- Kingdom of Armenia1
- Kingdom of Numidia1
- Madagascar1
- Magna Graecia1
- Malawi1
- Mandatory Palestine1
- Mauretania1
- Mauritania1
- Montenegro1
- Mozambique1
- Mysia1
- Namibia1
- Neo-Babylonian Empire1
- Nguyen dynasty1
- North Africa during Antiquity1
- North Korea1
- Northern Wei1
- Occupied Palestinian territories1
- Ottoman Empire1
- Palau1
- Palmyrene Empire1
- Papua New Guinea1
- Parthian Empire1
- Qin1
- Qing dynasty1
- Quintana Roo1
- Rhodes1
- Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic1
- Ryukyu Kingdom1
- Sasanian Armenia1
- Sasanian Empire1
- Soviet Union1
- Spanish Empire1
- Taman Peninsula1
- Thrace1
- Tonga1
- Uganda1
- Umayyad Caliphate1
- United Kingdom of Israel1
- Urartu1
- Uruguay1
- Vaspurakan1
- Volga Bulgaria1
- Zambia1