38 HOLY PLACES AROUND THE WORLD - YOU MUST VISIT ONCE IN YOUR LIFETIME
38 holy places to visit once in a life time
01-PARO TAKTSANG, BHUTAN
This monastery clings to a cliff in the Paro Valley of Bhutan, where the “Second Buddha” is believed to have meditated.
02-CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION, SLOVENIA
The Church of the Assumption sits on a small island in the middle of Lake Bled in the Julian Alps
03-BYODO-IN TEMPLE, HAWAII, UNITED STATES
Built in the 1960s to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant workers in Hawaii, the Byodo-In Temple is a replica of the 950-year-old Byodoin Temple located on the outskirts of Kyoto, Japan
04-NASIR AL-MOLK MOSQUE, IRAN
Located in Shiraz and known as the “Pink Mosque,” this house of worship holds stained glass windows that bathe the interior in color.
05-ST. BASIL'S CATHEDRAL, RUSSIA
Near the Kremlin on the southern end of Moscow's Red Square, Saint Basil's Cathedral was built in the 16th century and symbolizes the heavenly kingdom
06-ANGKOR WAT, CAMBODIA
The source of national pride for Cambodia, Angkor Wat represents Mount Meru, the Mount Olympus of the Hindu faith and the home of ancient gods.
07-FLORENCE CATHEDRAL, ITALY
This cathedral towers over Florence with a magnificent Renaissance dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi
08-LA SAGRADA FAMÍLIA, SPAIN
This unfinished, Roman Catholic church in Barcelona is designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.
09-LA SAGRADA FAMÍLIA, SPAIN
This unfinished, Roman Catholic church in Barcelona is designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.
10-SUBOTICA SYNAGOGUE, SERBIA
The second largest synagogue in Europe, the Subotica Synagogue in northern Serbia near the Hungarian border adopts the Hungarian Art Nouveau style
11-AL-AQSA MOSQUE, JERUSALEM
This domed mosque is the third holiest site in Islam.
12-ARIZONA, UNITED STATES
Situated between massive red boulders in Sedona, the chapel was built in 1956 by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright named Marguerite Brunswig Staude.
13-GIVAT RAM SYNAGOGUE, ISRAEL
Located on the Jerusalem campus of Hebrew University, this synagogue is named for Rabbi Israel Goldstein, an American-Israeli Zionist leader.
14-USA JINGŪ, JAPAN
This Shinto shrine was built in the eighth century and dedicated to Hachiman, the god of archery and war.
15-SHAIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUE, ABU DHABI
The largest mosque in the country and one of the biggest in the world, this mosque in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates can hold 40,000 worshipers
16-LAS LAJAS SANCTUARY, COLOMBIA
This Roman Catholic basilica in Gothic Revival style hangs inside the canyon of the Guáitara River in Nariño
17-SHRINE OF THE BÁB, ISRAEL
Formal gardens flow down 19 terraces surrounding the domed shrine to the prophet of the Baha’i faith, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in Haifa.
18-WAT RONG KHUN, THAILAND
Known as the White Temple, this pearly structure near Chiang Rai uses pieces of glass in plaster to sparkle in the sun.
19-JUBILEE SYNAGOGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
This Prague synagogue is designed in Moorish Revival form with Art Nouveau decoration.
20-PINKASOVA SYNAGOGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
This synagogue was originally built as a public bath and converted into a synagogue in the 16th century.
21-GREAT MOSQUE OF ISFAHAN, IRAN
In the historic center of Isfahan, this mosque’s architecture evolved over 12 centuries, starting in 841 A.D.
22-STONEHENGE, ENGLAND
Modern druids celebrate the summer solstice at Stonehenge, a mysterious, prehistoric ring of standing stones in Wilshire
23-MAHABODHI TEMPLE, INDIA
The restored Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, India, marks the spot where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment
24-SRI HARMANDIR SAHIB, INDIA
Blending Hindu and Islamic architectural styles, the water of the “Golden Temple” is believed by Sikhs to have healing powers.
25-TEMPLE OF CONFUCIUS, TAIWAN
Originally built in the 11th century, this temple in Taiwan is a sacred shrine to Confucius, a renowned thinker and educator of ancient China.
26-GRAND MOSQUE, MECCA
Here is the main setting for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages that occur in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah of the Islamic calendar.
27-GREAT SYNAGOGUE, ISRAEL
Completed in 1926, this Tel Avivsynagogue exhibits an external facade covered in arches.
28-VIRUPAKSHA TEMPLE, INDIA
Part of a group of monuments in Hampi, designated UNESCO World Heritage sites, the temple is dedicated to Virupaksha, a form of Shiva
29-GUATEMALA
The multicolored Church of San Andres Xecul in Quetzaltenango is adorned with around 200 painted sculptures that combine Maya, Christian, and agricultural imagery.
30-KAMO SHRINE, JAPAN
Shinto's Kamo Shrines–Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine–are both recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites, predating the city of Kyoto’s establishment as capital in 794
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