Holy Sites for Protection

Myanmar's most sacred Buddhist pagoda, gilded with 60 tons of gold.

The most visited Catholic shrine in the world, housing the miraculous tilma.

Tokyo's most important Shinto shrine, set in a vast forest.

Famous for its thousands of vermillion torii gates winding up a sacred mountain.

A stunning monastery clinging to a cliff face 900 meters above a valley.

Bulgaria's most important spiritual center, nestled in the Rila Mountains.

The mythical home of the Greek gods, where Zeus ruled from the summit.

The legendary kingdom of Lord Krishna and one of the four sacred Char Dham sites.

Home to Japan's largest bronze Buddha statue inside one of the world's largest wooden buildings.

Famous for its floating torii gate rising from the sea on Miyajima Island.

Tokyo's oldest and most visited temple, entered through the iconic Thunder Gate.

The birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Shaolin kung fu in the Song Mountains.

The world's largest stone Buddha statue, carved into a riverside cliff face.

The holiest temple in Tibetan Buddhism, located in the heart of Lhasa.

A cliffside Hindu temple perched atop a 525-meter escarpment in the Dangrek Mountains.

The 'Citadel of Women,' celebrated for the finest and most intricate stone carvings in Angkor.

The founding temple of Phnom Penh, perched on the city's only hill.

A golden boulder perched impossibly on the edge of a cliff, balanced by a single hair of the Buddha.

Home to one of Myanmar's most venerated Buddha images, thickly encrusted with gold leaf.

A gilded stupa in Bagan believed to enshrine a bone and tooth of the Buddha.

An ancient pagoda at the heart of Yangon that has served as a landmark for over 2,000 years.

The tallest pagoda in Myanmar, enshrining two sacred hair relics and a tooth of the Buddha.

The oldest Hindu temple in the Kathmandu Valley, a masterpiece of Newari art.

The largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia, with towering spires dedicated to the Trimurti.

A sea temple perched on a rocky offshore islet, one of Bali's most iconic landmarks.

A clifftop temple 70 meters above the Indian Ocean on Bali's southwestern tip.

Sri Lanka's most sacred Buddhist temple, housing a tooth relic of the Buddha.

An ancient rock fortress rising 200 meters with frescoes, gardens, and a Buddhist monastery.

A multi-faith pilgrimage site sacred to Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims alike.

The most majestic dzong in Bhutan, at the confluence of two rivers.

The 'Fortress of the Glorious Religion,' seat of Bhutan's government and chief abbot.

One of Bhutan's oldest temples, built in the 7th century by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo.

A temple dedicated to Bhutan's 'Divine Madman,' revered as a fertility shrine.

A sacred temple complex where Guru Rinpoche left his body imprint in a cave wall.

A fortress-monastery overlooking the Paro Valley, gateway to the Tiger's Nest trek.

Bhutan's largest dzong, ancestral seat of the royal dynasty, commanding a gorge above the Mangde River.

One of the world's tallest Buddhist statues, a 51-meter Guru Rinpoche overlooking the Lhuentse Valley.

The cave where Prophet Muhammad hid from his Meccan pursuers during the Hijra migration.

A cluster of mosques at the site of the Battle of the Trench, a pivotal defense of Medina.

A medieval Benedictine abbey perched on a tidal island off the coast of Normandy.

A clifftop sanctuary in the Dordogne, home of the miraculous Black Madonna.

A Camargue town where legend says Mary Magdalene and other saints arrived by boat from the Holy Land.

A Baroque basilica in Zaragoza housing the pillar on which the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared.

A cave sanctuary in Asturias where the Reconquista began, housing the Virgin of Covadonga.

A masterpiece of Norman architecture housing the shrine of St. Cuthbert and the tomb of the Venerable Bede.

The iconic temple of Athena atop the Athenian Acropolis, symbol of Western civilization.

A Greek Orthodox monastery clinging to a cliff face high above a forested valley in northeast Turkey.

The Privy Chamber of Topkapi Palace houses Islam's most sacred relics, including the Prophet's mantle and sword.

The church of St. Nicholas of Myra, the historical bishop who inspired Santa Claus.

A Gothic masterpiece built to fulfill a vow after Portugal's decisive victory at Aljubarrota.

Lisbon's oldest church, built on the site of a mosque after the reconquest, housing the relics of St. Vincent.

The headquarters of the Knights Templar and later the Order of Christ in Portugal.

A seaside church in Matosinhos housing a legendary crucifix said to have been carved by Nicodemus.

A fortress-like Romanesque cathedral overlooking Porto, witness to Portugal's birth as a nation.

Bulgaria's third-largest monastery, famous for its miraculous 'Three-Handed' icon and vivid frescoes.

A clifftop fortress near Asenovgrad with a beautifully preserved medieval church.

The largest monastery in the Pirin Mountains, housing a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary.

A monastery in the Balkan Mountains that served as a fortress during the Bulgarian struggle for independence.

A basilica enclosing the Holy House of the Virgin Mary, miraculously transported from Nazareth according to tradition.

Venice's golden-domed basilica, housing the relics of St. Mark and 8,000 square meters of mosaics.

Germany's oldest cathedral, housing the Holy Robe said to be Christ's seamless garment.

Home to the miraculous Virgin of Zapopan, protectress of Guadalajara.

A massive Inca fortress above Cusco with stones weighing over 100 tonnes fitted without mortar.

A living Inca town and temple fortress in the Sacred Valley with massive stone terraces.

A Moche pyramid temple with vivid polychrome murals depicting the fearsome god Ai Apaec.

A sacred monolith rising 867 feet from the Wyoming plains, revered by multiple Native tribes.

A sacred Indigenous site where Plains peoples conducted buffalo hunts for nearly 6,000 years.

The greatest concentration of Indigenous rock art on the Great Plains, sacred to the Blackfoot.

Colossal rock-cut temples of Ramesses II, famously relocated to save them from flooding.

An island temple dedicated to the goddess Isis, rescued from the rising Nile waters.

The ancient capital of the Aksumite Empire, believed to house the Ark of the Covenant.

Massive balanced boulders in the Northern Territory, sacred 'eggs of the Rainbow Serpent.'

Iconic rock formation in the Blue Mountains with deep Gundungurra and Darug Dreaming significance.

A vast natural amphitheater in the Flinders Ranges, formed by two serpents in Adnyamathanha Dreaming.

A clifftop fortress where Jewish zealots made their last stand against Rome in 73 CE.

Thailand's most sacred temple, housing the revered Emerald Buddha within the Grand Palace.

A golden mountain-top temple overlooking Chiang Mai, founded where a sacred relic was carried by a white elephant.

A Hindu shrine in downtown Bangkok believed to grant wishes, drawing millions of devotees.

One of the finest examples of Lanna temple architecture in northern Thailand.

The most important of Marrakech's Seven Saints shrines, patron saint of the blind.

The shrine of the founder of Fes, considered the most important saint's tomb in the city.

The iconic 30-meter Art Deco statue of Jesus overlooking Rio de Janeiro from Mount Corcovado.

Salvador's most important church, where Catholic and Candomblé traditions merge.

Home to the Círio de Nazaré, Brazil's largest religious procession with 2+ million participants.

A 12th-century Ayyubid castle with integrated mosque, built to defend against Crusader incursions.

A Marian shrine with a 15-ton bronze statue overlooking the Bay of Jounieh.

A Crusader-era fortress on the Mediterranean with an integrated mosque, in ancient Sidon.

The best-preserved Crusader castle, with a chapel that was converted to a mosque.

One of the world's oldest and largest castles, housing mosques and a church within its walls.

A UNESCO-listed 13th-century fort with integrated mosque in Oman's interior.

A pre-Islamic fortification with a mosque, dramatically set against the Al Hajar Mountains.

A UNESCO fort guarding the ruins of an 18th-century pearling town with historic mosques.