Don’t limit yourself to one temple when visiting Egypt. A long promenade connects the temple at Luxor with the Karnak temple complex. Across the Nile are the royal tombs — including the tomb of Tutankhamen — in the Valley of the Kings. Tourists are shown here near statues inside Luxor Temple.The Aleksandrovo Tomb is the most famous of the Thracian burial mounds in Bulgaria, which number in the tens of thousands.Diocletian was born in nearby Salona (now Solin in Croatia) around 244 AD and rose to become emperor of Rome around 285 AD. Peristyle, the center of his ancient palace, is shown here.Cyprus still uses the ancient 3,500-seat amphitheater in Kourion. The theater, which has existed in some form since the 2nd century AD, is a venue for performances.Le Pont Du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge that crosses the Gard river in southern France. Built by the Romans in the 1st century AD, the bridge has three levels of arches and formerly carried an estimated 44 million gallons of water a day to the city of Nimes.The remains of the once mighty Mycenaean empire in Greece include the Lion Gate. The Lion Gate was the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae, which is still being excavated and studied.Known as the Jewish people’s last line of defense against the Romans, who stormed it in 73 AD, Masada’s ingenious engineering is on display for visitors to Israel.Before there were Romans, the Etruscans had their distinct civilization in Italy from 750 to 90 BC. They’re known for their elaborate burial practices and huge necropolises, including this 4th century necropolis at Tarquinia.Just 30 miles from Amman in Jordan, Jerash has a storied history. It’s possible that Alexander the Great founded Jerash, but the Romans who conquered it in 63 BC put it on the map.The phenomenon of the dolmen — a large rock balanced on slightly smaller rocks — are found all over the world. The largest concentration is on the Korea Peninsula at sites such as Gochang, Hwasun and the dolmen shown here at Ganghwa in South Korea (circa 2000 BC).The Megalithic Temples of Malta include the limestone structures of the Hagar Qim and Gnajdra Temples, near the town of Qrendi on the island’s south coast. The oldest structure at Mnajdra may date back to 3600 BC.The Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal, is the the site of the Buddha’s birth and is dedicated to Queen Maya, the Buddha’s mother. While remnants of monasteries and walkways from the 3rd century BC are still there, active monasteries and temples are in the surrounding area.Although they conquered and sacked it in 146 BC, the Romans rebuilt Carthage, and it was a trading port for centuries.The Hittite Empire was at its strongest from around 1600 to 1200 BC. Hattusha, the capital of the empire, is today an open-air archaeological museum. Shown here is the Lion Gate at Hattusha, now in Anatolia, Turkey.
