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Sacred Spaces

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Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

Machhapuchhare (Fishtail Mountain)

Nepal's unclimbable sacred peak.
La Haye-de-Routot, France

La Haye-de-Routot’s Tree Chapels

Two ancient yew trees with a chapel and an altar built inside their hollow trunks.
Burabay, Kazakhstan

Burabay

A pocket of pine forests, healing lakes, and legendary rocks rising from Kazakhstan’s endless steppe.
The walls of the Octagon Earthworks in Heath, Ohio, form an enclosure large enough to fit four Roman Colosseums.
astronomy

These 2,000-Year-Old Mounds Trace the Path of the Moon

After spending the last century as a golf course, the Octagon Earthworks are now protected—and celebrated—for their ancient Native American origins.
Olivia Young March 5, 2025
Isle of Whithorn, Scotland

St Ninian’s Chapel

This medieval pilgrimage site was a key part of the early Christian missionary work in Scotland.
Janakpur, Nepal

Janaki Mandir

An enormous white temple that honors the birthplace of a Hindu goddess.
Ballineale, Ireland

Loughcrew Cairns

These Neolithic burial mounds and a still-intact passage tomb may have solar calendar significance on the spring and autumn equinoxes.
View from the overlook on Kuwohi of the mountain peaks and ridges of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
mountains

The Tallest of the Great Smoky Mountains Is—Officially—Kuwohi

The return of the Indigenous name of Tennessee’s highest point has meaning beyond what’s on a map.
Seth T. Kannarr and Derek H. Alderman November 4, 2024
Mopti, Mali

Grand Mosque of Mopti

Every year, people come together to cover this mud-brick mosque with a fresh layer of earth.
Almo, Idaho

City of Rocks

This U.S. natural reserve is an ancient spiritual place and rock climber’s paradise.
Xiangliab, Laos

Tham Nang Ene Cave

Mythological depictions of Laos’ national animal make this cave sacred.
Palm Springs, California

Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza

An ancient mineral hot spring sits at the middle of this combination cultural center and spa.
Alishan, Taiwan

Alishan Sacred Tree Relics

You can still see the remains of a sacred 3,000-year-old cypress.
Pune, India

Parvati Nandan Ganpati Temple

This 17th-century temple gave the area of Ganeshkhind its name.
Raiatea, French Polynesia

Marae Taputapuātea

This sacred enclave was once considered the religious center of Eastern Polynesia.
Tokyo, Japan

Zen’yō-ji Temple

An eclectic temple with Chinese architecture, Korean lion-dogs, an Indian god and a legendary 700-year-old tree.
Lullington, England

Lullington Church of the Good Shepherd

This tiny church is one of England's smallest.
Green Island, Taiwan

Guanyin Cave

Hidden in a cave on a small Taiwanese island, a stalagmite reported to look like the bodhisattva Guanyin.