Mousa's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Athens, Greece

Choragic Monument of Lysicrates

The only surviving choragic monument is a trophy awarded in 334 BC for the winning dramatic chorus.
Athens, Greece

Dromeas (The Runner)

A sharp sculpture made of thousands of pieces of jagged glass.
Athens, Greece

Petraki Monastery

The oldest standing Byzantine church in Athens is tucked within a monastery in the middle of an upscale shopping district.
Petra District, Jordan

Petra

An ancient capital city that dates back 3,000 years old and harbors many surprises.
Petra District, Jordan

Little Petra

A more chill but no less fascinating version of the famous ancient archeological site.
Mikonos, Greece

Terrace of the Lions

Replicas of Apollo's leonine stone guard cats still line a sacred row in Greece.
Masada, Israel

Masada

This daunting 1st century fortress was purportedly the site of one of the most dramatic revolts of the Jewish-Roman wars.
Areedh Sub-District, Jordan

Fortress of Machaerus

These ruins by the Dead Sea is where John the Baptist met his untimely end.
West Bank

Herodium

The remains of this ancient fortress atop a manmade hill look as though they were built into a volcano.
West Bank

Qumran

The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the ruins of this ancient monastic community.
Jerusalem, Israel

Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem

The only quarter of the Old City not dedicated to a major world religion.
East Jerusalem, Israel

Immovable Ladder on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

A "miracle" that seems to produce more holy fistfights than holy revelations.
Çanakkale, Turkey

Troy

This famous city eluded concrete detection until the early 2000's.
Amman, Jordan

Umayyad Palace

This restored eighth-century palace is a shining example of ancient Umayyad architecture.
Es-Salt, Jordan

Es-Salt

This ancient town is full of stunning Ottoman architecture and streets so narrow trash collection is done by donkey.
Jerash, Jordan

The Ruins of Jerash

Gladiators battle and chariots race daily in the ruins of a once-great Roman city.
Kuşadası, Turkey

Kuşadası

A charming beach town in Turkey captures all the colors of the rainbow.
Ä°zmir, Turkey

Agora of Smyrna

An underground network of massive stone arches and their skylit vaults support ruins of portico structures above.
Sultaniye Köyü, Turkey

House of the Virgin Mary

The alleged house of the Virgin Mary is tucked away in a park and nature preserve on Mt. Koressos in Turkey and is holy to both Catholics and Muslims alike.
Sha'ar HaGolan, Israel

Sha'ar HaGolan

This archaeological site was the center of the extinct Yarmukian culture which developed the first roads and pottery in Israel.
Selçuk, Turkey

The Public Toilets of Ephesus

The ancient latrines of the Greeks, in all their public glory.
Dan, Israel

Golden Calf Altar

Idol made by King Jeroboam for the Israelites.
Damascus, Syria

Umayyad Mosque

Also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, this is one of the world's largest and oldest mosques.
Istanbul, Turkey

Theodosian Wall Stone Ladder

Climb a set of vertiginous stone steps to the top of this impressive ancient edifice.