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A World in Ruins

Ask this member a question. MrTetley World Traveller
May 14, 2006
4.0 of 5 stars based on 6 votes
Best ruins of civilizations past. (I've missed some biggies, cause, well, I've not been everywhere, sadly). Almost all are ideal for kids too
  • Explore locations featured in this goList: Petra / Wadi Musa, Ayutthaya, Attica, Rome, Delphi, Giza, Luxor, Jerash, Athens, Ripon
  • Category: Best of
  • Traveler type: Culture, Sightseeing, Never been before
  • Appeals to: Couples/romantics, Honeymooners, Singles, Families with small children, Families with teenagers, Large groups, Seniors, Students, Budget travelers, Active/adventure, Tourists
  • Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
  • Tags: ruins, Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Thailand, England, Italy, ancient
1. Petra
Petra / Wadi Musa, Jordan
The list can start nowhere else but here. Many people know the dramatic Treasury, carved into the rock side, from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (where the Holy Grail rests), but that's just building #1 in an entire city carved into the rocks. Would've been as spectacular back then as now, if not moreso. Remarkable, from the theatre to the temples, in their varied hues of red. Great hikes too. Plan to stay for several days, and spend one of them just sitting on the rocks reading or writing a journal: life gets no better. Then head out to one of the nearby hotels' swimming pools, and plan to go to Wadi Rum afterwards for a stay with the Bedouin
2. Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya, Thailand
So, I went here as a pre-teen. All I wanted to do was shop in the Bangkok markets all day, so I wasn't at all happy when my parents pulled rank and insisted we go. But I've never been so happy to proclaim them right and me wrong. Building upon building of the old capital. Gorgeous, and great fun for a kid to play in
3. Temple of Poseidon Sounion
Temple of Poseidon Sounion, Attica, Greece
Sure, it's not the biggest set of ruins in Greece, but what a backdrop. The perfect place for a temple to the sea god, atop a cliff at mainland Greece's southernmost tip. Quite magical. There's even graffiti by Lord Byron on there somewhere
4. Roman Forum (Foro Romano)
Roman Forum (Foro Romano), Rome, Lazio
So you've got the Coliseum next door, but the Forum itself is a wonderful sprawling mass of buildings and courtyards, etc. in ruin. For anyone with an imagination and fascination with history, you can spend hours here imagining what once was. For the photographers -- some sunset-into-night shots of the Coliseum, with a tripod and a slow shutter speed, can be fantastic in the right weather
5. Delphi
Delphi, Central Greece
Famous for its Oracle, but even if people didn't flock there for words of wisdom (or incohrerence, as the case often was), they still would have gone there for its beauty. Perched atop the hill/mountain-side, its stunning backdrop makes these beautifully situated ruins. And in true Greek style, the acoustics in the theatre are fantastic. And beyond the ruins, just sitting out on a deck of a hotel room drinking some cheap Greek wine is a wonderful way to spend time
6. Giza
Giza, Egypt
We all know about the pyramids, right? So, 'nuff said
7. Temple of Karnak
Temple of Karnak, Luxor, Nile River Valley
While in Egypt, though, the Temple of Karnak is not only familiar to some from one of the THX sound skits they play before films, but is a wonderful testament to Egyptian civilization: hieroglyphics everywhere, statues, etc. Once done, head down to Aswan, not for the ruins, but for a falucca trip on the Nile
8. Jerash
Jerash, Jordan
One of the best preserved and maintained Roman towns you'll find anywhere in the world, with two theatres, huge streets of cobblestone, etc. Everyone comes to Jordan for Petra and the desert, but don't leave out Jerash: just a short bus-trip from Amman, and a fantastic experience
9. Acropolis (Akropolis)
Acropolis (Akropolis), Athens, Attica
Another wonderful instance of how the Greeks didn't just say "let's build something," but actually found the best place in their known world to build something. A site that declares the majesty of the empire better than, say, Big Ben or the Empire State Building, whose locations seem rather randomly chosen
10. Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, Ripon, North Yorkshire
Okay, so we're hardly talking hundreds of years old here, but the site is in ruins, and is lovely. A great introduction to the English countryside, and to Yorkshire
11. Botallack Mine, Cornwall, England
http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/walks4/w225i.shtml
Again, reasonably recent ruins, but the mines here (and all over this area of Cornwall) make the coastal walks beautiful, and a photographer's (amateur or pro) dream. Check out the ruins around Redruth and Camborne too
Explore locations featured in this goList: Petra / Wadi Musa, Ayutthaya, Attica, Rome, Delphi, Giza, Luxor, Jerash, Athens, Ripon  

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