Lost Cities: 25 Ancient Sites from Sigiriya to Petra

Mode

Places

Start

Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

End

Amazon (Upano Valley)

Stops

25

Video author

travmap

Updated

August 27, 2026

Stops on this route

1. Sigiriya, Sri Lanka — Ancient rock fortress rising 200 meters above jungle, featuring palace ruins and frescoes dating to the 5th century.
2. Bamiyan, Afghanistan — Valley containing colossal Buddha statues carved into cliffs, representing remarkable Buddhist artistic achievement from the 6th century.
3. Machu Picchu & Andes, Peru — Incan citadel nestled high in mountain peaks, showcasing sophisticated architecture and agricultural terraces built without mortar.
4. Urubamba Valley — Sacred Incan valley with agricultural terraces and ceremonial sites, demonstrating advanced pre-Columbian engineering and settlement patterns.
5. Petra, Jordan — Rose-hued rock-cut city carved from sandstone cliffs, serving as a major Nabatean trade hub during antiquity.
6. Hegra, Saudi Arabia — Nabatean settlement featuring monumental stone tombs carved into desert rock formations, predating Petra's construction.
7. Nazca Lines, Peru — Massive geoglyphs depicting animals and geometric shapes etched into desert floor, purpose and creation methods still debated by scholars.
8. Karacahöyük, Turkey — Bronze Age settlement containing fortifications and residential structures, revealing insights into Anatolia's ancient urban development.
9. Göbekli Tepe, Turkey — Neolithic temple complex with T-shaped pillars and carved limestone, among humanity's oldest monumental religious structures.
10. Angkor, Cambodia — Sprawling Khmer temple complex featuring Angkor Wat's intricate stone carvings and sophisticated water management systems.
11. Angkor Wat — Ancient Khmer temple complex
12. Lamanai, Belize — Maya ceremonial center with towering pyramids and temples situated on lagoon shores, occupied for over 3,000 years.
13. Sacsayhuamán, Peru — Incan fortress featuring precisely fitted stone walls without mortar, strategically positioned above Cusco valley.
14. Yonaguni, Japan — Submerged rock formation off island coast resembling stepped pyramid, subject to ongoing archaeological debate about its origins.
15. Mahabalipuram, India — Coastal temple complex with rock-cut architecture and monolithic sculptures from the 7th-century Pallava dynasty.
16. Dendera, Egypt — Temple complex dedicated to goddess Hathor, containing astronomical ceilings and intricate hieroglyphic reliefs from Ptolemaic era.
17. Kbal Spean, Cambodia — Sacred river site featuring thousands of Sanskrit carvings and lingams on stone riverbed, blending natural landscape with spiritual symbolism.
18. Teotihuacan, Mexico — Mesoamerican metropolis with massive pyramids, grid-planned streets, and murals representing pre-Aztec civilization's cultural apex.
19. Ellora Caves, India — Monumental rock-cut cave complex spanning Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples carved from single volcanic cliff face.
20. Mount Nemrut, Turkey — Ancient Commagene kingdom tomb topped with colossal stone heads and ceremonial platforms overlooking Mesopotamian plains.
21. Ciudad Perdida (Teyuna) — Ancient settlement in the Colombian jungle
22. Bamiyan Buddhas — Ancient Buddha statues carved into mountain cliffs
23. Machu Picchu — Incan citadel in the Andes Mountains, Urubamba Valley
24. Karacahöyük — Ancient settlement site in Turkey
25. Amazon (Upano Valley) — Lost cities in the Amazon basin, Upano Valley, Ecuador

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Video on this route

LOST CITIES | Discovered places of lost civilizations

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