swap_horiz Merv Alternatives

1

Giza Pyramid Complex

The Giza Pyramid Complex is a monumental archaeological site in Egypt containing three primary pyramids built during the...

Egyptian Monument Funerary Old Kingdom

9.7 Brilliant

2

Gobekli Tepe

Göbekli Tepe is an archaeological site in southeastern Turkey representing a significant Neolithic discovery. Constructe...

Turkey Ritual Neolithic Pre Pottery

9.4 Excellent

3

Lascaux Cave

The Lascaux Cave is an archaeological site located in southwestern France. It contains remarkably preserved Paleolithic...

France Paleolithic Paintings Cave Art

9.3 Excellent

4

Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is a Chilean island renowned for its monumental Moai statues. These large stone figures, car...

Medieval Polynesian Chile Monolithic

9.2 Excellent

5

Mogao Caves

The Mogao Caves represent a significant archaeological site in northwestern China. Constructed between the 4th and 14th...

China Buddhist Silk Road Cave Art

9.1 Excellent

6

Sanchi

Buddhist complex in Madhya Pradesh, India, anchored by the Great Stupa commissioned by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century...

India Buddhist Stupa Ashoka

8.2 Great

7

Sukhothai

Capital of the first Sukhothai Kingdom in Thailand, founded in the 13th century CE and considered the cradle of Thai civ...

Capital Thailand Thai 13TH Century

8.0 Great

8

Yin Ruins (Anyang)

Last capital of China's Shang Dynasty in Henan, occupied c. 1300–1046 BCE and the site where oracle bone inscriptions—th...

China Capital Bronze Age Shang Dynasty

8.0 Great

9

Gyeongju Historic Areas

Former capital of the Silla Kingdom in South Korea, ruling from 57 BCE to 935 CE, containing royal tumuli, Buddhist temp...

Medieval Capital South Korea Silla

8.0 Great

10

Anuradhapura

Ancient capital of Sri Lanka from c. 4th century BCE to 11th century CE, home to the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree and mass...

Capital Sri Lanka Buddhist Stupa

8.0 Great

11

Polonnaruwa

Medieval Sri Lankan capital (10th–13th centuries CE) with well-preserved Buddhist temples, colossal rock-cut statues, an...

Medieval Capital Sri Lanka Buddhist

8.0 Great

12

Samarkand (Afrasiab)

The ancient mound of Afrasiab represents pre-Mongol Samarkand in Uzbekistan, inhabited from the 5th century BCE until th...

Medieval Crossroads Uzbekistan Silk Road

8.0 Great

13

Amarna

Amarna in Middle Egypt was the short-lived capital city founded by Pharaoh Akhenaten around 1346 BCE to promote the mono...

Capital Egyptian New Kingdom Akhenaten

7.8 Good

14

Nineveh

Nineveh, near modern Mosul in Iraq, was the largest city in the world at its height and served as the capital of the Neo...

Mesopotamia Capital Iraq Iron Age

7.8 Good

15

Nimrud

Ancient Assyrian capital Kalhu in northern Iraq, developed by Ashurnasirpal II in the 9th century BCE, renowned for colo...

Capital Iraq Assyrian 9TH Century Bce

7.8 Good

16

Assur

Oldest capital of the Assyrian Empire on the Tigris River in Iraq, continuously occupied from c. 2600 BCE, and designate...

Mesopotamia Capital Iraq Assyrian

7.5 Good

17

Musawwarat es-Sufra

Ancient Meroitic religious complex in Sudan (c. 3rd century BCE–4th century CE), featuring the Great Enclosure, one of t...

Temple Nubian Sudan Kushite

6.8 Fair

18

Ai Khanoum

A Hellenistic city in northeastern Afghanistan considered one of the easternmost Greek urban centers, established after...

Greek Afghanistan Hellenistic 3RD Century Bce

6.3 Fair

19

Nisa

Nisa is an ancient archaeological site in Turkmenistan that served as the royal headquarters of the Parthian Empire arou...

Capital Palace Turkmenistan 3RD Century Bce

6.1 Fair

20

Gonur Depe

Gonur Depe is a major Bronze Age archaeological site in Turkmenistan dating to 2200 BC, recognized as a principal city o...

Oasis Bronze Age Turkmenistan Bactria Margiana

6.0 Fair