Holy Sites 301–350

The coronation church of English monarchs and burial place of kings, poets, and scientists.

A mosque near Qom believed to have been built on the orders of the hidden Twelfth Imam.

A golden boulder perched impossibly on the edge of a cliff, balanced by a single hair of the Buddha.

A Moche pyramid temple with vivid polychrome murals depicting the fearsome god Ai Apaec.

A masterpiece of Manueline architecture in Lisbon, built with wealth from the Age of Discovery.

Bulgaria's second-largest monastery, famous for its miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary.

One of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, perched high in the Himalayas.

The shrine of the founder of Fes, considered the most important saint's tomb in the city.

The holiest shrine of the Yazidi people, nestled in a valley in Kurdistan, Iraq.

One of the best-preserved Roman cities with temples to Jupiter, Juno, and other deities.

The oldest Swahili settlement in East Africa, a living Islamic town and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Geothermal hot springs and geysers in the central North Island considered tapu and healing by Māori.

The royal pyramids of the ancient Nubian Kingdom of Kush, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A mosque in the world's largest water village, home to Brunei's traditional stilt communities.

A mysterious UNESCO site of 36 carved stelae whose meaning remains largely unknown.

A UNESCO site of medieval mausoleums and the tallest pre-modern minaret in Central Asia.

A Romano-Byzantine basilica atop Montmartre dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The southern sanctuary within the Wat Phu complex with Buddhist meditation halls and sacred springs.

The largest cathedral in Central America, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A chapel in Bruges housing a venerated relic of the Blood of Christ brought from the Holy Land.

Iconic rock formation in the Blue Mountains with deep Gundungurra and Darug Dreaming significance.

The mountain where Buddhism was first introduced to Sri Lanka in 247 BCE.

The headquarters of the Knights Templar and later the Order of Christ in Portugal.

Home of the Black Nazarene, the most revered religious image in the Philippines.

The world's second-largest Catholic basilica, dedicated to Brazil's patron saint.

A fairy-tale pilgrimage church on a tiny island in the middle of Lake Bled.

A pilgrimage center in northeast Brazil where a miraculous cross was discovered in a tree.

A highland town where Zafimaniry wood-carving traditions carry deep spiritual meaning.

Ruins of a medieval Swahili sultanate with the Great Mosque, one of the oldest in East Africa.

The island prison where Nelson Mandela was held, now a UNESCO-listed site of pilgrimage and reflection.

Venice's golden-domed basilica, housing the relics of St. Mark and 8,000 square meters of mosaics.

The cave on the Mountain of Light where Prophet Muhammad received the first Quranic revelation.

A picturesque lake temple that appears to float on the waters of Lake Beratan.

The first mosque built in Islam, founded by Prophet Muhammad upon his arrival in Medina.

Istanbul's holiest mosque, built at the reputed burial place of the Prophet Muhammad's standard-bearer.

A stunning underground chapel carved entirely from rock salt 101 meters below the surface.

A stunning avenue of mausoleums in Samarkand, known as the 'Street of the Living King.'

UNESCO-listed prehistoric rock paintings in central Tanzania with deep spiritual significance.

The world's oldest university and one of Islam's most important centers of learning.

A 12th-century white-stone cathedral housing Andrei Rublev frescoes, once the mother church of medieval Russia.

A Gothic masterpiece built to fulfill a vow after Portugal's decisive victory at Aljubarrota.

A UNESCO-listed Maya village preserved by volcanic ash, called 'the Pompeii of the Americas.'

A UNESCO-listed island off Dakar that symbolizes the transatlantic slave trade and spiritual remembrance.

An ancient burial cave believed to hold the tombs of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

A UNESCO-listed sacred forest along the Osun River dedicated to the Yoruba goddess of fertility.

The 'Pompeii of the Americas,' a Maya farming village preserved by volcanic ash around 600 CE.

A Dominican monastery in Slovenia's oldest town, built on a site with ancient Roman and pre-Christian roots.

Island monasteries on Ethiopia's largest lake preserving ancient manuscripts and royal treasures.

The oldest known mosque in the UAE, a small mud-brick structure dating to the 15th century.

A fire temple on the Absheron Peninsula, sacred to Zoroastrian, Hindu, and Sikh worshippers.