Asia

Ancient places can be found all over Asia. Their fascinating histories and impressive artifacts open intriguing glimpses to times past, and open up a window on Asian history. Visiting such historical places in Asia can be an unforgettable experience.

Science is constantly discovering new archaeological places and uncovering more evidence into what we once thought we knew about our history, therefore offering new pieces to the ever changing puzzle of humanity’s past and altering how we interpret it. This section will present the most interesting archaeological sites all over Asia, as well as new discoveries of ancient places that are worth paying a visit.

Finding Zen in the World’s Most Famous Rock Garden

27 January, 2017 - 01:56 dhwty

Finding Zen in the World’s Most Famous Rock Garden

Ryōanji, translated as Peaceful Dragon Temple, is a Zen Temple located in the northwestern part of Kyoto, Japan. This well-known temple was built during the 15th century, and is today best known for...

Trading in the Bronze Age: Living the High Life in the Great City of Ugarit

19 January, 2017 - 03:48 dhwty

Trading in the Bronze Age: Living the High Life in the Great City of Ugarit

Ugarit is an ancient city located on the coast of Syria. The ruins of this site are in the form of a tell (or mound) known as Ras Shamra, and are situated 10 km (6.2 miles) to the north of Latakia,...

Tell Brak, an ancient city in Syria

16 January, 2017 - 00:51 Caleb Strom

Ancient Syria: Another Cradle of Civilization?

Traditionally, it has been thought that civilization in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean began in two centers, Sumer in the east between the Tigris and Euphrates, and Egypt in the west...

Legends, Mysteries, Light and Darkness: The Secret History of the Biblical Cave of the Patriarchs

11 January, 2017 - 03:55 Natalia Klimczak

Legends, Mysteries, Light and Darkness: The Secret History of the Biblical Cave of the Patriarchs

The Cave of the Patriarchs is a very famous site in the Middle East. Known as Ibrahim Mosque or the Sanctuary of Abraham today, it appears in the Bible, the Torah, and the Quran. Legends tell of a...

A Sumerian king and an official

1 January, 2017 - 22:15 ancient-origins

Where Sumerian Rulers Lie: The Royal Tombs of Ur

The Royal Tombs of Ur is a 4,800-year-old Sumerian burial site of around 2,000 graves located in the ancient city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia (in the south of modern day Iraq). Sixteen of the...

Mari, Syria - A ziggurat near the palace.

1 January, 2017 - 14:36 ancient-origins

Nearly Lost from The Pages of History, Mari Is The Oldest Known Planned City in the World

The 7,000-year-old ancient city of Mari (known today as Tell Hariri) is one of the oldest known cities in the world, located on the west bank of the Euphrates River in what was once northern...

Drawing of the house of wisdom

1 January, 2017 - 04:11 ancient-origins

The House of Wisdom: One of the Greatest Libraries in History

Adding to the list of names among the greatest libraries of the past, the Bayt al-Hikmah (translated as ‘The House of Wisdom’) was established in Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Empire, around...

Astounding Ancient Assyria: The Grand Palace of Assurnasirpal

31 December, 2016 - 03:53 Natalia Klimczak

Astounding Ancient Assyria: The Grand Palace of Assurnasirpal

The grand palace of Assurnasirpal (Ashurnasirpal) II was one of the most incredible sites of ancient Assyria. Located in Nimrud, Iraq, the immense palace was richly decorated with sophisticated...

A Question of Faith: Is the Tomb of the Legendary King David Really on Mount Zion?

28 December, 2016 - 00:58 Natalia Klimczak

A Question of Faith: Is the Tomb of the Legendary King David Really on Mount Zion?

There is a famous tomb located on Mount Zion in the ancient city of Jerusalem. A part of the Diaspora Yeshiva, this tomb receives thousands of visitors every year. Many of them go to the site with...

Godin Tepe archaeological site, Iran. (anahidnews.com) Insert: A decorated vessel that was found at Godin Tepe.

24 December, 2016 - 00:47 dhwty

Catering to Trade: Hospitality in the Ancient Iranian Site of Godin Tepe

Once a lively outpost on the early Mesopotamian trade route, Godin Tepe now sits in ruins in Iran. Controversial archaeological excavations in the 1960s and 70s highlighted some of the rich cultural...

Buried Beneath the Sand, The Ziggurat of Jiroft May be Largest and Oldest of its Kind in the World

10 December, 2016 - 00:55 dhwty

Buried Beneath the Sand, The Ziggurat of Jiroft May be Largest and Oldest of its Kind in the World

The Ziggurat of Jiroft, known also as the Konar Sandal Ziggurat, is an ancient monument located in Jiroft in the southern Iranian province of Kerman, a place that some say is Iran’s cradle of...

More than Battles of Armageddon: The Forgotten Story of Megiddo, An Archaeological Paradise

7 December, 2016 - 14:52 Natalia Klimczak

More than Battles of Armageddon: The Forgotten Story of Megiddo, An Archaeological Paradise

The city of Megiddo is well-known from ancient texts, but it was overlooked for many years. Over the centuries, people had forgotten whether Megiddo was a real city, or just a legend from the past...

The Eerie Ruins of Fort Bassein That Are Now a Bollywood Hotspot

30 November, 2016 - 03:48 dhwty

The Eerie Ruins of Fort Bassein That Are Now a Bollywood Hotspot

Fort Bassein, known also as Fort Vasai, is a ruined Portuguese fort located in the Maharashtra State in the western part of India. It was built during the 16 th century, and remained in the hands of...

Arg-é Bam: An Ancient Citadel Destroyed By Nature and Reconstructed By Humanity

21 November, 2016 - 03:56 dhwty

Arg-é Bam: An Ancient Citadel Destroyed By Nature and Reconstructed By Humanity

Arg-é Bam is a citadel located in Bam, a city in the Kerman Province in the south-eastern part of Iran. This citadel was built entirely out of adobe unbaked clay bricks, and it is often regarded as...

The Colossal Statue of Shapur, Powerful King of the Sassanian Empire

16 November, 2016 - 03:48 dhwty

The Colossal Statue of Shapur, Powerful King of the Sassanian Empire

The Colossal Statue of Shapur is the name given to a carved figure of the 3 rd century AD Sassanian ruler, Shapur I. This giant statue is located in a limestone cave known as the ‘Shapur Cave’, which...

Dezful Bridge: The Oldest Usable Bridge in The World Was Built by 70,000 Roman Prisoners

11 November, 2016 - 21:51 marinasohma

Dezful Bridge: The Oldest Usable Bridge in The World Was Built by 70,000 Roman Prisoners

The city of Dezful, located in present-day southern Iran, once belonged to the ancient and powerful Persian Empire. One of its most iconic landmarks, the Dezful bridge, is the oldest still-standing...

Ruins in Ancient City of Ava (Innwa)

5 November, 2016 - 02:50 Kerry Sullivan

Inwa: Magnificent Ancient Capital of Burmese Kings Left to Crumble

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Myanmar is the capital of the Imperial Burmese. In a 3-mile (5km) circuit, usually traveled by horse cart, bicycle, or motorbike, visitors can see the...

Behistun Inscription, The Rosetta Stone of Persia

2 November, 2016 - 20:46 dhwty

Behistun Inscription, The Rosetta Stone of Persia

The Behistun Inscription is an engraving located on the cliff of Mount Behistun (said to have had the meaning of ‘place where the gods dwell’ in antiquity). This inscription was written in three...

A Hellenistic Eden: One Ancient King’s Attempt to Create the Perfect City on Earth

24 October, 2016 - 03:54 Carly Silver

A Hellenistic Eden: One Ancient King’s Attempt to Create the Perfect City on Earth

Sixteen hundred years before Sir Thomas More wrote Utopia , describing a near-ideal society, a Hellenistic king attempted to create his own real-life paradise. The monarch? Aristonicus, also known as...

Why Did 2,400-Year-Old Stone Idol in Siberia Undergo Racial Realignment to Look Less European?

20 October, 2016 - 14:49 ancient-origins

Why Did 2,400-Year-Old Stone Idol in Siberia Undergo Racial Realignment to Look Less European?

By Tamara Zubchuk / Siberian Times The 2,400-year-old Ust-Taseyevsky idol 'underwent racial realignment early in Middle Ages', losing his European looks. But why this medieval plastic surgery? And...

The White Temple and the Great Ziggurat in the Mesopotamian City of Uruk

17 October, 2016 - 14:43 marinasohma

The White Temple and the Great Ziggurat in the Mesopotamian City of Uruk

The Egyptian pyramids are not the only ancient mystery of the old world; the ziggurat also sustains a substantial position of wonder. The ancient land of Uruk was once located in southern Mesopotamia...

The Powerful Assyrians, Rulers of Empires

9 October, 2016 - 14:49 ancient-origins

The Powerful Assyrians, Rulers of Empires

Much of Assyria's history is closely tied to its southern neighbor, Babylonia. The two Mesopotamian empires spoke similar languages and worshipped most of the same gods. They were often rivals on the...

Tughlaqabad Fort and the Curse of a Sufi Mystic

21 September, 2016 - 21:54 dhwty

Tughlaqabad Fort and the Curse of a Sufi Mystic

Tughlaqabad Fort is a medieval stronghold located in Delhi, India. The fort was built during the 14 th century, and once served as a symbol of the might and power of the Tughlaq Dynasty, a Muslim...

Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan

23 August, 2016 - 14:49 dhwty

The Hot Spring Hotel of Honshu is Still Open After 1,300 Years of Operation

The concept of hotels has been in existence since antiquity. The ancient Greeks, for example, are recorded to have developed thermal baths so that travelers could rest and recuperate after a long day...

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