20 of the world's most beautiful World Heritage Sites

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20 of the world's most beautiful World Heritage Sites

Angkor, Cambodia

 

Scattered between the twisting roots of the Cambodian jungle, this site dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu contains the remains of Khmer Empire capitals dating from the 9th to the 15th centuries. Among the most famous of its 100-strong group of monuments is the Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the sculptural Bayon Temple. In 2000, Cambodian authorities allowed action flick "Tomb Raider" to be filmed at the site on the proviso that no guns would be fired.


Acropolis, Greece

Looming over the city of Athens, this ancient Grecian citadel was built in the 5th century BC and continually beautified throughout the years by the city's well-moneyed citizens. Despite being attacked and pillaged by everyone from the Byzantines, who converted the temples into churches, to the Venetians, who later shelled the area, the site still stands to provide an important insight into Greek mythology.

Bagan, Myanmar

OK, so it's still on the tentative list of sites to officially be brought into the UNESCO fold. But as Myanmar finally opens up to tourism, the importance of protecting its monuments is greater than ever. The capital city of the first Myanmar Kingdom, this enormous Buddhist complex on the Irrawaddy River contains more than 2,500 intricate monuments dating to the 10th century.


Among the first sites to be listed by UNESCO in the 1970s, this otherworldly archipelago located in the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean was described by British naturalist Charles Darwin as "a little world within itself." On top of its bevy of endemic species that have remained unchanged for centuries, the island groups' location at the confluence of three ocean currents also attracts a diverse array of marine life.