An atlas of Earth’s mysterious places — megaliths, pyramids, lost and sunken cities — with the evidence shown plainly: what is verified, what is contested, and what is still unknown.

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Temple complexes · Mysteria

CategoriesTemple complexes

Temple complexes

Sacred precincts, sanctuaries and the architecture of ritual.

Places: 1,534
Countries: 80
World Heritage: 275

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Verified1,466 Widely accepted62 Contested4 Hypothetical1 Unverified0 Pseudoarchaeology1

1,534 places · page 37 of 64

🇪🇬Egypt

Not applicable

archaeological wonder20

🇪🇸 Spain · Temple complex

Wick Temple Complex

Late Bronze Age (1550–1050 BCE) · Late Bronze Age

Wick Temple Complex in Andalusia, Spain is a Late Bronze Age (1550–1050 BCE) temple complex attributed to Late Bronze Age culture.

✓Verified

🇲🇽 Mexico · Temple complex

El Palmar — Second Temple Plaza (Jimbal–Palmar)

Late Classic 550–850 CE · Maya (Río Bec–Chenes–Central Petén blend)

Secondary plaza 600 m from hieroglyphic stairway: 15 m pyramid with Wak alliance altar, marsh causeway.

✓Verified

🇲🇽 Mexico · Pyramid

La Venta Pyramid (Complex C)

Middle Formative Olmec 1000–400 BCE (pyramid c. 1000–600 BCE) · Olmec

Olmec capital La Venta (1000–400 BCE) great pyramid Complex C: 31–33 m high clay mound (150 × 130 m base, volume 100,000 m³), earliest known intentional pyramid in Mesoamerica (1000 BCE) – uniquely…

✓Verified

🇬🇷 Greece · Temple complex

Temple of Aphaia, Aegina

Late Archaic 500–490 BCE · Aeginetan Greek

Aegina ridge-top Doric temple whose pediments chart birth of Classical sculpture.

✓Verified

🇮🇳 India · Temple complex

Bhoramdeo Temple — Kawardha

Early Medieval (11th c. CE) · Kalchuri

Bhoramdeo Temple — Kawardha in Chhattisgarh, Kabirdham, India is a Early Medieval (11th c. CE) temple complex attributed to Kalchuri culture.

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇮🇳 India · Temple complex

Hoysaleswara Temple Halebidu

Hoysala Empire 1121–1160 CE · Hoysala Hindu (Karnataka)

Hoysaleswara (1121–1160) – Hoysala double shrine (Shiva Hoysaleswara/Shantaleswara) on jagati platform with Dvikuta plan: stellate (star-shaped) 16-point vimanas, lathe-turned chloritic schist…

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇮🇷 Iran · Temple complex

Choqa Zanbil (Dur Untash)

Middle Elamite (c.1250–640 BCE) · Elamite

Elamite holy city built by King Untash-Napirisha (1250 BCE) to honor god Inshushinak: immense 105×105 m square ziggurat (originally 53 m high, 5 storeys) at center of three concentric walls with…

✓Verified

🇨🇳 China · Pyramid

Han Yangling Mausoleum

Western Han Wen-Jing 157–141 BCE · Western Han imperial

Mausoleum complex of Emperor Jing of Han (Liu Qi, r.157–141 BCE) and Empress Wang Zhi on Wei River terrace north of Xi'an, core of Western Han imperial necropolis (11 tombs).

✓Verified

🇮🇷 Iran · Temple complex

Sanctuary of Furnace

Hellenistic (323–31 BCE) · Hellenistic

Sanctuary of Furnace in Fars Province, Iran is a Hellenistic (323–31 BCE) temple complex attributed to Hellenistic culture.

✓Verified

🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid

Cahuachi Adobe Pyramids

Early Nazca / Protopalpa 400 BCE–450 CE (peak 100 BCE–300 CE) · Nazca (Paracas → Nazca)

Ceremonial capital of Nazca culture (400 BCE–450 CE) with 40 adobe mounds over 150 ha, including Great Pyramid 28 m high (150 × 100 m base, 3 platforms) and Temple Hill pyramid 20 m.

?Contested

🇺🇸 United States · Temple complex

Temple of Abbey-Doab

Roman (300 BCE–500 CE) · Roman

Temple of Abbey-Doab in Ohio, United States is a Roman (300 BCE–500 CE) temple complex attributed to Roman culture.

✓Verified

🇸🇩 Sudan · Temple complex

Thwaite Temple Complex

Chalcolithic (4500–3300 BCE) · Chalcolithic

Thwaite Temple Complex in River Nile State, Sudan is a Chalcolithic (4500–3300 BCE) temple complex attributed to Chalcolithic culture.

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇹🇷 Turkey · Rock art

Yazılıkaya Hittite Sanctuary

Late Bronze Age, Hittite Empire (~1300–1180 BCE; refurbished under Tudhaliya IV) · Hittite (Hatti–Hurrian)

Two natural limestone chambers behind Hattusa where 90 reliefs carved into living rock depict the Hurrian–Hittite pantheon procession: Chamber A shows 12 underworld gods, sword-god Nergal and the…

✓Verified

🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city

Dainzú

Late Formative–Early Classic 600 BCE–200 CE · Zapotec (Dainzú phase)

Zapotec ballplayer gallery: 47 helmed player reliefs with trophy heads and jaguar deities on Building A.

◌Hypothetical

🇮🇶 Iraq · Archaeological wonder

Hanging Gardens of Babylon (claimed sites)

Neo-Babylonian claimed 600 BCE; Assyrian alternative 700 BCE · Babylonian or Assyrian (Neo-Assyrian Sennacherib)

Unlocated wonder: Nebuchadnezzar's terraces vs Dalley's Nineveh screw garden.

✓Verified

🇲🇲 Myanmar · Temple complex

Shwedagon Pagoda Yangon

Mon foundation legend 6th c. BCE; major form 14th–18th c. CE · Mon-Burmese Theravada Buddhist

Shwedagon Zedi Daw – 112m gilded stupa encrusted with 60 tonnes of gold leaf and 5,448 diamonds (76-carat crown), enshrining hairs of Gautama and relics of three prior Buddhas.

✓Verified

🇧🇩 Bangladesh · Temple complex

Bhasu Vihara — Shibganj

Gupta-Pala (5th–8th c.) · Gupta

Bhasu Vihara — Shibganj in Bogra District, Shibganj, Bangladesh is a Gupta-Pala (5th–8th c.) temple complex attributed to Gupta culture.

✓Verified

🇵🇪 Peru · Mound

Huaca Prieta–Paredones

Lithic to Preceramic 14500 BP–2000 BCE, monumental mound 3500–1800 BCE (Huaca Prieta period) · Preceramic Chicama (Huaca Prieta period) to Cupisnique-Chavín

Compact mound-midden 12 m high 150×50 m 3 km north of Chicama River mouth beside Pacific: stratified 14.5 ka Lithic to Preceramic sequence with temple platform atop midden, preserving world's oldest…

✓Verified

🇺🇸 United States · Temple complex

Temple of Row Seaton

Byzantine (330–1453 CE) · Byzantine

Temple of Row Seaton in Ohio, United States is a Byzantine (330–1453 CE) temple complex attributed to Byzantine culture.

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city

Atzompa — Oaxaca

Classic Xoo 650–900 CE · Zapotec (Xoo/Mahuitz phase)

Monte Albán northern barrio: 45 m ballcourt largest in Oaxaca and House of the Altars on 250 m plaza.

✓Verified

🇮🇳 India · Temple complex

Kanheri Caves

Satavahana to Rashtrakuta 100 BCE–950 CE · Buddhist Hinayana → Mahayana → Vajrayana

Largest Buddhist cave-university in western India with 109 basalt caves spanning 1st c. BCE–10th c.

✓Verified

🇯🇵 Japan · Temple complex

Qanat Grove Temple Complex

Early Bronze Age (3300–2100 BCE) · Early Bronze Age

Qanat Grove Temple Complex in Iwate Prefecture, Japan is a Early Bronze Age (3300–2100 BCE) temple complex attributed to Early Bronze Age culture.

✓Verified

🇬🇷 Greece · Temple complex

Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothrace

Archaic to Roman 7th c. BCE–300 CE · Thracian-Greek mystery cult (pan-Hellenic pilgrimage)

Mystery sanctuary on Samothrace where Winged Victory crowned a sacred torrent ravine.

≈Accepted

🇺🇸 United States · Temple complex

Sanctuary of Black Field

Late Bronze Age (1550–1050 BCE) · Late Bronze Age

Sanctuary of Black Field in Ohio, United States is a Late Bronze Age (1550–1050 BCE) temple complex attributed to Late Bronze Age culture.