🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Bingling Temple Lower Grottoes — Liujia Gorge Yellow River Cliffs
Western Jin to Yuan (300 – 1300 CE) · Buddhist Hexi nomad to Tang imperial
Lower cliffs with 420 CE earliest inscribed cave 169 of 169 caves at Liujia Reservoir.
🇸🇾 Syria · Ancient city
Palmyra
Hellenistic to Roman (Palmyrene Empire interlude) · Aramaean Palmyrene → Roman
Desert oasis emporium on Silk Road (1st c. BCE–273 CE) — 'Bride of the Desert' — caravans of Queen Zenobia who challenged Rome (267–272 CE, sacked by Aurelian).
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Maijishan Grottoes
Sixteen Kingdoms to Tang ~384–907 CE · Chinese Buddhist Northern Dynasties
Stacked-cliff wheat-plant-shaped grotto city with 7,200 sculptures on bolted plank galleries.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Mogao Northern Caves — Dunhuang Oasis North Cliff Monastic Cells
Sixteen Kingdoms to Yuan (366 – 1368 CE) northern cells 960–1300 · Buddhist monastic Dunhuang oasis international
North cliff austere monastic cells 1000–1300 CE opposite southern painted scripture halls.
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan · Ancient city
Yerkurgan
Hellenistic to Kushan (320 BCE–500 CE) · Seleucids to Kushans (Yuezhi)
Yerkurgan is a Hellenistic–Kushan city (30 ha) near Karshi with Kushan palace, Greek Corinthian capitals, and Buddhist temple on the Silk Road.
🇵🇰 Pakistan · Ancient city
Taxila
Gandhara 6th c BCE–5th c CE (Achaemenid to late Kushan) · Gandharan / multi-empire (Persian, Greek, Buddhist)
Palimpsest city spanning Gandhara civilization 6th c BCE–5th c CE with three successive cities (Bhir Mound, Sirkap, Sirsukh) and Buddhist monastery complex Dharmarajika.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Ani
Bagratuni Armenian Kingdom · Armenian
Medieval Armenian capital (961–1045) at peak 100,000 inhabitants, Bagratuni palaces, Cathedral of Ani (1001), Tigran Honents church with frescoes, double city walls.
🇨🇳 China · Archaeological wonder
Great Wall of China (Ancient Segments)
Warring States to Han Dynasty 7th c BCE – 220 CE (early segments); Ming 1368–1644 (classic brick) · Han Chinese (Qin, Han dynasties)
World's longest wall system (21,196 km including branches) with earliest rammed-earth frontier walls from Warring States and Han (7th c BCE–2nd c CE) preserved in Gansu corridor (Han Dunhuang walls),…