The Lion of Babylonia | Iraq

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The archaeological site of Babylon is located 85 km south of Baghdad. The Lion of Babylon is a stone sculpture that can be found in this ancient city. The statue was built by the Chaldean Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC) and is made out of black basalt stone.

Babylon is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Katholiko Monastery | Greece

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Katholiko monastery is located on the Greek island of Crete at a short distance from the sea. It is considered the oldest monastery in Crete, as its origins date back tot the 6th or 7th century. The Catholicon of the monastery Katholiko is carved into the rock.

In the 16th century, when the coasts of Crete were targeted by pirates, the monks were forced to move to a more remote place, so they abandoned Katholiko. The monastery is now ruined and can be accessed through a trail that that starts from the nearby monastery Gouverneto.

Bakhchisaray Cave Monastery | Russia

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The Assumption Monastery of the Caves is located in Crimea, near Bakhchysarai. It is a cave monastery carved out of a cliff dating back to the 15th century.

In 1921 the monastery was closed by the Soviet government. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence the monastery was reopened to the public in 1993.

Barolo vineyard landscape | Italy

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Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato is a Unesco World Heritage site. This landscape covers five distinct wine-growing areas with outstanding landscapes and the Castle of Cavour.

One of these five areas is the Langa of Barolo. This is one of the most renowned of Piedmont’s tourist attractions. The area is a vast 360° vineyard, dotted here and there with castles and medieval hamlets.

Studenica Monastery | Serbia

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The Studenica Monastery is a 12th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery, located in Serbia's so called Valley of Kings. This is the place where the first medieval Serbian state was founded and where the kings of the Nemanjić dynasty built their monasteries. Of which several are World Heritage sites.

Studenica Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here you see a painted version.

Afar: where it all began | Ethiopia

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The Awash valley in Ethiopia contains one of the most important groupings of paleontological sites on the African continent. The remains found at the site, the oldest of which date back at least 4 million years, provide evidence of human evolution which has modified our conception of the history of humankind.

The most spectacular discovery came in 1974, when 52 fragments of a skeleton were found. The skeleton became known as Lucy.

Lower Valley of the Awash is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Lower Awash Valley paleo-anthropological site is located 300 km northeast of Addis Ababa, in the west of the Afar Depression. It covers an area of around 150 km2.

Bom Jesus do Monte | Portugal

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The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga, Portugal is a notable example of pilgrimage site with a monumental, Baroque stairway that climbs 116 meters.

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Flags of the World | Cameroon

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The national flag of Cameroon was adopted in its present form on 20 May 1975 after Cameroon became a unitary state. The colour scheme uses the traditional Pan-African colours. Cameroon was the second state to adopt the green, red and yellow.

San Miguel de Allende | Mexico

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San Miguel de Allende is located 274 km from Mexico City. The fortified town, first established in the 16th century to protect the Royal Route inland, reached its apogee in the 18th century when many of its outstanding religious and civic buildings were built in the style of the Mexican Baroque.

Protective town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Jesuit sanctuary is situated 14 km from San Miguel.

Al-Khazneh Temple in Petra | Jordan

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Al-Khazneh, also known as the Treasury, is one of the most impressive sites of ancient Petra in Jordan. Along with the other architectural sites of Petra, Al-Khazneh was hand carved from the beautiful red sandstone mountain. The Treasury suddenly comes into view at the end of a twisting, narrow 1.5 kilometer path.

Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage site

Djibouti City, the capital of Djibouti

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Djibouti is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia to the west and south, and Somalia to the southeast.

The capital and largest city is Djibouti City. The city has a population of around 562,000, which counts for over 70% of the country's population.

San Cristóbal de La Laguna | Spain

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San Cristóbal de La Laguna is located on the Island of Tenerife, part of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands in Spain. It was founded in the late 15th century on an inland plateau 550 m above sea level next to a lagoon.

San Cristóbal de La Laguna is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Of the 1470 buildings in this town, 361 were built between the 16th and 18th centuries and belong to the so-called Mudéjar architecture.

Rarotonga Island | Cook Islands

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The Cook Islands is a self-governing island country in the South Pacific Ocean. The island's defence and foreign affairs are the responsibility of New Zealand.

The archipellago comprises 15 islands, of which Rarotonga is the main island with about 11,000 inhabitants.

Raspberry Island Lighthous | USA

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Raspberry Island is one of the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior. The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands in Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes of North America. The lighthouse was built in 1863 and stand 40 feet tall.