Sacred sites: Did you mean...?

This is a sacred tree at the Agata Shrine in Uji, Japan. This tree is regarded by Shinto believers as being a "yorishiro," meaning that it is capable of attracting spirits called kami. This yorishiro is used to summon the kami to ceremonies...

The Islamic holy city of Mecca with the Holy Mosque of Ka'aba, illustration from Arabia: The Cradle of Islam by Samuel Zwemer, New York, 1900.

Clay cylinder with Babylonian characters, recording the restoration of Sin's ziggurat at Ur and also asking him to protect Nabonidus and his son Belshazzar. From Ur, Southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. Neo-Babylonian Period, reign of Nabonidus...

This piece shows a feline, owl, serpents, and condor. The owl and condor represented the sky while the feline represented the earth and dominance. The serpent represented the subterranean world. Housed in the Museo Larco, Lima, Peru.

Scota, the mythological progenitor of the Gaels, as depicted by John Fergus O'Hea, 1838-1922 CE.

The Nuragic well temple of Santa Christina, located in the Paulilatino region, Sardinia, Italy, constructed during the Early Iron Age, c. 1200-600 BCE.

Chief Arvol Looking Horse discusses his journey to becoming the sacred one at the tender age of 12. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe ➡ Watch all clips of The Story of God here: http://bit.ly/WatchTheStoryofGod ➡ STORY OF GOD...

The 5000-year-old 626-hectare archaeological site of The Sacred City of Caral-Supe in Peru is situated on a dry desert terrace overlooking the green valley of the Supe river. It dates back to the Late Archaic Period of the Central Andes and...

In Hinduism the river Ganges also known as the Ganga is personified as a Goddess. It is believed to wash away your sins and liberates the believer. Pilgrims travel far and wide to immerse the ashes of their loved ones in the river. Watch...

This sacred city was established around a cutting from the 'tree of enlightenment', the Buddha's fig tree, brought there in the 3rd century B.C. by Sanghamitta, the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns. Anuradhapura, a Ceylonese political...