Fuck Yeah, Sacred Places!

Temple of Hathor, Dendera, Egypt

waywardsojourner:

The main stairway up the Ziggurat of Ur. Still standing with its original baked mud bricks from the Euphrates River, created over 4,000 years ago in the oldest parts.

Quoth Wikipedia: 

The ziggurat was built by King Ur-Nammu who dedicated the great ziggurat of Ur in honour of Nanna/Sîn, in approximately the 21st century BC. during the Third Dynasty of Ur. The massive step pyramid measured 210 feet (64m) in length, 150 feet (46m) in width and over 100 feet (30m) in height. The height is speculative, as only the foundations of the Sumerian ziggurat have survived.

The ziggurat was a piece in a temple complex that served as an administrative center for the city, and which was a shrine of the moon god Nanna, the patron deity of Ur.

In 1960, due to the construction of the Great Dam of Aswan and the consequent threat posed to several monuments and archeological sites, UNESCO made an international call to save this rich historical legacy. As a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the temples of Abu Simbel, the Egyptian state donated the temple of Debod to Spain in 1968. [Wikipedia]

annafromathens:

Temple of Demeter, Naxos, Greece

fart-history:

White Temple, Uruk

This temple was not only the focus of local religious practice, but also an administrative and economic center. It was indeed the domain of the god, whom the Sumerians regarded as a great and rich holder of lands and herds, as well as the protector of the city-state. The central hall, or cella, was set aside for the divinity and housed a stepped altar. The Sumerians referred to their temples as “waiting rooms,” a reflection of their belief that the deity would descend from the heavens to appear before the priests in the cella. Whether the Uruk [sic] had a roof is uncertain.

visitheworld:

Mayan pyramids at Copan, Honduras (by mike.bulter).

visitheworld:

Hiking in Lud’s Church, a deep chasm in Staffordshire, England. Robin Hood, Friar Tuck and Bonny Prince Charlie are all reputed to have hidden from the authorities within the chasm (by topdogdjstew).

From Wikipedia:

It is believed that the chasm was considered by early Pagans to be a sacred place, most likely due to the phenomenon that occurs on Midsummer Day, where only on this day does the sun’s light penetrate deep into the chasm.Lud, known as Nud in Welsh, or Nodens by the ancient Britons, is a major Celtic deity associated with many parts of Britain and with the Arthurian Fisher King and, by way of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Green Man.

The area also has a place in Christian history: the Lollards, who were followers of John Wycliffe, an early church reformer, are supposed to have used this as a secret place of worship during the early 15th century, when they were being persecuted for their religious beliefs. Lud’s Church may have been named after Walter de Ludank or Walter de Lud-Auk who was captured here at one of their meetings.

visitheworld:

Stairway to Xunantunich mayan temple ruins in western Belize (by andyi).

vacilandoelmundo:

Philae, Egypt

Wikipedia:

The island temple was built during the Ptolemaic Dynasty. The principal deity of the temple complex was Isis, but other temples and shrines were dedicated to other deities such as Hathor and Harendotes. The temple was closed down officially in the 6th century AD by the Byzantine emperor, Justinian ( 527-565 AD ). Philae was a seat of the Christian religion as well as of the ancient Egyptian faith. Ruins of a Christian church were discovered, and more than one adytum bore traces of having been made to serve at different eras the purposes of a chapel of Osiris and of Christ.

myhistoryblog:

Ancient Temple On The Nile River by Butch Osborne on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Part of the temple ruins in Luxor, Egypt