10 world heritage sites every traveller should visit

1. Taj Mahal, India(BHARAT) –

There’s no monument like a monument made out of love to soothe your soul. The Taj Mahal  is easily one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. The gorgeous ivory-white marble structure in Agra, Uttar Pradesh is a mausoleum and a symbol of the power of enduring love.  

In the 17th century, when the Mughals were at their strongest, Shah Jahan commissioned the monument for his wife, Mumtaz. Despite the grandiose of his empire, he was unable to stop his wife passing away at childbirth. The tale goes to say that as she was dying, she asked him to vow that he would construct the most beautiful tomb to mankind ever known.

2. Durham Castle and Cathedral, England -

People have been worshipping the Durham Castle and Cathedral for over 1000 years. Its history begins in the year 600AD and has witnessed viking raids, and has transformed from a relic to a shrine to a gorgeous building. Durham soon also became a site of pilgrimage with a cult of St. Cuthbert.  

Its distinct Roman architecture has inspired spectacular amounts of literature as well.  

3. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda -

Thrust on our desks, we often forget how majestic the world can be. Hundreds of mountain gorillas move with majesty through Uganda’s highland forest, the only home to the species. The journey within the forest can be treacherous: hiking for six hours, using a machete to slice down vines, and keeping a gun handy to protect oneself from carnivores.  

The forest is known for its brilliant biodiversity, with over 160 species of trees and 100 species of ferns. The forest offers cultural encounters with indigenous Batwa people, providing insight into their ancient traditions.

4. Hebron, Palestine -

The significance cannot be overstated. Rich in both historical and religious heritage, a major pilgrimage sight to Jews and Muslims, housing the tombs of Biblical patriarchs and matriarchs, the architecture features narrow worn streets, with traditional and ancient architecture and the Hebron Glass Factory known for its craftsmanship.

The heritage sites are a symbol of resilience to Palestinian-Israeli conflict with settler presence and militarisation squeezing itself onto daily life.

5. Machu Picchu, Peru -  

Machu Picchu is a wonder of the world due to its stunning location in the Andes. A remnant of the Inca civilisation from the 15th century, with dry stone walls, terraces and water systems have been wonderfully preserved.

If one chooses to walk up to the ruins, the steep path follows the explorer Hiram Bingham (who rediscovered the Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu’s route in 1911), and there’s also a museum with a minimal fee that will tell one all about the ruins.

6. Cordouan Lighthouse, France -  

Known as the ‘king of lighthouses’, and built approximately in the 16th century, the Cordouan Lighthouse is still active. It sits about 7 kilometres at sea, and at the height of about 67.5 metres, is the tenth tallest lighthouse in the world.

It is still used for maritime signaling, to convey messages between ships when the radio is unavailable. One can reach the lighthouse by boat and depending on the time of the day, gently feel the tide tugging at their feet. It has 300 steps, exquisite sea view, a king’s apartment and stained glass.

7. Ivindo National Park, Gabon -

Known most for its pristine waterfalls, where one can experience the mightiness on their face, Gabon’s forests are among the last of the earth’s Edens. The area is swampy and marsh-like with high water, with buffalo, crocodiles, red river hogs, antelopes, chimpanzees, hippos and an abundance of trees and birds.

It is the main protected area of the plateaus of Gabin and is considered to be among the most irreplaceable.

8. Babylon, Iraq -

Nestled along the edge of lower Mesopotamia, the Babylonian Empire rose to become one of the grandest civilisations in the world. The Empire began to hold its reign around 1800 BC, and under King Hammurabi, the city flourished culturally, financially and religiously. The city was resistant to the rise and all of the many kingdoms surrounding it and though it was devoured by the occasional wave of greed and failure, it never failed to rise from the ashes.  

Babylon has been a vital part of Judeo-Christian history for centuries. Rulers have long treated Babylon’s history as raw material, reshaping it to fit their ambitions whenever the facts proved inconvenient. A striking modern instance emerged in the 1980s, when Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein launched a reconstruction of a royal palace.  

Echoing the practices of ancient kings, he stamped his authority onto the project through inscriptions on its bricks, some of which proclaimed in Arabic: Built by Saddam, son of Nebuchadrezzar, to glorify Iraq.

9. Sacred City of Kandy, Sri Lanka -

Encircled by dense forests and layered mountain ranges, Kandy sits gracefully around its tranquil lake, often called the Sea of Milk. Once a medieval stronghold, the city today is a harmonious blend of grand colonial structures and refined Kandyan architecture. Despite being only 72 miles (115 kilometres) from the coast, Kandy feels distinctly removed, its forested hills shaping both its climate and character.

Kandy’s spiritual heart is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, believed to house a tooth of the Buddha and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This shrine has elevated the city to one of Buddhism’s most sacred pilgrimage destinations. Each August, the city transforms during the Esala Perahera, a vivid ten-day festival of ritual processions, drumming, dancers, and ceremonial pageantry that honours the sacred relic.

Formerly known as Senkadagalapura, it was the final capital of the Sinhalese kingdom before its fall to British rule in 1815, a legacy that continues to echo through the city’s streets and institutions.

10. Wadi Al-Hitan, Egypt -

Deep in Egypt’s Western Desert lies Wadi Al-Hitan, Whale Valley. This protected landscape holds an unrivalled collection of fossils from Archaeoceti, the earliest and now extinct suborder of whales. These remains document the remarkable transition of whales from land-based mammals to fully marine animals, a process more clearly demonstrated here than anywhere else on Earth.

The fossils at Al-Hitan include some of the youngest archaeocetes ever discovered, captured at the moment when their hind limbs were disappearing. Their number, density, and state of preservation are exceptional, and their accessibility allows the story of this evolutionary shift to be read directly from the ground.  

Today, the setting could not be more stark. There are no houses, no trees, no water, only vast stretches of sand rolling outward in every direction, silent and immense. In this seemingly lifeless desert, the evidence of a long-lost ocean lies scattered beneath every step.