10 Most Sacred Places in the World

Jerusalem, by virtue of the number and diversity of people who have held it sacred, may be considered the most holy city in the world. To the Jewish people it is Ir Ha-Kodesh (the Holy City), the Biblical Zion, the City of David, the site of Solomon's Temple, and the eternal capital of the Israelite nation. To Christians it is where the young Jesus impressed the sages at the Jewish Temple, where he spent the last days of his ministry, and where the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection took place.

Mecca, an Islamic holy place in Saudi Arabia, has the Great Mosque, the Ka’ba and the Hajj pilgrimage. Allah is God in Islam and Muhammad was a prophet.

Vortexes, Arizona, a tourist destination in Arizona, is famous for its red rock cliffs and archaeological ruins at Palatki, Honanki and Wupatki. Situated in northern Arizona at an elevation of 4500 feet, the famous Red Rocks of Sedona are one of the most beautiful natural sites in the United States. Part of the eroding Mogollon Rim of the vast Colorado plateau,

Mt. Sinai in Egypt is the site where the prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments. The monastery of St. Catherine has the Burning Bush.In the Judeo-Christian region of the Middle East there are four primary sacred mountains: Mt Ararat in eastern Turkey, the traditional landing place of Noah's ark; Mt. Sinai in the Sinai peninsula, the peak where Moses received the Ten Commandments; Mt. Moriah or Mt. Zion in Israel, where lies the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon; and Mt. Tabor in Israel, the site of the transfiguration of Jesus.

The Blue Mosque (Called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish) is an historical mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design.Mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 years, during the rule of Ahmed I. just like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasa and a hospice.Besides still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction in Istanbul.

Glastonbury Tor, England, an ancient sacred place in England, has legends about Avalon, the Holy Grail, King Arthur, Camelot, Jesus and St. Michael.My first visit to Glastonbury was in the late summer of 1986. I had been bicycling for a year throughout western and Mediterranean Europe in search of stone circles, holy wells of the Earth goddess, and Gothic cathedrals. All the while I had felt a powerful yearning to visit the region and village of Glastonbury. It felt as if the place was mysteriously exerting a magnetic attraction upon both my mind and heart. The closer I came, the more my dreams and imaginations were filled with images of dragons, fairy kingdoms, and Arthurian legends.

A great mass of black rock soaring to over 22,000 feet, Mt. Kailash has the unique distinction of being the world's most venerated holy place at the same time that it is the least visited. The supremely sacred site of four religions and billions of people, Kailash is seen by no more than a few thousand pilgrims each year. This curious fact is explained by the mountain's remote location in far western Tibet. No planes, trains or buses journey anywhere near the region and even with rugged over-land vehicles the journey still requires weeks of difficult, often dangerous travel. The weather, always cold, can be unexpectedly treacherous and pilgrims must carry all the supplies they will need for the entire journey.

Cenote Sagrado, also known locally as Chen Ku is a cenote found in the close proximity of the Chichen Itza archaeological site. Here, the Mayans paid tribute to Chac – the rain god who nourished the fields and sustained life – with ritual offerings and sacrificial victims.

Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have obtained Enlightenment (pali: bodhi) under what became known as the Bodhi Tree.

See Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park with it's spectacular red rocks and domes rising out of the Central Australian desert. Uluru and Kata Tjuta dominate the landscape.