Egypt's monuments stud the Nile in timeless testament to a civilization that endured for three millennia. Proclaiming his power to neighboring Nubians, Ramses II of Dynasty XIX had this huge temple hewn out of rock at Abu Simbel. Today it stands on higher ground.
—From the National Geographic book People and Places of the Past: The National Geographic Illustrated Cultural Atlas of the Ancient World, 1983
Cross the vast Sahara, float down the legendary Nile, and climb the mysterious pyramids with this collection of pictures from one of the most fascinating places on Earth.
See the cultural and architectural legacy of this Turkish sultan who shook the world of the 16th century as he raised the Ottoman Empire to the height of its glory.
Journey back to the 1100s when France first dared to fashion heaven's image in soaring cathedrals of stone with this gallery of images from photographer James L. Stanfield.
