macfarlaneken's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Washington, D.C.

The Preamble in License Plates

The preamble to the U.S. Constitution written entirely from vanity license plates hangs in the Smithsonian museum.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia City Hall

This elaborate towering structure was once famed for its revolutionary height.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Wanamaker Building

The first American department store, and home to the largest operating musical instrument in the world.
Athens, Greece

Old Madrasa of Athens

The ruined doorway is a portal to the building's turbulent and torturous past.
Athens, Greece

Tower of the Winds

An ancient octagonal weather station named for the eight Greek gods of wind.
Athens, Greece

Zappeion

A man's head is enshrined beneath a statue near the first building constructed for the modern Olympic Games.
Athens, Greece

Holy Church of Saint Andrew

A martyred saint built a nunnery and school for girls here known as the "Parthenon."
Athens, Greece

The Olive Tree of the Acropolis

Legend says this sacred tree was a gift from goddess Athena.
Athens, Greece

Kafeneio Oraia Ellas

Luminaries of all stripes have sipped strong Greek coffee at this cafe since 1839.
Athens, Greece

Fethiye Mosque

This historic structure has been used as a mosque, a barracks, a prison, a school, and a bakery.
Athens, Greece

The Athenian Agora

This ancient Greek place of assembly and marketplace is being revealed layer by layer below the modern Athens cityscape.
Athens, Greece

Church of Agia Pareskevi

This Ottoman-era Greek Orthodox Church was built to honor Agia Pareskevi, a Christian saint.
Mikonos, Greece

Terrace of the Lions

Replicas of Apollo's leonine stone guard cats still line a sacred row in Greece.
Selçuk, Turkey

Brothel Advertisement at Ephesus

Carvings in Turkey's Marble Road may have directed ancient Romans to a hidden brothel.
Selçuk, Turkey

The Public Toilets of Ephesus

The ancient latrines of the Greeks, in all their public glory.
Kuşadası, Turkey

Kuşadası

A charming beach town in Turkey captures all the colors of the rainbow.
Selçuk, Turkey

Basilica of St. John

This crumbling medieval basilica once attracted pilgrims by the thousands to collect a miraculous dust that formed above the saint's tomb.
Sultaniye Köyü, Turkey

House of the Virgin Mary

The alleged house of the Virgin Mary is tucked away in a park and nature preserve on Mt. Koressos in Turkey and is holy to both Catholics and Muslims alike.
Perissa, Greece

Paralia Perissa

This black sand beach was crafted from volcanic explosions including the historic Minoan eruption.
Santorini, Greece

Prehistoric Town of Akrotiri

A Bronze age settlement on the Greek island of Santorini might have been the inspiration for Plato's Atlantis.
Valletta, Malta

St. John’s Co-Cathedral Skeleton Tombstones

The floor of this spectacular Baroque sanctuary is covered in memento mori.
Mdina, Malta

Casa Gourgion

This unique building in the main square stands out among the city's typically Baroque architecture.
Rabat, Malta

Santa Marija Tal-Virtù Chapel

Abandoned Roman Catholic chapel abused by Satanists before being restored.
Qrendi, Malta

Mnajdra

This Stone Age solar temple aligns with the sun on each equinox and solstice.