Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Pythagoras Cave

Discover Pythagoras Cave in Samos Prefecture, Greece: Cave on extinct volcano, once home to famous mathematician Pythagoras.

The Ruins of Rentina

Discover The Ruins of Rentina in Thessaloniki, Greece: These ruins in Volvi were once at the intersection of the Eastern and Western Worlds.

The Holy Mountain

Discover Mount Athos in Agion Oros, Greece: An autonomous republic of Orthodox monks.

Volcanic Rocks of Lemnos

Discover Volcanic Rocks of Lemnos in Lemnos, Greece: An alien landscape on the banks of the Aegean Sea.

Necromanteion of Ephyra

Discover Necromanteion of Ephyra in Mesopotamos, Greece: Ancient Greek oracle of the dead.

Cape Matapan Caves

Discover Cape Matapan Caves in Laconia, Greece: A cave network located at the southernmost tip of mainland Greece was once believed to be an entrance to Hades.

The Train Cemetery of Thessaloniki, Greece

Discover Thessaloniki Train Cemetery in Thessaloniki, Greece: Thousands of rusting train cars have been slowly falling apart on the edge of Greece's second largest city.

Terrace of the Lions

Discover Terrace of the Lions in Mikonos, Greece: Replicas of Apollo's leonine stone guard cats still line a sacred row in Greece.

Labyrinthos Caves

Discover Labyrinthos Caves in Moires, Greece: Cretean quarry suggests real-life site for ancient Greek myth of the man-eating Minotaur in his labyrinth.

Kastania Cave

Discover Kastania Cave in Kato Kastania, Greece: This remarkable cave was discovered after a shepherd watched bees enter and exit through a small fissure.

Dikteon Cave

Discover Dikteon Cave in Psichro, Greece: According to myth, Zeus himself was hidden in this cave to escape being eaten by his dad.

The Temple of Dionysos

Discover The Temple of Dionysos in Mikonos, Greece: Giant marble phalluses on the sacred island of antiquity.

Prehistoric Town of Akrotiri

Discover Prehistoric Town of Akrotiri in Santorini, Greece: A Bronze age settlement on the Greek island of Santorini might have been the inspiration for Plato's Atlantis.

Knossos

Discover Knossos in Heraklion, Greece: A minotaur, a labyrinth, and a dubious restoration pull in visitors from around the world.

Mycenae

Discover Mycenae in Argolis, Greece: This legendary city has been a tourist attraction for centuries.

Tourlitis Lighthouse

Discover Tourlitis Lighthouse in Andros, Greece: Perched on a spindly rock spire in a Greek archipelago, this lighthouse would make a perfect wizard's tower.

The Athenian Agora

Discover The Athenian Agora in Athens, Greece: This ancient Greek place of assembly and marketplace is being revealed layer by layer below the modern Athens cityscape.

Navagio Beach

Discover Navagio Beach in Zakinthos, Greece: Hidden in a secluded Greek cove is a pristine beach marred only by the rusting smuggler's hulk stranded on its shores.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 261 ii
To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. 480 iii
To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. 514 iv
To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. 642 ix
To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals. 137 v
To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. 172 vi
To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria). 256 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 151 viii
To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. 98 x
To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation. 168

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