Sacred Places: 50 Places of Pilgrimage - Hardcover

Lavishly illustrated and packed with information, this book is guaranteed to raise curiosity and will provide inspiration for trips both at home and abroad - Daily Express

... series of concise, informative and lavishly illustrated essays. The book offers a dramatic and distinctive perspective on more than six millennia of world history - Church Building Magazine.

Journeys to sacred places or shrines undertaken as acts of religious veneration or penance have been a feature of religious observance from the earliest times. Ancient religions had holy sites, temples and groves, such as Delphi and Dodona in Greece. On the other side of the Eurasian landmass the Buddha specifically recommended four sacred sites for his followers to visit. After Christ's crucifixion, sites connected with his birth, death and resurrection became a magnet for Christian travellers. During the medieval period Christian pilgrimage - to Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople and Santiago de Compostela - was a sacred obligation and a trial of faith. In Islam, pilgrimage to Mecca, or hajj, is one of the Five Pillars of that faith. Philip Carr-Gomm tells the stories of 50 sacred sites across all five continents, including sites venerated by all of the world's major religions. The sites include: The Pyramids Macchu Picchu The Church of the Holy Sepulchre Rapa Nui The Dome of the Rock Mount Fuji Mecca The Golden Temple Stonehenge The Ganges River Glastonbury Angkor Wat Iona Mount Kailash Bandiagara Luang Prabang