Amazing Ancient Ruins Around the World (PHOTOS)

Found in deserts, jungles and on mountains, historical ruins are some of the world’s most impressive destinations. From the Great Wall of China to the Tikal ruins in Guatemala, these sites offer historians and visitors alike a glimpse at what life was like in ancient cultures.

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One of the most famous archeological sites in the world is Peru’s Machu Picchu, an impressive Inca ruin located 7,970 feet above sea level on the eastern slopes of the Andes. The stonework of the site remains as one of the world's great examples of the use of a natural raw material to provide outstanding architecture appropriate to the surroundings, according to UNESCO. Almost always shrouded in mist and fog, Machu Picchu has withstood more than 500 years of weather.

Also not to be missed are the Tikal ruins of northern Guatemala, one of the largest archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Surrounded by lush jungle vegetation, these ruins contain spectacular temples and palaces at the ceremonial center and remains of dwellings are also scattered throughout the surrounding countryside, according to UNESCO. Abandoned by its original inhabitants more than a thousand years ago, the city remained unknown to outsiders for almost a millennium, according to Smithsonian Magazine. It's still one of the most mysterious and least-known sites of antiquity of the West. While no one knows for certain what happened to the Mayans of Tikal, some think drought could have been the culprit that brought down this thriving civilization, as it did Native American societies in the Southwest United States. Dependent on rainfall and with a growing population, Tikal was vulnerable to climate change and extinction, according to CNN.

These impressive ruins have stood for hundreds, if not thousands of years, but today, they remain vulnerable to extreme weather and natural disasters. In February 2012, heavy snow and freezing temperatures caused walls of the Colosseum in Rome, the largest amphitheater of the Roman Empire, to crumble and in 2010, the 9th century Buddhist temple of Borobudur in Indonesia was blanketed in volcanic ash when nearby Mount Merapi erupted.

Climate change is also a growing concern when it comes to preservation of these ruins. At a lecture on the impact of climate change on archeological sites held in Greece in April 2012, University of Anglia professor Peter Brimblecombe discussed how environmental factors affect monuments and cultural heritage sites. "Changes in climate, pollution, and environment are evident over a long period of time, and historical records show that damage [to heritage sites] can be paralleled to these changes," said Brimblecombe.

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Click on the slideshow above to see some breathtaking ruins around the world.

This article was originally published November 18, 2015 and was updated March 23, 2016.