Asia’s Most Famous Fallen Cities

Proof that nothing lasts forever, crumbling imperial capitals pepper Asia. Mysterious and haunting, the symbols of transience are also a bit on the sad side because they remind us of our own impermanence.

Still, like battlefields and graveyards, ruined imperial cities ooze intrigue and make great fodder for moody photos. Plus, they’re cultural. If you feel bad about slacking at the beach or some rainforest retreat, they offer a spot of elevation.

Discover some of Asia’s most famous fallen cities: drama-soaked behemoths that merit gushing guidebook adjectives like ‘majestic’ and ‘magnificent’.

1. Ayutthaya

Thailand’s brooding and battered old Siam capital, Ayutthaya, dates back to1351. Over the centuries, the island city evolved into the envy of Europe – a site of spectacular splendor and wealth built on trade. But Ayutthaya’s riches only fuelled the hatred of the old enemy – the Burmese who repeatedly attacked and finally sacked it in 1767, merrily lopping off the heads of Buddha statues, to eerie effect. After admiring Ayutthaya’s mesmerizingly mangled temple ruins, you can get back to Bangkok in 90 minutes on the bus or train. For the slow travel fan, the scenic river cruise back on the Chao Phraya River takes a few hours.

2. Sukhothai

Often mentioned in the same breath as Ayutthaya, Sukhothai is the original Thai imperial capital. A bit more of a schlep, it dates back to as early as 1238, situated some 427 kilometres north of Bangkok on the River Yom. Sukhothai is all about smiles. The Buddhas of all sizes that stud the ruins are united by a trademark smile. Aptly, Sukhothai means ‘dawn of happiness’.

3. Angkor

The benchmark for majestically ruined imperial cities, Cambodia’s Angkor is one of the world’s most spectacular destinations. It serves as the stage for a wealth of temples, some stunning, others quirky – ensure you see Bayon, with its giant smiley stone faces and Ta Prohm with its B-movie-style root-spewing trees that, "have prompted more writers to descriptive excess than any other feature of Angkor", as one observer put it. The highlight is the world’s biggest stone temple, Angkor Wat. The marvellously carved moated monster often ranked as a wonder of the world packs the kind of visual clout wielded by India’s Taj Mahal and Peru’s Machu Picchu complex.

4. Borobudur

Borobudur stands in central Java, about 40 kilometres from the coolly peculiar city of Yogyakarta. The mammoth temple complex was built between AD 750 and 842. That is 300 years before Angkor Wat. Borobudur was designed to honor both the Buddha and Borobudur’s royal founder. The landmark’s name comes from the Sanskrit words ‘vihara Buddha uhr’, which mean ‘the Buddhist monastery on the hill’, as if Borobudur were any old temple with a couple of stupas. Said to be the world’s largest and most complete ensemble of Buddhist reliefs, Borobudur is dazzling – a giant mosaic of miniature masterpieces.

5. Forbidden City

Set in China’s capital, Beijing, near Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City is logically named. The home of the old imperial palaces from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, it was a no-go zone for all except imperial family members. Vast, the Forbidden City covers 720,000 square meters and is ringed by a six-meter-deep moat and a ten-meter-high wall. Originally, theForbidden City, which was built during the 15^th century, contained 9,999 rooms – no more, no less. Now, the City is one of China’s most striking landmarks, up there with the Great Wall and Terracotta Army.

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