Eight spectacular UNESCO rock-cut cities around the world

Eight spectacular rock-cut cities, all recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites, offer unique historical and architectural insights into how ancient civilizations carved dwellings directly into stone.

Notable locations include the Sassi di Matera in Italy, which transitioned from impoverished limestone caves to a restored site featured in films like James Bond’s ‘No Time to Die’. In Turkey, the Göreme region in Cappadocia features volcanic tuff formations used by Byzantine monks for churches and monasteries. Georgia’s Vardzia is a massive 12th-century cave city built by Queen Tamar, containing hundreds of rooms and churches connected by tunnels.

Other significant sites include Matmata in Tunisia, a Berber village used to escape Saharan heat and famously used as a filming location for ‘Star Wars’, and the Ellora Caves in India, which house Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain sanctuaries. China’s Longmen Grottoes also stand out, containing over 100,000 Buddhist statues carved over several centuries.