From Mongolia's mysterious deer rocks to cities built in honor of the dead, all over the world there are ancient sites that people built in an attempt to understand the meaning of life, death and the universe.
The meaning of life is a mystery that cultures have wrestled with throughout history.
This led to the creation of sacred places - people all over the planet erected architectural wonders in honor of the gods, while others paid respect to nature, finding meaningful connections in sacred forests, sacred mountains and sacred rocks.
From the construction of Stonehenge in England to the pyramid of Chichen Itza in Mexico, ancient civilizations made great efforts to mark the equinoxes and solstices, or to communicate with ancestors or worship spirits.
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Common to all these places are people trying to find the meaning of life, death and the universe.
This search for meaning is the essence of Canadian photographer Chris Rayner's latest book, Sacred: In Search of Meaning, which captures spiritual places and landscapes from all over the world.
A National Geographic Fellow, Rayner has spent the last 40 years dealing with traditional cultures.
"I started working as a travel expedition photographer in the eighties and went in search of the 'sacred,' looking for spiritual landscapes and sacred, spiritual places," he says.
"It stemmed from my desire to understand the essence of life beyond everyday existence. Why are we here? This is the question that every society and every man has been asking himself since the dawn of humanity."
Rayner believes that it is crucial to understand how cultures in all corners of the world relate to the universe.
"The huge tsunami of modernism is sweeping over many traditional cultures and sacred places," he says, explaining that this leaves less room in many cultures for religious beliefs, folklore and superstition.
"'Sacred' is definitely under attack. But with mass connectivity on the Internet, we tend to forget that there is still much that is unknown in the world.
We must not forget that there are still holy places and holy landscapes. The sacred can be something as simple as paddling down a river or walking in a park, looking for the sounds of the wild."
Whalebone Alley, Russia
On secluded, windswept Itigran, an islet in the Bering Sea of Siberia, there is a display of huge whale ribs and vertebrae known as "Whale Bone Alley".
The 550-meter-long passage, which emerges from the ground by the ocean, is a spooky and somewhat brutal sight.
"I was on a National Geographic expedition ship to northeastern Siberia in the Russian Arctic, and we found these ancient whalebone structures built by a pre-Inuit people called the Yupik, which are thought to be about 2.000 years old," Rayner explained.
"At many of these sites, artifacts have been found nearby. The archaeological theory is that this location was a gathering place for people. They would raise whale bones and stretch the hide of a musk ox or polar bear across the top of the structure to make a meeting room. They would hold secret meetings inside. All that's left of it now are whalebones."
He adds: "There is a sense of spirituality in this type of sacred place - a magical worship of the mythological animals and spirits of the space. I can imagine such a gathering in such an impressive place."
And while archaeologists believe that Whalebone Alley and other whalebone ruins (there are many more such sites throughout Russia's Chukotka Peninsula) were built as temples and sacred meeting places, some locals today believe that such sites were more likely used for cutting and storing whalebone. meat.
It seems that one man's holy place can be another's slaughterhouse.
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Hegra, Saudi Arabia
Hegra was the second city of the Nabataeans, who built their famous capital at Petra, more than 500 kilometers northwest of present-day Jordan.
Located in the Alula area of Saudi Arabia, the ancient stone city (known among Muslims as Al Hijr and also as Madain Salih) dates back to the 1st century BC.
It is also the country's first United Nations World Heritage Site, home to more than 100 well-preserved tombs with decorative facades carved into sandstone outcrops.
"These are the tombs of kings, queens and nobility, just like in Petra," Rayner explained.
"This entire area was part of an ancient caravan route. Arab merchant ships would dock at the easternmost part of the Arabian Peninsula, then pass through this area in a camel caravan and then travel to Petra and the Holy Land. Those people must have been very rich."
He adds: “This area is very unusual because it's completely flat in the desert, and then you have these big rock outcrops, where they carved tombs into the rock. You have doors and bodies were left in stone mausoleums. We don't know if people buried with treasure, but I can imagine they did."
Travelers can take tours to Hegra, which also explore the Hijaz Railway that once transported Muslim pilgrims from Damascus to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina; or to see the holy place from a hot air balloon.
"There are archaeological digs in this area," Rayner says.
"They are only now beginning to understand the wider context of this holy place deep in the Arabian desert."
Anasazi Handprints, United States of America
Ancient rock art can be found throughout the American Southwest, especially in the states of Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.
Known as petroglyphs, these images—many of which were made by the Fremont and Anasazi cultures—often depict human figures, animals, hunting weapons, and handprints.
Many American Indians consider these places sacred and see them as a valuable link to the past and their cultural heritage.
"Living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I've always been fascinated by First Nations peoples," Rayner says.
"This photo was taken in Utah. They are thought to be 4.000 years old, but they are in a remarkably well-preserved state. You can imagine an ancient person placing his palm against a red wall, taking ocher and applying the color to the rock. These handprints are a powerful echo from eons ago. I imagine a group of hunters sitting in the shadows, perhaps saying, 'Why don't we leave our signature here?' For me, the essence could be in existence itself, as if to say, 'We are here.'"
Travelers can also view other Anasazi handprints in the ruins of the Fallen Roof, an ancient dwelling and granary of the Anasazi in Bear's Ears National Monument; while the petroglyph panel from Sand Island, near Bluff, Utah, has centuries upon centuries of rock art, including Kokopelli, a mythical flute-playing deity of fertility.
Ancient deer stones, Mongolia
"Mongolia is an extraordinary country with a rich history," Rayner says.
"Ancient tombs are scattered throughout Northern Mongolia. When you drive on the savanna you can see huge piles of stones or rocks. They would contain the tombs of highly respected warriors. The rocks store artifacts such as swords, jewelry boxes, and other valuables that a warrior has collected over a lifetime."
Ancient megaliths, known as "deer stones", can often be seen nearby.
"Placed around the tombs are large monoliths carved with mythological deer, rising with a warrior's spear and arrows. As the warrior ascends to a kind of spiritual paradise, his weapon goes with him, carried by a deer. There are deer stones from the Bronze Age at the Ushigin Uvur site, near Moron in Northern Mongolia, where this photo was taken. The stones date from between the 13th and 9th centuries BC"
Ušgin Uvur has about thirty deer stones, as well as petroglyphs, stone sculptures and rock tombs.
There is another Bronze Age site, with 100 deer stones, in the Kodi Tamir valley, while an area in the Arkangay province, called Jargalantin Am, is known as the "Valley of Deer Stones" because of the abundance of them in piles.
"Mongols have a deep connection to their own past," Rayner says.
"Deer stones are considered very sacred and important in Mongolian culture."
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
The famous Angkor Wat temple complex is the largest religious monument in the world, covering more than 400 square kilometers near Siem Reap.
Built in the early 12th century as the capital of the Khmer Empire, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was originally a Hindu temple, but was converted to a Buddhist temple by the end of the century and is now one of the largest pilgrimage destinations for Buddhists.
Monks, nuns, local Cambodians and Buddhist travelers come here every day to pray and leave offerings, while travelers often gather each morning to watch the sun illuminate the temples - a spiritual experience for many.
"In Angkor Wat, there are four massive passages, north, south, east and west, that lead into the center of the temple," Rayner says.
"This passage in the photo is one of the main gates leading to the Bayon Temple. It is a very powerful place. A sense of holiness and mystery reigns. Most people feel that the jungle is taking back what man has built, as huge banyan trees split some temples. Bayon Temple evokes many rich mythological stories from the Hindus, including the belief in a sacred journey to heaven."
The Angkor complex contains more than 70 temples and around 1.000 buildings, giving travelers plenty of material to explore.
There are also countless Buddha statues, with works of art and carvings that tell Buddhist stories, although, out of respect, many Hindu sculptures and works of art have also been preserved.
"Sacred: In Search of Meaning" Chris Rayner is published by Earth Ever Editions. You can see more of Chris Rayner's work at culturalsanctuaries.org.
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