Magazine Current Issue June 2012
Table of Contents »
- ADVERTISEMENT -
Special Issue
Special Issue
Sacred Journeys

Since the dawn of recorded history—and no doubt long before that—humans have made pilgrimages to sites they hold sacred in search of healing and enlightenment or as acts of faith and sacrifice. Such journeys of the spirit remain dynamic ingredients of religions the world over.

Order this special issue now. »

Sacred Places
Dunhuang Caves
Caves of Faith
In a Silk Road oasis, thousands of Buddhas enthrall scholars and tourists alike.
Sacred Waters
Sacred Waters
From the droplets in a baptismal font to the scattering of ashes on a holy river, water blesses our lives.
Nasca Lines
Spirits in the Sand
Why did the Nasca etch giant birds and whales in the sand? The ancient Nasca lines of Peru shed their secrets.
Athos
Called to the Holy Mountain
High on their holy cliffs, monks are defiant, zealous, prayerful. Meanwhile, the outside world creeps closer.
Angkor Temple
Divining Angkor
After rising to sublime heights, the sacred city may have engineered its own downfall.
Parallel
Searching for Shangri-La
The mythical spot is now a boomtown, as two visions of the future compete for the soul of China’s western frontier.
Herod Wailing Wall
King Herod Revealed
The Holy Land's visionary builder—his unearthed tomb reflects his cruelty and brilliance.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Searching for the meaning of Stonehenge: New finds raise tantalizing questions.
Potala Lhasa
Life in Forbidden Lhasa
A 1955 National Geographic article tells the story of how an Austrian became the Dalai Lama's trusted tutor.
Wailing Wall
Pilgrims' Progress
More and more, the faithful are flocking to pilgrimage sites on and off the beaten path.
Cave Painting
Faces of the Divine
In 1,500-year-old temples, Indian artists portrayed their gods as visions of perfection.
Priest Cave
The Gospel of Judas
Lost for nearly 1,700 years, a crumbling papyrus manuscript presents the most hated man in history in a new light.