In a noisy and chaotic modern world, many people come to those destinations not only to admire, but also to listen to something deeper inside themselves.
When the sun shines in Chaco Mountain (New Mexico, USA), light shines on ancient stone formations, shining into a strangely accurate straight line, making many people believe that this place was built for the purpose of connecting with the universe. At the ancient city of Machu Picchu in Peru, the piled stone walls on the top of the mountain look like touching the sky. In Sedona (Arizona, USA), people are still rumored to have an invisible and powerful "energy whirlwind" that makes visitors feel inexorable vibrations. And in England's Salisbury region, the Stonehenge roundabout still stands like a giant stone clock from the past, covering the space and unanswered questions.
Although thousands of kilometers apart, those places have one thing in common: They make people feel truly small and overwhelmed by the mysterious and sacred landscape.
Return to history, nature
In an era where everything can be found in a few clicks, people are eager for immeasurable values. More and more people come to ancient and sacred places, not only to look back on history, but also to listen to themselves, connect with the sacred things that surpass them in daily life.
According to Mr. Jeffrey Kripal, Professor of philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, USA, since ancient times, people have tended to return to sacred places as part of their instinct, he said: "Somehow, we need to do that to feel more fully life".
It is not by chance that mountains, deep canyons or vast oceans arouse respect in our hearts. According to an economist Susannah Crockford, it is a natural reaction of the brain when faced with a beauty beyond control. Large landscapes often awaken our place of modesty, while opening up a new inner space.
Not only nature, many man-made architectural works - such as Borobudur Temple (Indonesia), Gobekli Tepe Stone Temple (Türkiye), temples, monasteries - are also built with the same goal: Connecting people with something beyond the village. Each rock block, arch, the rotation of the main door - all are calculated not only by technique but by the cam giacum of spirituality and community trust.
When visiting these places, people often do more than just take photos. They stopped, breathed, walked more slowly - as if listening and feeling something unnameable. And that moment - quiet and profound - is what people today are looking for.
Sacred stories
What makes a place sacred? Not only because it is ancient, beautiful or majestic. The important thing is the stories we tell about it.
According to Professor Sabina Magliocco from the University of British Columbia, humans are a species that can assign meaning to a place. From returning to a familiar coffee shop every week to pilgrimizing to an ancient temple - we are establishing a close relationship. We tell stories, repeat rituals, pass on memories - and from there, turn a normal space into a sacred place.
In many cultures, stories about gods, heroes or miracles are associated with a specific location. Over hundreds of years, they have been told, to the point that space itself has become a symbol of collective memory. Then people built temples and stone statues - not to own that place, but to preserve that spirit for future generations.
But each person feels the sacredness in their own way. A Catholic monk may see it as the presence of God. A meditator feels a quiet flow of energy. A scientist explains it as the brain's reaction to majesty. There are no correct answers and each answer reflects the worldview of the person asking, as Crockford says.
Sacredness, in this sense, is like an example. Each person goes to a certain place and projects their own beliefs, hopes, and then sees them reflected in stone, wind, light, and quiet.
A yogi finds balance on the mountain slope. A Camino de Santiago walker realized that sacredness does not lie in the church along the road, but in every step of the way. And someone - maybe you - standing in front of Stonehenge, no matter how it is built, just feeling small is enough.
The world is changing every day. Technology brings people closer together, but also makes us easily forget the sacred things in daily life. Perhaps that is why more and more people choose to leave the city, withdraw from social networks for a while, to find a place - not for entertainment, but to listen. Listen to the rhythm of nature. Listen to your own breath. And listen to something - unnamed, but honest - in my heart.
Maybe no one is sure why mysterious places are so attractive? But one thing is certain: When people come to sacred places, they do not only look for architecture or beautiful scenery - but also find a way to touch the peace, quietness and sacredness that have been present in life for thousands of years.
