Etched directly from the heart of towering cliffs and rugged landscapes, there is something undeniably magnificent about rock-cut architecture—that is, buildings carved directly out of mountains, stone, and hills. Often hundreds (if not more) years old, these architectural marvels stand as breathtaking testaments to human ingenuity and artistry even to this day. Spanning continents and cultures, these structures were often created for spiritual devotion, community living, or protection; look no further than the designs of these very cliff faces to see the bedrock beliefs of the civilizations that shaped them.
From the ancient temples of Egypt and India to entire villages in Turkey and Iran, each structure was chiseled with painstaking precision. And they are towering feats, both literally and figuratively, that celebrate the interplay between architecture and geology.
Below, AD surveys 9 of the most extraordinary examples of rock-cut architecture, uncovering architectural brilliance etched in stone.
