Al-Azhar Mosque isn’t just one of Cairo’s oldest mosques — it’s also the centre of Sunni Islamic learning, going back to 970 AD. The building shows layers of history with its mix of styles from centuries of change. When you visit, you’ll spot all kinds of details in the stonework and decorations that tell that story.

Just outside Qianmen, Dashilan is one of Beijing’s oldest commercial streets, with a history of over 600 years. It used to be the busiest suburban market and remains full of character today. Some of Beijing’s oldest brand boutiques started here, alongside the city’s first cinema, and many are still operating. Walking the street gives a sense of everyday life beyond the imperial palaces, where locals have shopped, worked, and socialised for generations.

Built in the early 1400s, around the same time as the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven was where emperors prayed for good harvests. The vast park contains several ceremonial buildings, the most striking being the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests with its blue-tiled roof and intricate wooden ceiling. The original hall was destroyed by lightning in 1889 but rebuilt soon after. Other highlights include the Hall of Abstinence, where emperors fasted before rituals, and the Circular Mound Altar — a three-tiered marble platform symbolising heaven itself. Today, the park is as much about everyday life as it is about history: locals gather here in the mornings for tai chi, dancing, and music.

Once home to China’s emperors, the Forbidden City has more than 800 buildings and nearly 10,000 rooms. This vast imperial household opened to the public in 1949, and it’s remarkably well-preserved. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, covered in thousands of dragon motifs, hosted grand ceremonies, while the Palace of Heavenly Purity was where emperors lived, with bedrooms and private halls. Walking through the courtyards and along the red walls, it’s easy to feel the scale and ritual of life here.