Ahu Nau Nau has some of the best preserved moai on Rapa Nui.

It’s located 100 meters from the white sands of Anakena beach, believed to be where Polynesian voyagers first arrived on the island.

Four of the moai have large red hats made from scoria (volcanic rock) called pukao and the backs of the statues feature really fine tattoo markings.

It’s thought the sand dunes may have protected the moai from erosion .

Next to Ahu Nau Nau is Ature Huki, a much larger moai statue.

The Great Wall of China snakes along the nation's ancient northern border, and protected the southern states from invasion, right up until the Manchu Conquest of the 17th Century. There are many myths about the Great Wall (you can't see it from space) but what are the facts?

The Great Wall isn't really one wall; it's a series of walls of different ages and different styles. This section is the most famous and also the most recent. It was built only around 450 years ago. The oldest parts are just earthen mounds and date back 2000 years.

The city of Petra in modern-day Jordan is a true wonder to behold. Many of the buildings of this 2300 year old Nabatean city were carved directly into solid rock. Their striking appearance has led to this abandoned city becoming a major tourist destination.

Structures like 'The Treasury' and 'The Palace of Pharaoh's Daughter' decorate tourists' postcards, but did you know that nearly four fifths of the ancient city remains underground and unexplored? There may be many more unbelievable buildings waiting to be discovered.

The Taj Mahal, found in Agra, India, was the work of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who built this perfectly white, perfectly symmetrical marble tomb as a monument to his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. In total, it took 20,000 workers and 1,000 elephants 16 years to build.

But did you know that the sarcophagi inside are actually empty? The Islamic prohibition of wealthy, ornate tombs meant that Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal were buried in a smaller, simple tomb one level below ground…

… This room is rarely opened, because breath of visitors would damage the white marble walls.

Christ the Redeemer stands on the peak of the Corcovado mountain, towering above the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Completed in 1933, the statue is an emblem of Christian faith and national pride. At 30m tall and with arms stretching 28m wide, it's hard to miss.

But did you know that while the statue stands in Brazil, Christ's face was actually made in France? It was carved from solid soapstone by the Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida, then living in Paris. In total, it took Leonida five years to complete the piece!

Machu Picchu clings to the ridgeline of the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru. This stone citadel was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti around 1450 and abandoned around the time of the Spanish conquest. It was only discovered by Europeans in 1911!

In the time of the Inca, this 'lost city' was regarded as the centre of the world. The Intihuatana was a ritual stone platform at Machu Picchu that may have been used as a sundial or altar. Here, essential rituals would have been carried out to ensure the cycle of the sun.

The Mayan city of Chichén Itzá in modern-day Mexico was perhaps the largest urban area in the pre-Colombian Americas. Occupied between 600-1100CE, the city supported a complex and diverse society, and became a major economic and political centre of the region.

You may know about the numerous stepped pyramid temples and the famous Great Ball Court (seen here), but did you know that the city also contained a bath house with a steam sauna, paved causeways known as sacbeob, and a tzompantli, or 'skull rack'.

In ancient Rome, there were few better ways to spend an afternoon than taking in a game at the Colosseum, then known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. Built in 72CE, this building hosted gladiatorial matches, musical events, executions, and even a small-scale sea battle.

We’re flying, up high above the clouds, covering distance, but also rewinding time.

Let’s glide a bit lower, to where the clouds disperse. We’re in Kyoto, the capital of Japan in the 17th century.

The golden clouds adorning this folding screen isolate the various scenes, but they also have a practical purpose: in a world without electricity, their large golden surfaces had the virtue of reflecting candlelight and lighting rooms.

Under the clouds, the city teems with life, animated by around 1800 figures belonging to all ages and social classes. Each one is painted in a simple style, but retains a unique character. How did these people live their daily lives in Kyoto during the Edo period?

Some of the pictured activities still take place today, such as the parade of traditional floats at the Gion Festival.

Or Sumo wrestling.

While others are a sign of the 17th Century times. Here, a group of people attend the show of a trained monkey.

Then as now, the city was a destination for western visitors. The members of this delegation are depicted with lengthened noses, exotic animals, and showy garments. Travellers from the West, who stirred the inhabitants' and artist’s curiosity.

Alongside these events, the life of the residents flows through its daily routine. Traders display their wares in their stalls along a market street.

And fishermen pursue their catch of the day along the river.