There’s something special about old buildings, ancient ruins, historic streets, and quiet monuments that were standing long before most of us ever picked up a camera. They may look like everyday landmarks to locals, but through the right lens, they can suddenly feel like scenes from another time.

That is exactly what Wiki Loves Monuments celebrates. For 16 years now, this international photo contest has invited photographers from around the world to document cultural heritage sites, while also helping preserve them visually for anyone to see and use online. The 2025 edition received hundreds of thousands of submissions from nearly 4,000 participants, with local contests narrowing the entries before an international jury selected the final winners.

The best part is that Wiki Loves Monuments is not just about choosing beautiful photos. Every year, the contest adds a large number of freely licensed images to Wikimedia Commons, making cultural heritage more visible and accessible to people around the world.

Scroll down to see some of the winning photos, and make sure to vote for your favorites.

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#1 “Dayr-E Gachin”

1st Place Location: Kavir National Park, Iran Description: “This year’s winner, shown above, captured a wall and gate near the Dayr-e Gachin Caravanserai in Iran. Dayr-e Gachin has been called the “mother of Iranian caravanserais” due to its size and importance. It is also a well-photographed UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of 54 caravanserai to share the honor. Hossein Pourakbarian’s photograph nevertheless found extraordinary within ordinary by backdropping the location with a distant mountain.”

#2 “Mehmāndust Tower”

2nd Place Location: Iran Description: “The Mehmāndust Tower in northern Iran was built by the Seljuk Empire in 1097 to serve as a tomb, but its dome and the names of the people interred there have long been lost to time. If you open this photo up and zoom in on the tower’s top, you will be rewarded with a look at its intricate brickwork and carved decoration.”

#3 “Ancient Bazaar”

5th Place Location: Arak, Iran Description: “One of the first buildings constructed in Arak, Iran, was this bazaar, seen here on a cold February day. The bazaar held a public bath, a mosque, water reservoirs, and an inn, and is unusual in its straight symmetrical lines aligned with the four cardinal directions.”

#4 “Ishak Pasha Palace”

4th Place Location: Turkey Description: “Construction on the Ishak Pasha Palace, located in eastern Turkey, started in 1685 and was not finished for about a hundred years. Its architectural style blended elements from Anatolian, Iranian, and North Mesopotamian styles. Today, it is a prospective UNESCO World Heritage Site and tourist attraction.”

#5 “Sant Climent De Taüll”

8th Place Location: Catalonia, Spain Description: “Sant Climent, Taüll is a Romanesque-style complex in Catalonia, Spain, with influences from Lombard and Byzantine architecture. The interior contained the primary work of the Master of Taüll, a 12th century painter who became an exemplar of Romanesque art; some of it has been moved to facilitate preservation efforts (such as the Apse of Sant Climent, Taüll). Along with eight other churches, Sant Climent became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.”

#6 “Sacra Di San Michele”

7th Place Location: Turin, Italy Description: “Parts of Sacra di San Michele (Saint Michael’s Abbey) have been around for around a thousand years. Standing atop a mountain in northwestern Italy, it is today an active Catholic abbey and tourist attraction. A much chillier image of the abbey took second place in Wiki Loves Monuments 2015.”

#7 “Seyyed Mosque”

23rd Place Location: Isfahan, Iran Description: “Seyyed Mosque in Isfahan, Iran, is the location for this unusually lit photograph of a walkway’s ceiling. Outside, the mosque unusually has a clock tower instead of a minaret.”

#8 “Luxor”

6th Place Location: Luxor, Egypt Description: “Sometimes called the “world’s greatest open air museum,” Luxor contains or sits near a wealth of ancient Egyptian cultural heritage. It is also known for its tourist hot air balloons, giving this image a contrast between old and new.”

#9 “Confucius Temple”

10th Place Locaiton: Tonghai County, China Description: “Kcx36, a veteran member of the volunteer communities that keep Wikimedia projects updated, took this photo of an archway within a Confucius temple in Tonghai County, located in southwestern China.”

#10 “Onet-Le-Château”

25th Place Location: Onet-le-Château, Southern France Description: “This castle is a standout feature in the small commune of Onet-le-Château in southern France. According to them, it was constructed in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 16th to look like a castle.”

#11 “Havuts Tar”

21st Place Location: Azat River Valley, Armenia Description: “The Havuts Tar monastery was constructed over the course of some two hundred years, but it was effectively abandoned due to damage suffered in a 1679 earthquake. Today, only ruins remain, but you can access them via a 30-minute hike.”

#12 “Kursum Sarovar”

3rd Place Location: Uttar Pradesh, India Description: “Kusum Sarovar is “a place where beauty, history, and tranquility flow together,” the photographer said. The reservoir in northern India is said to have been the place where Krishna clandestinely met with Radha.”

#13 “Kirby Hall”

24th Place Location: Northamptonshire, England Description: “Wikipedia says that Kirby Hall is “one of the great Elizabethan houses of England.” Construction began in 1570, but its condition declined in the 1800s after its owners moved into a newly constructed mansion. Today, it remains in a semi-ruined state with multiple rooms lacking a roof.”

#14 “Palais Longchamp”

19th Place Location: Marseille, France Description: “France’s Palais Longchamp houses two major museums in the city of Marseille (its Natural History Museum and Museum of Fine Arts), and the park that surrounds it is listed on the French government’s list of remarkable parks. Rafael Lemieszek, who has been donating their time to Wikimedia initiatives for over a decade now, got this photo of it all on a bright February day.”

#15 “Perga”

11th Place Location: Antalya, Turkey Description: “Perhaps in the aftermath of a winter storm, this image snapshots the ruins of Perge or Perga in southwestern Turkey with an evening glow. The site contains remnants from Greek and Roman settlement; it includes an agora (a central public gathering space), a theater, a stadium, palaestra (wrestling school), a temple of Artemis, and two churches.”

#16 “Wat Phra Si Mahathat”

20th Place Location: Bangkok, Thailand Description: “One of just 23 first-class royal temples in Thailand is Wat Phra Si Mahathat in Bangkok. It was built to commemorate the government’s victory over a 1933 rebellion.”

#17 “Sun Temple Of Modhera”

22nd Place Location: Modhera, India Description: “The elaborate carvings on the sandstone walls of Sun Temple of Modhera can be readily seen on this clear January day. Although the temple no longer offers worshipping services, it is now a Monument of National Importance in India and a tentative candidate for a UNESCO World Heritage Site listing.”

#18 “Great Flower Hall”

18th Place Location: Taichung, Taiwan Description: “This theatrical stage stands as part of the Great Flower Hall in the Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden in Taichung, Taiwan. After being completed in the 1890s, it was used for public banquets. Today, it is a tourist attraction and museum.”

#19 “Saint Peter's Church”

13th Place Location: Leuven, Belgium Description: “Giles Laurent, a six-year Wikimedia volunteer, visited Saint Peter’s Church in Leuven, Belgium, late on a winter night to grab this photo of its facade with few people around. The church was designed to have a bell tower, but it was never completed. The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside other churches on the Belfries of Belgium and France list.”

#20 “City Hall Novi Sad”

17th Place Location: Novi Sad, Serbia Description: “Long-time Wikimedia volunteer Tournasol7 (since 2008!) snapped this photo of the city hall in Novi Sad, Serbia, on a grey November day. Located in the heart of the city’s Old Town, the neo-renaissance building was built in the 1890s to serve as a permanent seat of local government.”

#21 “Lakshminarayana Temple”

14th Place Location: Hosaholalu, India Description: “Some buildings are designed to be viewed from the front only. Lakshminarayana Temple in Hosaholalu, India, is not one of them—this is actually a photograph of its backside. The temple is an estimated 800 years old and is an example of Hoysala architecture.”

#22 “Church Of The Intercession”

9th Place Location: Ukraine Description: “Summer is looming around this image of the Church of the Intercession, built in 1854 and located in a small village in western Ukraine.”

#23 “Khan Al-Rubu'”

16th Place Location: near Karbala, Iraq Description: “Khan al-Rubu’ in Iraq was built by the Ottoman Empire along the Karbala–Najaf road to serve as a stopover point for traveling caravans. It is also known as Khan al-Nakhila.”

#24 “Extramural Sanctuary Of Demeter And Persephone”

15th Place Location: Cyrene, Lybia Description: “The Extramural Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone in Cyrene, Libya, carries that first word because it was founded outside the city limits. The complex was in use by the late 7th century BCE. Archaeological excavations of its ruins, which include a temple and theater complex, started in 1969.”

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24 Winning Images From Wikimedia’s Wiki Loves Monuments Photo Contest