Don't look down! The monasteries of Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas (left) and Agia Roussanou (right) in Greece, which form part of the Meteora complex of precariously placed buildings

Path to enlightenment: A stunning scene showing the Monastery of Roussanou in what must one of the most serene places in the world

Nerve-wracking: A man is hoisted 250ft in a net, the only way to access the Monastery of St Barlaam (right), which also forms part of the Meteora complex in Greece

In Bhutan, the Taktshang Tiger's Nest monastery clings to a cliff 2,300ft above the Paro Valley floor.

According to legend, it takes its name from the 'second Buddha', Precious Guru Padmasambhava, who travelled to the site on a tiger.

Some visitors have reportedly fallen to their death on the way up after apparently losing their footing.

But the desire to build in such vertigo-inducing places isn't just confined to Asia. Turkey has its own, the monastery of Sumela, perched at an altitude of 3,900ft.