Human civilizations have been building monuments for thousands of years in order to honour their culture, their religion and gods, to remember historic moments and to honour their loved ones. Here are 18 of the most incredible monuments ever built.

Abandoned Soviet Monuments







These are abandoned monuments that are scattered across the former Soviet Union. Before it collapsed the Soviet Union had an area of 8.65 million square miles and within that vast area lived a population of 290 million people.

Angkor Wat







This impressive ancient temple now known as Angkor Wat took 30 years of hard labor to construct, and its clear all that time was worth it judging by the ruins that still remain to this day. Built in the 12th century, the temple is praised for its impressive architecture and artistic appeal.

Great Mosque of Djenne



This structure is actually the worlds largest mud brick building in the world. The original Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali was commissioned in the 13th century but most of the structure was demolished in the 1830s to make way for a smaller mosque. The current incarnation of the mosque that stands today was build between 1906 and 1907.