Sacred Earth: Places of Peace and Power

Acclaimed photographer and anthropologist Martin Gray spent the last 20 years visiting 1,000 sacred sites in 80 countries around the world. His journey unfolds in a remarkable compilation of images that reveals just how devoutly pre-industrial cultures everywhere worshipped and respected the Earth.

He travels everywhere from the Western Wall to the Great Mosque of Damascus, Mt Olympus to Assisi, Tibet's Potala Palace to Hawaii's Mauna Kea, and from Teotihuacán in Mexico to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He explores the awe-inspiring places from which all the world's great religions sprang, along with our finest culture, art and architecture.

Gray's stunning photographs and fascinating text provide unique insight into why these powerful holy places are the most venerated and visited sites on the planet. Maps adapted from the National Geographic Society show the locations of all the sites presented, and a thorough appendix includes a comprehensive list of over 500 of the world's sacred sites.

Martin Gray's work has been published by the National Geographic. He has an award-winning website, www.sacredsites.com, which has received more than 6 million visitiors.