For hidden beauty, you have to walk an extra mile.  为了隐秘的美，你要多走一英里。

They may be visually stunning, but cliff-top temples were typically not built with architectural beauty in mind. Instead, some of most famously located monasteries — like these in Meteora, Greece — were built so that monks could protect themselves from the kind of political upheaval that was so common in the Middle Ages. The builders of another religious complex, the Paro Taktsang in Bhutan, chose their construction site because it was adjacent to a network of caves where early Buddhist figures had meditated and lived.

视觉上，它们着实令人惊叹，但悬崖顶上的寺庙通常不是以建筑美为目的建造。相反，一些特殊位置的最著名的寺院——比如希腊的Meteora——是为了让僧侣们躲避中世纪那些时常爆发的政治动荡的迫害。另一个宗教建筑群——不丹的Paro Taktsang——选择该地的初衷是因为它毗邻一个洞穴群（早期的佛教人物在那里冥想和生活）。

Today, some mountainside temples are off-limits for safety reasons. Others still hold cultural or religious significance and are either closed to the public or only partially open. Some still welcome visitors including pilgrims and those willing to display the requisite level of respect.

今天，一些悬崖上的寺庙出于安全原因被禁止进入。其他寺庙仍然具有文化或宗教意义，要么对公众关闭，要么只是部分开放。另一些寺庙仍然欢迎朝圣者和虔诚的游客。

静静地，看——那些古老神秘、宁静庄严、而又不失韵致的建筑。

Hanging Temple of China  中国山西悬空寺

The Hanging Templeis far above the ground on a sheer cliff face. Experts believe the structures on Heng Mountain in Shanxi, China, may be more than 1,500 years old. The buildings are seemingly held on the cliff by oak supports placed into holes chiseled in the rock face below. Overall, the complex has more than 40 halls and buildings. Interestingly, the three major religions of China, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, are represented together within the temple.

悬空寺建在离地面很远的陡峭的悬崖中。专家认为，这座位于中国山西恒山上的建筑可能有1，500多年的历史。这些建筑似乎是用橡木顶住岩石洞与悬崖相连。该建筑群有40多个大厅和建筑组成。有趣的是，它是中国现存唯一的佛、道、儒三教合一的独特寺庙。

Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest)  尼泊尔虎穴寺   

Paro Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest, is a Buddhist temple complex in Bhutan. It's perched on a rock ledge in the Paro Valley. The temple was built around a series of caves where Padmasambhava, an Indian teacher who spread Buddhism in the region in the 8th century, meditated during his stay in Bhutan. The temple dates to the 17th century. It surrounds a total of 13 caves. Legend has it that Padmasambhava traveled to this precarious location on a flying tiger, thus the name Tiger's Nest.

虎穴寺是不丹的一座佛教寺庙建筑群，坐落在帕罗山谷的岩石上。这座寺庙环绕着一群洞穴而建，8世纪一位印度教师Padmasambhava传教时曾在那里冥想。这座寺庙历史可追溯到17世纪。它环绕着13座洞穴。传说Padmasambhava乘着一只会飞的老虎来到这个悬崖，因此命名为虎穴寺。

In the valley below the temple, the locals hold a traditional Bhutanese festival, called a Tsechu, to honor Padmasambhava in the springtime each year.

寺庙下面的山谷里，当地人每年春天都会举行一次名为“Tsechu”的不丹传统节日，以纪念Padmasambhava。

Meteora  希腊的曼代奥拉 

Meteora, which means "middle of the sky" or "lofty," is a collection of rock formations in Greece. The natural spires are picturesque, but the stunning collection of cliff-top monasteries are the main draw. Eastern Orthodox monks built the first monastery here in the 11th century, and more monks came over the next 300 years. The inaccessible rock formations proved to be the perfect places to hide from Turkish raiders and military groups who operated in the area. The monks built as many as two dozen temples. Most were only accessible by rope ladder, and the inhabitants would simply pull up the ropes when they felt threatened. Today, six of these original structures remain open at Meteora. Meteora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and most of the remaining monasteries still have monks or nuns in residence.

Meteora意为“中天”或“巍峨”，是希腊的一片岩石群。自然凸起的尖峰美丽而奇特，但令人叹为观止的是悬崖顶的修道院。东正教僧侣在11世纪建造了这里的第一座寺院，接下来的300年里吸纳了更多的僧侣。难以攀爬的岩层使其成为躲避土耳其入侵者和周边军队的理想场所。僧侣们建造了多达二十多个寺庙。大多数只能通过绳索梯进入，居民们感觉到威胁时就会拉起绳索。今天，这些原始建筑中有六个仍然对外开放。Meteora是联合国教科文组织的一处世界遗产遗址，寺院大多仍有僧侣或修女居住。

Taung Kalat Monastery  缅甸唐卡拉特修道院   

Mount Popa is an extinct volcano in Myanmar. The mountain is only 5,000 feet in elevation, but it seems more prominent because the surrounding plains are flat. Taung Kalat is a rock formation with sheer sides on the slopes of Popa. A large temple sits on the plateau at the top of this formation. To get to the temple, visitors must climb 777 steps. The temple features a number of shrines and offers views of the surrounding plains and mountain. You may even be able to see the famous temple complex of Bagan in the distance.

波帕山是缅甸的一座死火山。海拔只有5，000英尺，但由于周围平坦的平原，这座山显得格外突出。Taung Kalat位于波帕山坡陡峭侧壁上的岩层。山顶有一座大寺庙。要到达寺庙，游客必须爬上777级台阶。这座寺庙的特色是神殿和周围平原、山峰的景色。你甚至可以看到远处著名的巴甘神庙。

Sümela Monastery  土耳其黑海苏梅拉修道院 

Located in northern Turkey near the Black Sea in the Pontic Mountains, Sümela Monastery is built into a cliff at an altitude of about 4,000 feet above sea level. The monastery is extremely old. It was founded by Greek Orthodox monks in the year 386 and was expanded and renovated over the centuries. The original purpose was to house a religious icon featuring a painting of the Virgin Mary.

Sümela修道院位于土耳其北部，靠近黑海的庞蒂克山脉，建在海拔约4000英尺的悬崖上。修道院非常古老。它是由希腊东正教僧侣在386年建立的，经历了几个世纪的扩建和翻新。最初的目的是建设一座以圣母玛利亚画像为特色的宗教建筑。

Phugtal Monastery    印度北部Phugtal修道院 

India's Phugtal Monastery is remote in more ways than one. It's located in the autonomous Himalayan region of Ladakh, and visitors can only reach it on foot. The monastery's supplies arrive on horses and mules. Like other prominent Himalayan temples, this one is built around a cave where Buddhist teachers once meditated. According to legend, the earliest residents of the cave were monks who studied directly under the Buddha.

印度Phutal修道院地处偏远。它位于拉达克的喜马拉雅山自治区，游客只能步行到达。寺院的供应物资依靠马和骡子到运输。和喜马拉雅山其他著名的寺庙一样，这座寺庙建在一个佛教传道士曾经冥想的洞穴周围。传说，这个洞穴最早的居民直接受教于释迦哞尼。

Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe    法国圣米歇尔d'Aiguilhe礼拜堂 

This chapel is on the top of a volcanic plug that rises 279 feet above the ground. It's near the Loire River in the town of Le Puy-en-Velay, France. Saint Michel is accessible via 268 stone steps carved into the rock. The site was first built in the 10th century by a clergyman named Bishop Godescalc who had just returned from a pilgrimage to Spain. Inspired by the grand mosques and cathedrals there, he decided to create a chapel in the most eye-catching place in town.

这个小礼拜堂位于距地面279英尺的火山顶。它邻近法兰西勒普伊-恩-韦莱镇的卢瓦尔河。圣米歇尔可以通过268个石阶抵达。这座教堂最初是由戈德斯卡克主教在10世纪建造的，他当时刚经朝圣之旅回到西班牙。受到大清真寺和大教堂的启发，他决定在城里最引人注目的地方建立这样一座教堂。

Pura Luhur Uluwatu    巴厘岛的乌鲁瓦图神庙 

Uluwatu means "rock at land's end." This Balinese Hindu temple sits on the ledge over a sheer cliff. The temple dates back to the 11th century, when a guru from the neighboring island of Java built it over 200 feet above the sea. Today Uluwatu is a tourist attraction, and the grounds host daily traditional Kecak Dance performances. It's open for Hindu prayer 24 hours per day, but those who aren't there for religious practices are only allowed during daytime hours.

Uluwatu的意思是“陆地尽头的岩石”。这座巴厘岛印度教寺庙坐落在悬崖边的峭壁上。这座寺庙可以追溯到11世纪，当时一位来自邻近爪哇岛的古鲁人把它建在距海面200英尺以上的地方。今天，Uluwatu是一个旅游景点，这里每天都会举办传统的Kecak舞蹈表演。它每天24小时开放给印度教祈祷，但普通游客只允许在白天进入。

Katskhi Pillar    高加索地区的格鲁吉亚教堂

This monolith in Georgia rises 130 feet above the ground. A small building sits at the top the formation. Experts believe it was a hermitage that someone built in the 8th, 9th or 10th century. No one is quite sure how the builder accomplished the daunting construction project.

这块格鲁吉亚的巨石位于地面上130英尺处。一座小小的建筑坐落在顶部。专家认为，这是8、9或10世纪有人建造的隐居地。没有人能清楚建造者是如何完成这一令人望而生畏的工程的。

READ MORE: https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/photos/precariously-perched-temples-and-monasteries/away-civilization