abstract
| - Looking for a weapon out of legend? The headquarters of an Ancient Tradition? An interdimensional portal? Relics of a lost civilization? The Ancient Astronauts' spaceship? A site of untold mystic power? If they're not in the writer's capital city or hometown, they'll be here, at a Landmark of Lore. These are the places where people are almost eager to believe almost anything could be found, so many tales swirl around them. Mostly they are either places rich in history, which have been the centre of stories for centuries, or places remote enough that the audience knows little about them. Sometimes these locations will be turned into a Weaponized Landmark. Compare Ruins for Ruins Sake and Temple of Doom, which may overlap. Probably the result of Small Reference Pools and as such is the Sister Trope to Public Domain Artifact. Examples include
* Angkor Wat - A genuine lost temple, deep in remote jungle
* Area 51 - What is the U.S. government hiding in the Nevada desert?
* The Bermuda Triangle - Mysterious area where ships disappear.
* Easter Island - Remote, with enigmatic statues.
* El Dorado - Fabled land of gold.
* Other "cities of gold", such as Akator, Cibola and the City of the Caesars have also been used.
* The Forbidden City of Beijing - Not actually mystical, but come on! It's forbidden, how can you not want to go see it?
* The Great Pyramid of Giza - Famous Egyptian landmark with a number of astronomically significant features.
* There are two pyramids at the Giza Necropolis that occur often, the Pyramid of Khufu (formerly largest, by 2 feet) and the Pyramid of Khephren (currently the largest and best preserved one).
* Machu Picchu - An Incan city in the mountains of Peru, abandoned centuries ago.
* Nazca, Peru - Landing strip for the Ancient Astronauts.
* Shangri-La - Home of mysterious monks.
* Stonehenge - Ascribed all sorts of mystic powers, usually completely ignoring all the other stone circles around Europe.
* Uluru (a.k.a. Ayer's Rock) in central Australia.
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