We are used to seeing the Great Pyramids of Giza, Taj Mahal or the Acropolis in photographed from the front with no background to corrupt their mystical aura. However, they are all built or situated in surroundings that don’t always match the glory, beauty and glitter of the landmarks themselves. This is a compilation of the most famous sights in the world zoomed out enough for us to see their surroundings that are, to put it mildly, surprising!

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1. The Great Pyramids of Giza

Image credits: Edward Ewert

Image credits: Raimond Spekking

2. Stonehenge

Image credits: Amanda White

Image credits: e-architect.co.uk

3. Taj Mahal

Image credits: Marvin Bartels

Image credits: imgur.com

4. Sagrada Familia

Image credits: Rainer Walter Schmied

Image credits: Aldas Kirvaitis

5. The Brandenburg Gate

Image credits: Paul Gamble

Image credits: imgur.com

6. Niagara Falls

Image credits: imgur.com

Image credits: imgur.com

7. The Acropolis

Image credits: imgur.com

Image credits: imgur.com

8. Mount Rushmore

Image credits: Lanis Rossi

Image credits: imgur.com

9. The Forbidden City

Image credits: panoramio.com

Image credits: imgur.com

10. Hollywood

Image credits: imgur.com

Image credits: imgur.com

11. Mona Lisa

Image credits: Pascal Le Segretain

Image credits: traveljapanblog.com

12. Central Park, New York City

Image credits: James

Image credits: Sergey Semenov

13. The Arc de Triomphe

Image credits: Kajo Photography

Image credits: imgur.com

15. Santorini

Image credits: paowmagazine.com

Image credits: Csilla Zelko

14. Little Mermaid

Image credits: wallpaperswiki.com

Image credits: cooldaddypop.com