Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784. During this period the framework of national government was consolidated and Nara enjoyed great prosperity, emerging as the fountainhead of Japanese culture. The city's historic monuments – Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and the excavated remains of the great Imperial Palace – provide a vivid picture of life in the Japanese capital in the 8th century, a period of profound political and cultural change.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
Temples, shrines and palace remains of ancient Japan.
Collections featuring Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
More UNESCO sites in Japan
- Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island
- Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara
- Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
- Mount Fuji
- Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu
- Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region
- Himeji-jo
- Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land