Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Mtkvari River, thirty kilometres from Aspindza. The main period of construction was the second half of the twelfth century. The caves stretch along the cliff for some five hundred metres and in up to nineteen tiers. The Church of the Dormition, dating to the 1180s during the golden age of Tamar and Rustaveli, has an important series of wall paintings. The site was largely abandoned after the Ottoman takeover in the sixteenth century. Now part of a state heritage reserve, the extended area of Vardzia-Khertvisi has been submitted for future inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List

These illuminating images show the crumbling remains of some of the worlds places of worship. The shots include golden chapels, overgrown synagogues and eerily silent rooms that were once used for prayer. They were visited by Matthias Haker, a 31-year-old photographer from Potsdam, Germany. Adding to the general intrigue of his images, Matthias never discloses the location of a shot – not even the town, country or continent. Here: The Church of All Saints. (Photo by Matthias Haker/Caters News)

These amazing photographs of buildings in Hong Kong transform what is actually a concrete jungle into scenes of immense beauty. The optical illusions taken by landscape photographer Peter Stewart, show the city in a totally different, colorful light, despite it being one of the most overcrowded cities in the world. Photo: Colorful block of apartments in Hong Kong at night. (Photo by Peter Stewart/Caters News)

Second World War veteran 90 year old William Walker launches the Scottish Poppy Appeal, together with soldiers from the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, on October 27, 2011 in Penicuick, Scotland. Mr Walker, who was wounded while serving in Burma in 1943 with the Royal Scots, helped the soldiers form the shape of ninety to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the annual November campaign. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

CANNES, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 03: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi leaves the conference centre after the first day of the G20 Summit on November 3, 2011 in Cannes, France. World's top economic leaders are attending the G20 summit in Cannes on November 3rd and 4th, and are expected to debate current issues surrounding the global financial system in the hope of fending off a global recession and finding an answer to the Eurozone crisis. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Yuan Zi, a male giant panda and Huan Huan, a female giant panda, share their life inside their enclosure at Zoo Parc De Beauval on January 25, 2012 in Beauval, France. A pair of giant pandas which have been loaned to the zoo by China, where they hope the pair will reproduce and help boost the world's dwindling panda population. (Photo by Franck Prevel/Getty Images)

“Douglas Fisher has worked in the photographic industry for more than 25 years, starting out at 19 as an assistant before establishing his own studio, just two years later. Here, Douglas would go on to be among the first to champion the emerging worlds of digital photography and CGI, identifying early the transformative impact they would bring to advertising and high end photography”. – Tim Mitchell

Photo: «Carlsberg Launch». (Photo by Douglas Fisher)

“Annelies Marie “Anne” Frank (12 June 1929 – early March 1945) was one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Childrens watch the wax figure of Anne Frank and their hideout reconstruction at Madame Tussauds on March 9, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)