12. Jerusalem
Jewish, Christian, and Muslim worshippers all flock here, each staking their claim on parts of this nearly 4,000-year-old city that continues to capture and defy the imagination. Yet Jerusalem also has its eye on the modern and secular as witnessed by the rise of luxury apartment buildings, popular coffee bars, and the recent renovation of the Israel Museum. The collection of nearly 500,000 objects dates from the 12th century B.C. to modern-day Damien Hirst.