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The Tottori Sand Museum’s current exhibition showcases sand sculptures of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Asia. Pictured: A sand replica of the Great Wall of China, a 4,000-mile barrier built over several centuries to protect the Chinese empire.
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Tottori Sand Museum in Japan

The Tottori Sand Museum’s current exhibition showcases sand sculptures of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Asia. Pictured: A sand replica of the Great Wall of China, a 4,000-mile barrier built over several centuries to protect the Chinese empire.

The Tottori Sand Museum’s current exhibition showcases sand sculptures of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Asia.

Pictured: A sand replica of the Great Wall of China, a 4,000-mile barrier built over several centuries to protect the Chinese empire. (Tottori Sand Museum)

The exhibition features the works of eight artists from five countries. Pictured: A replica of China’s Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, where thousands of terracotta soldiers are buried to honor China’s first unifier.

The exhibition features the works of eight artists from five countries.

Pictured: A replica of China’s Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, where thousands of terracotta soldiers are buried to honor China’s first unifier. (Tottori Sand Museum)

The 11 sand sculptures featured in the exhibition cover over an acre of space. The largest sculpture is 16 feet high and 46 feet wide. Pictured: The ancient city of Ashur, Iraq. It served as the first capital of the Assyrian Empire from the 14th to the 9th century BC.

The 11 sand sculptures featured in the exhibition cover over an acre of space. The largest sculpture is 16 feet high and 46 feet wide.

Pictured: The ancient city of Ashur, Iraq. It served as the first capital of the Assyrian Empire from the 14th to the 9th century BC. (Tottori Sand Museum)

The museum is found in the Tottori Prefecture, home to Japan’s only sand dune. Pictured: Sand versions of the Buddha statues of Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley. In 2001, two standing Buddha statues were destroyed by the Taliban.

The museum is found in the Tottori Prefecture, home to Japan’s only sand dune.

Pictured: Sand versions of the Buddha statues of Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley. In 2001, two standing Buddha statues were destroyed by the Taliban. (Tottori Sand Museum)

The sand sculpture exhibit opened in April and will be on display until Jan. 3, 2009. Pictured: Angkor, Cambodia. Angkor, site of the Khmer Empire’s various capitals, houses over 1,000 temples.

The sand sculpture exhibit opened in April and will be on display until Jan. 3, 2009.

Pictured: Angkor, Cambodia. Angkor, site of the Khmer Empire’s various capitals, houses over 1,000 temples. (Tottori Sand Museum)

Pictured: Ruins of Persepolis, Iran. Dating back to 518 B.C., Persepolis served as the capital of the Achaemenid Empire.

Pictured: Ruins of Persepolis, Iran. Dating back to 518 B.C., Persepolis served as the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. (Tottori Sand Museum)

Pictured: Ayutthaya, Thailand. The city served as the second capital of the Siam Empire. Destroyed by the Burmese in the 18th century, the city’s remaining towers and monasteries reveal its past grandeur.

Pictured: Ayutthaya, Thailand. The city served as the second capital of the Siam Empire. Destroyed by the Burmese in the 18th century, the city’s remaining towers and monasteries reveal its past grandeur. (Tottori Sand Museum)

Pictured: Ellora Caves, India. Thirty-four monasteries and temples comprise this religious complex where Buddhist, Hindu and Jainist influences can be found.

Pictured: Ellora Caves, India. Thirty-four monasteries and temples comprise this religious complex where Buddhist, Hindu and Jainist influences can be found. (Tottori Sand Museum)

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