Had yourself pegged as a bit of a dab hand with the ol' bucket and spade, eh? Well, prepare to have your bubble well and truly burst, my friend, because this sandcastle is some next level shit.
OK, so strictly speaking it's not really a sandcastle, but it sure as hell looks like one and that's close enough for us.
This is, in fact, an ancient hilltop citadel in Iran, close to the Pakistani border. It's called Arg-e Bam. It marks the Silk Road and was devastated by an earthquake in 2003, but now work is under way to restore it to its former glory. If you ask us, it still looks pretty damn spectacular just the way it is.
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Credit: PA
Credit: Oxlaey
There are no precise archaeological dates to pinpoint when exactly the citadel was built but experts reckon it came to be sometime around the 4th and 6th centuries BC.
On December 26, 2003, a devastating earthquake, measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale, struck the city of Bam, killing between 26,000 and 32,000 people. In addition, more than 80 percent of Arg-e Bam was destroyed.
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Since then various other countries, including Japan, Italy, and France, have been co-operating with the Iranian government to rebuild the citadel.
Japan alone has donated millions in finance to help with the restoration effort.
Credit: Oxlaey
Credit: Oxlaey
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Credit: Oxlaey
The ancient citadel isn't just incredible to look at; structurally it had some pretty nifty features, too. Arg-e Bam boasts several 'wind-catcher' towers, which basically function like a sort of primitive air-conditioning system. Air is funnelled down the tunnels and directed onto the ground, into buildings and even over the surface of water to keep it cool.
Pretty impressive stuff for a building that predates the bible by several hundred years.
Restoration work has so far fixed 90 percent of the damage caused by the earthquake and is due to be finished this year.
Featured Image Credit: OxlaeyTopics: Iran