Wat Ratchanatdaram (Loha Prasat)

Loha Prasat looks like nothing else in Bangkok — or anywhere else in the world. It's a multi-tiered metal castle bristling with 37 iron spires, and it's one of only three metal prasats ever built. The other two, in India and Sri Lanka, are long gone, making this the last one standing on the planet.

Built in the 1840s by King Rama III, the structure was inspired by a Buddhist monastery in Sri Lanka described in ancient texts. Each of the 37 spires represents one of the 37 virtues needed to reach enlightenment. The interior is a spiral meditation path — you climb through dark corridors and up narrow stairs, passing through levels that are supposed to represent stages of spiritual progress. At the top, you emerge onto a platform with views of the Golden Mount, Democracy Monument, and the old city rooftops.

The temple went through a major renovation and reopened looking spectacular — the black metal spires against the sky are one of the most dramatic silhouettes in Bangkok, especially at sunset when they go from dark to golden. It sits just behind the popular Ratchanatdaram market area, and most people walking by don't realise they're looking at one of the rarest religious structures on Earth.