There are certain landmarks that we all know by heart. They pop up in our social media timelines among friends' travel photos and they make appearances in the travel accounts we follow on Instagram.

Amazingly, they're nearly always shot from the same angle. But a slight shift in the vantage point makes all the difference:

1. We usually think of the pyramids as exotic landmarks rising up in the middle of the desert, which is sort of true

Source: Instagram/rowlinglinlinlin

But, they are also piles of stone next to a massive city

Source: Instagram/doctordrop

2. The magnificent opulence of Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Mosque impresses everyone who sees a photo

Source: Instagram/prince_anders0n

But, even a highway glimpse captures the architectural wonder

Source: Instagram/ms.chey_022

3. The Pigeon Rocks (Raouche) by the corniche are probably Beirut's most iconic landmark

Source: Instagram/alouchi.i

But, the view from underneath is like being let in on a secret

Source: nstagram/alexander_photography97

4. Everyone wants to snap this epic photo of the famous treasury in Jordan's Petra

Source: Instagram/emmaraekhalil

But a view from above gives you a different sense of the scale

Source: Instagram/alpha.arz

5. The gorgeous Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca grabs any visitor's attention

Source: Instagram/mcbridekl

Its minaret rises elegantly above the surrounding city

Source: Instagram/aye_sea

6. This is the type of image of Mecca's Masjid al-Haram we're accustomed to seeing

Source: Instagram/haremeyn

But if we zoom out, we see the gorgeous natural landscape that surrounds it.

Source: Instagram/al_hothaly

7. Kuwait Towers already look like they belong in some sci-fi feature film

Source: Instagram/tourisminkuwait

But, from directly below, they transform into trippy abstract art

Source: Instagram/altusvolare

8. Qatar's Museum of Islamic Art has become a defining landmark of Doha

Source: Instagram/tiagomcsbarbosa

The building's geometric architecture looks like a magnificent house boat from another vantage point

Source: Instagram/shahbaaz_baloch

9. Everyone recognize's Riyadh's Kingdom Center

Source: Instagram/lassek63

The view from the side is a bit...underwhelming

Source: Instagram/binzarah

10. It's hard to find a unique shot of a world famous monument like Dubai's Burj Khalifa

Source: Instagram/burjkhalifa

Sometimes, it comes down to finding a different frame

Source: Instagram/burjkhalifa