14 Incredible Sculptures you Won’t Believe Are Made of Sand

While the term sand castle might bring to mind childhood days at the beach with a plastic pail and shovel, these 14 structures are of a different stripe. Using nothing but sand and water, artists have crafted staggeringly intricate replicas of famous structures and imaginative original creations. From a miniature of the Taj Mahal to a rendering of Dubai’s skyline, these sand structures will put your drip castles to shame. While some were made in museums dedicated to this specific art form, others were erected right on the beach. Most took hours to build and shape, and likely disappeared with the next high tide. Despite the structures’ impermanence, their sculptors spared no effort in rendering the tiniest details, from ornate tiling to miniature windowpanes, staircases, and moldings, creating monochromatic masterpieces out of millions of granules of sand. That’s no day at the beach.