Discussion Need a visual of an altar

I'm having trouble visualizing altars as they are described in some of these cultivation novels.

One example, as I just came across it now but I've seen similar in other novels, is:

Now when I hear "altar" the first image that comes to mind is your typical sacrificial altar that's a rectangular stone box shape. I've Google searched for Chinese altars and they seem to be basically tables, stands, or a cabinet.

OK.

But when an author describes his altar as "towering into the sky", which isn't uncommon, presumably as the MC and company looks at it from near ground level, how can they even tell that it is "an altar"? Wouldn't it look more like a building or even a massive pillar or slab?

 

Ancient Mesopotamian ziggurats were effectively gigantic altars, same for some Meso-American ones. I generally just think of them along those lines.

 

Spoiler

but bigger

 

maybe its like a floating flatform with stares then there's a sacrificial(or something) table on top of the flatform.