This former Imperial summer home was the venue for a royal slap that once echoed 'round the world.

The legendary luxury train passage is commemorated with a charming museum inside its former eastern terminus.

1513 Turkish world map, full of European state secrets and snarky commentary.

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.

This remarkably well-preserved Egyptian plinth is pretty well traveled for a giant piece of stone.

A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.

Japan's largest collection of Western-style mansions in the port city of Kobe includes a recreation of Sherlock Holmes' 221B Baker Street quarters.

Burial mound for the ears and noses of thousands of mutilated Korean soldiers.

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

Starship-temple contains 400 tons of drinking water and offers free Japanese lessons.

A bronze statue dating back as far as 1252, still has remnants of gold on its right cheek from ancient gilding.

This Buddhist temple is home to the graves of the Japanese national legends, the 47 Ronin.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

The original "capsule building" is a masterpiece of Metabolist architecture.

An imperial fortress city that incorporated cultural elements from the entire Mughal empire, only to be abandoned the year it was finished.

The world's largest secondhand book market is a haven for bibliophiles and bargain hunters.

An ancient iron pillar in Delhi that seems to be rustproof.

A blooming house of worship for the masses.

Once an indicator of social class, the color blue has come to define this city on the edge of the Thar Desert.

More than half of this Indian palace is drowned but it looks all the more spectacular for it.

The 953 windows undoubtedly make this the world's most beautiful screened porch.

This smaller cousin of the Forbidden City has gone from ancestral sacrifice to tourist's whispers.