These gnarly desert trees produce the prized aromatic resin traded along the ancient incense trail.

This fortress dates back to the 6th century and is also the site of a controversial abandoned restoration project.

A brick building in Kathmandu's Durbar Square is home to Nepal's most prominent living goddess.

This is one of the last surviving structures of a once vast palace complex.

The oldest Hindu temple complex in Nepal serves as the seat of Nepal’s national deity, Lord Pashupatinath.

The former stronghold of the Malla Dynasty has remained virtually unchanged since the 17th century.

This historic square in Nepal is home to temples dating back to the third century.

One of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world keeps an eye out in every direction.

A grand example of 19th century Burmese teak architecture, and the most significant of Mandalay's historic buildings.

This golden temple is surrounded by hundreds of stone tablets that comprise the "world's largest book."

This gem-encrusted temple is said to contain some of the Buddha's hair which can make the deaf hear and the blind see.

Over 2,000 ancient temples dot the Myanmar landscape at the site of this famed archaeological site.

Underneath the historic center of Mexico City, the remains of a temple dedicated to the Aztec god of the wind.

Come face to face with the ferocious visage of the serpent-headed mother goddess of the Aztecs.

The ruins of an ancient city built by Mayan traders is centered around a temple of a sacred feathered serpent deity.

If you can look past the nearby sewer pipes, this urban sinkhole grotto is a mini-paradise.

A scientific repository of goiters, boils and other ailments throughout Mexican history.

Clap your hands at the base of the pyramid, and the song of a sacred Mayan bird will echo through the air.

The only castle in North America to ever house European sovereigns.

These haunting ruins of a 700-year-old Prehispanic city have witnessed centuries of wars and massacres.

No telescopes, no power, no gift shop: The Observatory of Chichen Itza, one of the world's oldest observatories, takes astronomy back to basics.

Every equinox this Maya pyramid puts on a spooky ancient light show.

An expansive complex of subterranean tunnels is all that remains of one of Europe's most formidable medieval fortresses.

A tiny church on a man-made island in the Adriatic.