This spectacular dome managed to survive after being bombed in World War II, in an event known as the "Miracle of Mosta."

Stone Age solar temple is aligned with the sun on each equinox and solstice.

The controversial final resting place of the equally controversial first president of Turkmenistan.

A huge monument to a bizarre book written by Turkmenistan’s longstanding dictator.

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.

A dictator's gold statue once rotated to face the sun on a 75-meter high marble tower.

If you want to get married in the White Marble City of Ashgabat, you should do it in this surreal disco ball building.

This cavernous swimming spot doubles as a home to the largest known colony of bats in Central Asia.

A fiery crater has been burning in the Karakum Desert since 1971.

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

This mysterious but iconic tapered tower appears in many Azeri fairytales and legends.

Foreign invaders almost left this lovely Caucasus palace alone—almost.

Home to nearly a third of the world's mud volcanoes, Azerbaijan is home to a messy, bubbling, and sometimes explosive landscape.

Tower with a double-helix spiral, adorned with letters of the Georgian alphabet.

With over 10,000 lights, this engineering marvel lights up the city after dark.

A gleaming white and undulating tower marks the border between Georgia and Turkey.

This architecturally eclectic fortress witnessed centuries of bloody turmoil, including the massacre of its ruling clan.

Fortified homes of highland warriors that are still in use today.

Small church on top of a huge rock column.

Unusual building appears to be haphazardly built from randomly piled bricks.

A cluster of historic bathhouses built on the famed hot springs that gave the Georgian capital its name.

A literally moving statue of stacked metal giants just continually trying (and failing) to find love.

Take respite inside this jaw-dropping church while climbing the volcano where Georgia's Prometheus was once chained.

The charmingly disheveled clock tower of Tbilisi's puppet theater.