Unlike other abandoned asylums this empty institution welcomes visitors, just don't go in the buildings.

This hospital once pioneered the use of electroencephalograms, but fell into maltreatment, abuse, and eventual abandonment.

A sprawling Baroque park with 300-year-old hydro-pneumatic waterworks.

Giant reed houses made in the marshes of Southern Iraq.

In this tiny Iranian town playing on the roof isn't just encouraged, it's the only place to go.

Hydraulic systems in an ancient underground Iranian city.

This circular Iranian jail was once a political prison run by the country's secret police.

Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.

Named after a legendary garden called Eram in southern Arabia, built by order of Shaddad, an Arab king who wanted to compete with Paradise.

The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.

Putrefaction plateaus in Iran, where the dead were sent for decontamination before going to their final resting place.

17th century mosque for Shah Abbas' harem.

An old vending machine serves up unpredictable beverages from its seemingly magical insides.

A wall of chewing gum moonlights as collective art.

The ruin of a Japanese love hotel almost completely overgrown with brambles.

These azure waters were thought to lead to the Mayan Underworld.

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

A whimsical antique shop with a strong air of mystery, filled with items from ages, and what feels like worlds, past.

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.

A library built during San Francisco's pioneer times is a student's retreat, bibliophile's sanctuary, and chess player's delight.

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.

9,000 square feet of vintage and modern mechanical toys, dioramas & sideshow curiosities.

An "anarchical" no man's land, complete with garbage sculptures and a hobo-run "Landfillian Library."

A ruined hotel with an unlucky history and an eerie present.