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Places visited in Ocaklı Köyü, Turkey
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Kabul, Afghanistan

Darul Aman Palace

What was once supposed to be the symbol of a shining Afghan future is now a bombed-out ruin.
Bagram, Afghanistan

Site of Alexandria on the Caucasus

The West's first incursion into the Afghan world lies buried beneath a military base.
Herat, Afghanistan

Jihad Museum

Museum dedicated to overthrowing the Soviets, complete with diorama of Soviets being beaten to death with shovels.
Bamyan, Afghanistan

Site of the Bamiyan Buddhas

Once an impressive link to Afghanistan’s Buddhist past, now a sad reminder of intolerance towards other cultures.
Yakawlang, Afghanistan

Band-e Amir Lakes

Splashes of blue in an otherwise monotonous lunar landscape.
Aybak, Afghanistan

Stupa of Takht-e Rostam

Highly unusual subterranean stupa and adjacent cave monastery.
Jerash, Jordan

The Ruins of Jerash

Gladiators battle and chariots race daily in the ruins of a once-great Roman city.
Baalbek, Lebanon

Baalbek Trilithon

The largest hewn stone in history.
Masyaf, Syria

Musyaf Castle

The Syrian headquarters of alleged hashish-smoking assassins.
Syria

Church of Saint Simeon the Stylite

What is left of the pillar of Saint Simeon, the voluntary martyr who climbed the column to give his sermons, remaining perched there for thirty-seven years.
Palmyra, Syria

Palmyra

Mysterious lost empire of the Silk Road.
İkizler Köyü, Turkey

Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross

An ancient church on a tiny island covered in stone bible stories has controversially been turned into a museum.
Batumi, Georgia

Alphabetic Tower

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

Sarpi Border Checkpoint

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

Minuchir Mosque of Ani

Remnants of successive wars and Muslim colonialism in the 11th century.
Ocaklı Köyü, Turkey

Ani Ghost City

An abused and forgotten metropolis, abandoned for centuries.
Cairo, Egypt

Agricultural Museum of Cairo

A huge museum of much more than just agriculture displayed in a princess's palace.