The ancient abodes are a testament to human ingenuity amid harsh climates.

The alleged house of the Virgin Mary is tucked away in a park and nature preserve on Mt. Koressos in Turkey and is holy to both Catholics and Muslims alike.

The most metal church of all time was built in record time because of an international, pious pissing contest.

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

The ornate miniature mansions were built for Istanbul's feathered residents.

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

A meow-velous tribute to a beloved street cat, made famous on the internet.

Ottoman-era houses lovingly preserved.

Once described as the "Eagle's Nest," this ruined ancient city rests on a remote mountaintop.

Hidden just under the waters around this Turkish island are the ruins of a once great city.

Naturally protected city carved from a rock face.

A Lycian city of the dead carved into the hillside of Southern Turkey, complete with startlingly human touches.

These tombs were built into the side of a mountain so that ancient angels could reach the dead.

One Costa Rican island is so beset by illegal shark poachers that the local rangers have built an entire bridge with their confiscated gear .

Costa Rican accommodation resembles a crash site, but with a nice balcony.

This Costa Rican topiary park is a surreal garden of unearthly delights.

The slender brass strip in Prague's Old Town Square was used to tell time from 1652 to 1918.

Unique house covered in a nightmarish mural of demons, ghosts and monsters.

Be(w)ar(e) the moat around this historic Czech castle.

A surreal statue honoring Prague's favorite literary son.

What looks like a crashed Zeppelin is actually a bright, airy reading room perched atop a modern museum.

The oldest garden in Prague, once part of an medieval orchard.

A turn of the century building boasting some of the most beautiful art nouveau architecture in Prague.

The risqué mixed-media sculptures are supposedly a metaphor for Czech politics.