A sixth-century Byzantine cistern hidden below a modern carpet store.

A tiny park in the middle of some big power politics.

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.

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

A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.

Ancient barriers wrap around what was once an important stop along the Silk Road.

This famed Silk Road oasis was one of the largest cities in the world before it was destroyed by a Mongol horde.

An eccentric dictator's take on a Turkmen version of Disneyland.

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.

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

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

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

This harsh mountain path was built as a strange attempt to improve the health of Turkmen citizens.

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

Once a bustling fishing port, this semi-ghost town is now more than 90 miles away from the shore.

Where Stoddart and Connolly suffered in the infamous Bug Pit.

This "tower of death" has acted as an observatory, a religious hub, and an executioner's lair.

The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.

18m long sarcophagus of a constantly growing dead prophet.

Light still pours into the ruins of this ancient Islamic observatory.

An underground world of gorgeous, palatial metro stations designed as a nuclear shelter complex.

Giant cauldrons overflow with Uzbekistan's favorite rice dish at this cavernous dining hall.

A Buddhist temple covered in intricate designs and carvings made out of seashells and pieces of coral.

Sprawled across the Great Hall ceiling are various constellations and images relating to the zodiac.