thornhillnaomi's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Auliyeagash, Kazakhstan

Kieli Agash (Sacred Tree) of Auliyeagash

Local lore says this 700-year-old tree has sacred and medicinal properties.
Denisov District, Kazakhstan

Lisakovsk Pentagram

An abandoned Soviet-era park that, when viewed from the air, looks like a pentagram.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

Ascension Cathedral

In Kazakhstan, a colorful cathedral with many lives once survived the most powerful earthquake in the region.
Astana, Kazakhstan

Khan Shatyr

An entertainment center in a huge transparent tent.
Shetpe, Kazakhstan

Valley of Balls

Mysterious spherical rocks in the semi-desert of western Kazakhstan.
Raiymbek District, Kazakhstan

Charyn Canyon

Nicknamed Kazakhstan's Grand Canyon, this natural wonder lies east of Almaty near the Chinese border.
Astana, Kazakhstan

Palace of Peace and Reconciliation

Iconic pyramid from famed British architect Norman Foster designed to represent all of the world's religious faiths.
Enbekshikazakh District, Kazakhstan

Issyk Lake

The lovely lake that was naturally dammed, then naturally destroyed, then unnaturally saved.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

Big Almaty Lake

A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.
Aralsk, Kazakhstan

Aral Sea

Rusting ships sit in a desert where a sea used to be.
Saty, Kazakhstan

Kaindy Lake

Submerged trees jut ghost-like out of an idyllic turquoise mountain lake.
Moscow, Russia

Twin Stars Diner

This Russian diner is staffed entirely by twins.
Derbent, Russia

Ekranoplan Lun

An enormous Soviet aircraft, the only one of its kind, stands at the deserted shore of the Caspian Sea.
Zheleznovodsk, Russia

Monument to Enemas

Russian spa's bronze monument to enemas.
Nikola-Lenivets, Russia

Nikola-Lenivets Art Park

The largest art park on the European continent.
Kuraginsky District, Russia

Tiberkul Religious Settlement

Home of Vissarion, the "Jesus of Siberia."
Ostashkov, Russia

Alexander Golod's Pyramids

Ukrainian defense contractor's center for studying "pyramid energy."
Volgograd, Russia

Mysterious Volgograd Balls

Volcanic irregularity? Odd erosion? Alien eggs? Local legends compete to explain these strange orbs.
Elista, Russia

Chess City

The largest Buddhist city in Europe is a haven for chess fanatics.
Alexandrovsky District, Russia

Nazino Island

Social outcasts and cannibalism in Stalin's Soviet Union.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

John Lennon Street

A small and surprising passageway in Saint Petersburg devoted to the Beatles.
Samara, Russia

Stalin's Bunker

Stalin's secret bunker.
Solovetskiy, Russia

Bolshoi Zayatsky Island

No one knows why ancient labyrinths were built on this tiny northern island.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Museum of Hygiene

This Russian museum stresses the importance of keeping clean and even holds one of Pavlov's dogs.