Reputedly haunted sandstone necropolis with exquisite stone carvings.

The abandoned palace stands as a wounded but proud beacon of Afghan hope.

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

This monument honors the life of a long-suffering lion whose story captivated the world.

A sobering museum dedicated to landmines and the personnel working to remove them from Afghanistan.

The controversial final resting place of the equally controversial first president of Turkmenistan.

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The world's second-tallest flagpole stands proud despite dropping rank.

A building facade covered with the statues of 11 giants of Tajik literature.

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

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

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

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

This sprawling market is a one-stop shop for traditional Kazakh foods, from mare’s milk to sheep’s head.

A modern tower, symbolizing the legend of a golden egg on top of the tree of life.

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

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

A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.