The untimely death of a dignitary's daughter led to this fort being abandoned before it was ever finished.

The fight to make Bengali an official language started in this stunning university hall.

This historic textile city was abandoned after being ravaged by fire.

This colorful palace is an oasis of calm amid the hustle and bustle of the Buriganga riverfront.

This mysterious but iconic tapered tower appears in many Azeri fairytales and legends.

The building's fluid, wavelike walls are a true feat of architectural ingenuity.

Swirling layers of white and red rock earned these mountains their festive nickname.

Home to nearly a third of the world's mud volcanoes, Azerbaijan is home to a messy, bubbling, and sometimes explosive landscape.

This striking icon of the disputed Republic of Artsakh caused a stir at a Eurovision Song Contest.

Mysterious hillside with a continuously burning natural fire.

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

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

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

Despite a history of destruction, this former citadel survives to document Afghanistan's oft overlooked history.

Highly unusual subterranean stupa and adjacent cave monastery.

This magnificent blue mosque in Afghanistan is surrounded by thousands of white doves.

Antarctica's only sculpture garden, it has art and penguins, but no plants in sight.

The birthplace of the very first human resident born in Antarctica.

A wooden hut from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

This abandoned Antarctic base sits nearly unchanged since it was forsaken in the 1950s, just waiting for you to visit.

The world's largest neutrino telescope searches for secrets of the universe at the South Pole.

The best place to send your postcards home from Antarctica.

One of the world's southernmost bars.

An abandoned whaling station on an active volcano offers hot springs in Antarctica, surrounded by ruined giants of industry.