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

A sacred lake with thousands of sacred carp and a biblical history.

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.

Mausoleum and Holy Seat of Antiochus I of Commagene.

While not Turkey's deepest underground city, this subterranean redoubt is the largest.

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

This hunter-gatherer architecture is believed to be the oldest religious complex known.

No one is sure if the world's fourth-largest diamond had been found in a rubbish heap or was pawned by Napoleon's mom.

The oldest still-inhabited hill fort in India looks like a magnificent golden sandcastle.

Hidden in the shadow of a rocky fortress is one concubine’s long-forgotten legacy.

Once an indicator of social class, the color blue has come to define this city on the edge of the Thar Desert.

This French colonial post office is arguably the grandest in all of Southeast Asia.

A focal point of the Cuban government, this city square features one of the most iconic images in the country.

This enormous sports car themed amusement park is home to the world’s fastest roller coaster.

Billed as the "largest natural flower garden in the world" this Middle Eastern show field has little competition at 45 million flowers.

Whitewashed mosque contains the world's largest carpet.

Home of the unusual art of water puppetry, one of Vietnam's oldest curiosities.

Ho Chi Minh's perfectly preserved body has been on display here since 1975.

An extravagant monument to an extravagantly unpopular Emperor.

This bridge is embedded with a giant steel dragon that breathes fire from its mouth.

A nightmare for the claustrophobic lies hidden in Southeast Asia.

Artifacts and memories from the Vietnam war, located in a place that experienced it first hand.

A battle between nature and architecture in the Cambodian jungle.