Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.

The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.

A spectacular rainbow of stained glass makes the "Pink Mosque" one of the most beautiful in Iran.

A lush desert oasis in the shape of a narrow crescent.

Natives of this mud-brick desert village use an ancient irrigation system to grow sweet, seedless grapes.

The ancient remains of this natural fortress can still be found along the Silk Road looking surprisingly preserved.

These excavated burials from the Tarim Basin are wrapped in mystery.

These ancient pecked images are among the oldest and best-preserved in Mongolia.

The last stop in southeast Russia.

The apartment building where JFK's assassin lived after defecting to the Soviet Union.

A sculpture of graceful storks sits atop this fountain in Independence Square.

A beautiful and moving memorial set on a little island in the middle of the river in Minsk.

Remnants of the city's Soviet history hover over this modern fast-food outlet.

Thanks to its heroic service during WWII this Soviet castle has been turned into a monument towered over by a brutalist titan.

Founded in 670, this ancient mosque is an architectural time portal.

This whimsical castle of grottoes was the labor of love of a French postman, and one of the greatest achievements of outsider architecture.

Beneath the city of Lourdes, France is a massive, concrete church.

Lyon's "Wall of the Silk Weavers" is one of the largest murals in Europe.

Explore the 500-year history of silk-making in Lyon at this museum, workshop, and boutique.

Lyon, France is home to two remarkably preserved Roman theaters, one dating back to 15 BCE.

Monsters and miniatures are held in equal esteem at this wondrous museum.

Hundreds of hidden passageways weave through the old quarters of Lyon.

One of the most powerful religious centers in the Middle Ages, dubbed the founder of Western monasticism.

The only medieval bridge in Britain with its defensive tower still in tact.