Marked by the hand of the explorer Henry Morton Stanley.

Named after a legendary garden called Eram in southern Arabia, built by order of Shaddad, an Arab king who wanted to compete with Paradise.

17th century mosque for Shah Abbas' harem.

This ancient burial site is believed to be one of the first earthquake-protected structures in the world.

These little castles each held thousands of pigeons.

This vast, water-filled underground labyrinth can only be toured by boat.

Putrefaction plateaus in Iran, where the dead were sent for decontamination before going to their final resting place.

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

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

Foreign invaders almost left this lovely Caucasus palace alone—almost.

Azerbaijani ghost town, decaying after a war left it an armed forces buffer zone.

A shrine of fire worship built on top of a natural flame.

Resonant stone, that has been played since prehistoric times.

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

Mysterious hillside with a continuously burning natural fire.

This series of Armenian caves held the oldest brain, shoe, and winery in the world.

Nestled in a peaceful valley, this Armenian monastery may have been saved from Mongols thanks to the eyes of God.

Giant stone letters dedicated to the founder of Armenia's alphabet.

The most visited pilgrimage site in Armenia once held a saint in a pit for 13 years.

This Armenian monastery was carved out of cliffs and named after the spear used to stab Jesus.

A geological oddity topped with a 2,000-year-old pagan temple.

Yemen's "Stone Palace" looks like it was carved right out of the tall stone column on which it is built.

One of the most remote and isolated villages on the Arabian Peninsula.

A city built from mud and known as the "Manhattan of the desert."