Underneath this Byzantinian church lies a necropolis filled with ancient tombs and the ruins of previous churches.

The Grand Mall in Varna hosts one of the biggest collections of Soviet-era paraphernalia in Bulgaria.

This rose and lavender oil distillery still operates as it did more than a century ago.

Not far from a popular beach, an unfinished, abandoned mansion for Bulgaria's last communist dictator.

Founded in the 4th-century, the town of Pernik plays host to the Surva Carnival⁠—a magnificent display of masked Kukeri dancers.

One of the largest mines in Bulgaria is now home to a vast museum more than 100 feet underground.

"Holy Wisdom" overlooks the city that became its namesake.

The social hall of this former factory is a Communist-era time capsule.

The remarkably well-preserved final resting place of a powerful ancient Thracian king.

This ancient theater, restored in the 20th century, lives on as a venue for dramatic and musical performances.

UNESCO-protected ancient burial ground.

The site of many battles and tragedies, including the 40 maidens who leapt into the sea.

An ancient Thracian city where fire rituals were practiced on the largest cult altar in Southeast Europe.

The ceiling of Prohodna Cave in northern Bulgaria affords a peek at the sky via two deity-sized-eye-shaped holes.

A Bulgarian monument to Russia's role in World War II is constantly being painted in pop culture protest.

This historic black and white monastery is one of Bulgaria's architectural jewels.

This massive concrete sculpture is said to be the heaviest communist monument on Earth.

Bizarrely shaped rock formations in northwest Bulgaria come with equally bizarre legends.

An architectural marvel that spans the Arda River, and has stories of a haunted past.

One of the most exquisite Lycian hilltop citadels in Turkey.

A deadly ancient portal to the underworld.

This famous city eluded concrete detection until the early 2000's.

These tombs were built into the side of a mountain so that ancient angels could reach the dead.

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