markmhwilliams's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Turkey

Yanartaş

Flames have been burning within this mountain for more than 2,500 years.
Bayatbademleri Köyü, Turkey

Termessos

Once described as the "Eagle's Nest," this ruined ancient city rests on a remote mountaintop.
Kuşadası, Turkey

Cave of Zeus

This Turkish cave boasts some rather bizarre associations with the King of Mount Olympus.
Kuşadası, Turkey

Kuşadası

A charming beach town in Turkey captures all the colors of the rainbow.
Aksaray, Turkey

Cappadocia

In this historic region, homes and churches are carved into ancient volcanic rock formations.
Denizli, Turkey

Pamukkale Water Terraces

Roman ruins top white travertine terraces formed by ancient hot springs.
North Macedonia

Kokino Observatory

This 3,800-year-old site contains markers used to study the movement of the sun and moon and create a lunar calendar.
Stomoplo, Bulgaria

Perla 2

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

Chudnite Skali (Wonderful Rocks)

These natural cliffs look like they are a part of an old castle complex.
Gabrovo, Bulgaria

Shipka Pass

A mountain pass in Bulgaria's Balkan Mountains was the site of four historic battles.
Beli plast, Bulgaria

Stone Mushrooms of Beli Plast

In a long-dry lake bed, these groups of massive stone pillars bear a striking resemblance to clumps of everyone's favorite fungi.
Kaspichan, Bulgaria

Madara Rider

Rock carving created 1,300 years ago 75 feet off the ground.
Provadia, Bulgaria

Rock Monastery of Shashkunite

Crossing a suspension bridge above a forest is the only way to reach this 12th-century monastery.
Ardino, Bulgaria

Devil's Bridge

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

Historic Melnik

This tiny Bulgarian town offers a stunning location in the mountains and a storied history.
Karlukovo, Bulgaria

The Eyes of God

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

Rila Monastery

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

Bulgarian State Monument

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

Belogradchik Rocks

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

Buzludzha Monument

An abandoned saucer-shaped monument in the Bulgarian mountains.
Milanovac, Serbia

Krupaj Spring

Legends of treasure and spirits flow from this this fairy tale-like oasis.
Slavinja, Serbia

Rosomača Canyon

The ridged layers that make up this river canyon represent Earth's geological history.
Rsovci, Serbia

Bald Jesus Fresco

This fresco inside a Serbian cave church has been a source of disagreement.
Gornji Matejevac, Serbia

Latin Church

An 11th-century Byzantine church with medieval Serbian history and spectacular views.