Long before air conditioning, Persian architects found an ingenious way to cool off.

Burial site of a Jewish prophet revered in Iran.

Salt cured mummies continue to turn up in this Iranian mine.

The hottest, driest, and most scenic desert on Earth.

One of the largest and oldest caravansaries in Persia.

One of the world's largest salt caves is filled with fragile salt sculptures, salt rivers, and huge salt megadomes.

Modern-day cave dwellers carve elaborate homes out of volcanic debris.

The ancient necropolis houses the immense rock-cut tombs of four Persian kings.

A sophisticated astronomical tower built by one of the greatest Persian scholars of the Islamic Golden Age.

This beautiful system of tunnels built into natural rock serves as a centuries old plumbing system.

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

A 1,500-year-old, 3-story subterranean city where ancient Persians took refuge in times of war.

Ancient structures used to make and preserve ice in the deserts of Persia.

This ruined fortress was the stronghold for a persecuted medieval leader and his infamous Assassins.

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

Iran's colorful terraces are a rare geological masterpiece.

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

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

Once an impressive link to Afghanistan’s Buddhist past, now a sad reminder of intolerance towards other cultures.

This magnificent blue mosque in Afghanistan is surrounded by thousands of white doves.

Looking for a unifying history, Uzbekistan finds its answer in a 14th Century Turco-Mongol conqueror... despite the fact he wasn't Uzbek.

The ruins of an ancient Zoroastrian Tower of Silence believed to be the earliest example of the traditional funerary practice.

This "tower of death" has acted as an observatory, a religious hub, and an executioner's lair.

These "50 Fortresses" have been unearthed in the ancient oasis of Khwarezm.