paulyarnall's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Lalibela, Ethiopia

Bete Giyorgis of Lalibela

An Ethiopian "Jerusalem" featuring a church hewn out of a single rock.
Kayaköy, Turkey

Abandoned Village of Kayakoy

A Turkish ghost town abandoned in a population exchange with Greece.
Beijing, China

The World Park

Beijing's World Park offers the excitement of international sites without the travel.
New York, New York

The Troll Museum

Reverend Jen's unique museum/living room showcases her troll collection.
Nébias, France

Labyrinthe Vert de Nebias

Green labyrinth formed by a karstic maze hidden in a preserved oak forest.
Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via, France

Odeillo Solar Furnace

The world's largest solar furnace uses 10,000 mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays to generate power.
Dalat, Vietnam

Da Lat Crazy House

A Surreal flight of architectural fancy in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
Belize

Great Blue Hole

A massive underwater sinkhole made famous by Jacques Cousteau.
Kemi, Finland

Kemi Snow Castle

This fantastical icy castle is built anew every winter.
Besançon, France

Astronomical Clock of Besançon

One of the world's most complex timepieces.
Magdalena, New Mexico

The Very Large Array

Twenty-seven massive radio antennas on the high plains of New Mexico search for life on other planets.
Bylakuppe, India

Bylakuppe

The world's largest Tibetan refugee settlement.
Faro, Portugal

Capela de Ossos Bone Chapel

This small chapel is built of human bones and decorated with a golden skeleton.
Amöneburg, Germany

Amöneburg

Amöneburg is a town perched on top of a basalt mountain in the middle of an ancient meteor crater.
Fujinomiya-shi, Japan

Aokigahara Forest

A beautiful, dense forest in the shadow of Mount Fuji, with a tragic reputation.
Mont Saint-Michel, France

Mont Saint-Michel

This 1,300 year old monastery built atop a single rock was once only accessible depending on the whims of the tide.
Potosi, Bolivia

Potosí Silver Mines

Mountain of unimaginable riches that bankrolled the Spanish Empire, complete with its own underworld god.
Yermolaivka, Ukraine

Museum of Strategic Missile Troops

Last remaining nuclear missile base in Ukraine.
Dzitnup, Mexico

Cenote Xkeken

These azure waters were thought to lead to the Mayan Underworld.
Paris, France

Foucault's Pendulum

19th century pendulum and a clock restored by a rogue group of guerilla artists.
Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Taman Sari Underground Mosque

Subterranean place of worship in Indonesia.
Aybak, Afghanistan

Stupa of Takht-e Rostam

Highly unusual subterranean stupa and adjacent cave monastery.
Gadamis, Libya

Ghadames

A beautiful oasis town dating back to the Roman period still serves as reprieve from the brutal summer sun in Libya.
Guoliang, China

Guoliang Tunnel

A tunnel dug through the side of a mountain by hand provides convenient yet death-defying access to a small village in China.