Five ancient libraries, little changed for centuries, preserve a medieval archive of Quranic lore and civic documents

These homes carved into the mountains seem to defy the laws of nature.

The last remaining site of Yoruba worship of the fertility goddess.

This deceptively salty lake looks like blushing pink lemonade.

The central mosque of this Mali town is entirely built from mud.

The souls of the dead have made these Ghanese crocodiles shockingly docile.

The Voodoo Superstore of the world.

Nature’s skyscraper launches out of the terrain with attitude.

Natural time capsule containing an alien ecosystem.

An abandoned whaling station on an active volcano offers hot springs in Antarctica, surrounded by ruined giants of industry.

Considered the most remote point in the entire world.

Russian Orthodox church built on an Antarctic island.

An Aztec snake god has taken the material form of an apartment complex.

A gargantuan crystal kingdom.

Hotel designed around a 16th century Mexican bullring.

A lovers' beach, tucked below the surface of the island, provides a safe haven for romance.

The largest cave shaft in the world is home to thousands of birds and popular with BASE jumpers.

Two waterfalls flow down the cliff faces decorated with rare natural basalt columns.

This church, buried halfway in lava rock, is all that remains of a Mexican village destroyed by a volcano.

An Aztec temple, the largest man-made pyramid in the world, sits buried in earth with a Spanish church set on top.

The stoutest tree in the world.

Millions of glowing microscopic organisms light up the waters of this luminous lagoon.

A city continually buried under the ash of a volcano that has been erupting for more than 15 years.

This peculiar lake of pitch is so thick and viscous that one can walk on its surface.