An abandoned Soviet-era mining town in the mountains of South Kazakhstan.

A modern tower, symbolizing the legend of a golden egg on top of the tree of life.

Iconic pyramid from famed British architect Norman Foster designed to represent all of the world's religious faiths.

An entertainment center in a huge transparent tent.

A Stalinist prison camp for the wives and children of men accused of betraying the Soviet state is now a memorial museum.

A sober museum housed in the original administrative building of one of Stalin's largest gulags.

This sprawling market is a one-stop shop for traditional Kazakh foods, from mare’s milk to sheep’s head.

In Kazakhstan, a colorful cathedral with many lives once survived the most powerful earthquake in the region.

Granny Smiths and Fujis can both be traced back to Kazakhstan, where apples still grow wild.

A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.

The lovely lake that was naturally dammed, then naturally destroyed, then unnaturally saved.

Submerged trees jut ghost-like out of an idyllic turquoise mountain lake.

Nicknamed Kazakhstan's Grand Canyon, this natural wonder lies east of Almaty near the Chinese border.

This unique wooden mosque resembling a Chinese pagoda was said to be built without the use of nails.

Local lore says this 700-year-old tree has sacred and medicinal properties.

World's oldest and largest space launch facility, once a secret missile testing site.

Avenue of trees planted by cosmonauts before their space departures.

This museum is dedicated to one of Russia's greatest explorers.

Built entirely of interlocking pieces, construction of this Chinese Muslim house of worship required zero nails.

On the shores of Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul Lake, a family cooks a feast that tells the sad tale of a people's exile.

According to myth, there's a bloody explanation for the beautiful bright red color of this rock formation set amidst alpine vegetation.

A stunning blue-green lake located in the Terskey Alatau mountain range.

A boulder carved into the shape of the cosmonaut's head.

This mysterious complex of abandoned yurts and fading murals was meant to be a center of science and spirituality in Kyrgyzstan.