This opulent 16th-century Maharaja’s palace is a unique mix of Hindu and Muslim designs.

More than half of this Indian palace is drowned but it looks all the more spectacular for it.

Known as the leaning temple, the sacred structure has somehow developed a severe nine-degree slant.

This steamship has been beautifully rusting off the coast of an Iranian island since the 1960s.

This circular Iranian jail was once a political prison run by the country's secret police.

Hundreds of stones dangle from barren trees in the middle of the desert.

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

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

This vast, water-filled underground labyrinth can only be toured by boat.

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.

Hydraulic systems in an ancient underground Iranian city.

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

Iran's colorful terraces are a rare geological masterpiece.

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

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

This abandoned palace and the stupas around it conceal beautiful Buddhist frescoes, statues, and silk paintings.

An imperial fortress city that incorporated cultural elements from the entire Mughal empire, only to be abandoned the year it was finished.

Legend has it a commoner volunteered to be buried alive in the foundation so that the great fortress could be built.

This stunning 15th-century royal hill fort preserves the age of chivalry in Rajasthan.

Fifteen Jodhpur queens left their handprints before going to their fiery death.

A blooming house of worship for the masses.

Sacred Indian temple that’s all monkey business.

The world's second-largest sundial, made entirely out of stone.