In the foothills of the lesser Caucasus, a centuries-old fortress still stands.

In oil-rich Azerbaijan, people bathe in the black stuff.

Swirling layers of white and red rock earned these mountains their festive nickname.

Home to nearly a third of the world's mud volcanoes, Azerbaijan is home to a messy, bubbling, and sometimes explosive landscape.

The observation point offers spectacular views of the ruins of an ancient Armenian capital.

This Armenian monastery was carved out of cliffs and named after the spear used to stab Jesus.

A geological oddity topped with a 2,000-year-old pagan temple.

This shuttered power plant is now Turkey's first industrial archaeology museum.

Standing proud atop a Turkish bluff, this Ottoman palace has retained its grandeur despite being abandoned for centuries.

While not Turkey's deepest underground city, this subterranean redoubt is the largest.

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.

In this historic region, homes and churches are carved into ancient volcanic rock formations.