This southwest-styled home in Santa Fe claims to be the oldest house in America thanks to an ancient bit of foundation.

Legends surround this jagged rock formation in the New Mexico desert.

The largest bell in the world has been swinging high above a Cologne cathedral for almost a century.

Over the dunes of the Empty Quarter, the mysterious music of the desert.

Whitewashed mosque contains the world's largest carpet.

A preposterously luxurious hotel with gold-plated iPads, Rolls Royce chauffeurs, and a staff that trains by watching "Downton Abbey."

This artificial archipelago was supposed to resemble a map of the world.

Planned as the world’s first zero-carbon city, it had lofty ideals—but is only 5 percent completed and aiming for 50 percent carbon-neutral.

This indoor ski resort has a mountain contained inside a mall.

Billed as the "largest natural flower garden in the world" this Middle Eastern show field has little competition at 45 million flowers.

A faithful reproduction of Al-Jazari's enormous water clock.

The shallow, salty inlet was a safe haven for 19th-century pirates.

These beautiful historic watchtowers were used for both scanning the desert for enemy invaders and observing the celestial world.

Some of the ancient-looking huts among these strange rock formations aren't ancient at all, but built as part of a movie set.

A 19th century pearling and fishing village abandoned before Qatar's economic boom.

Some 20,000 dust-covered unwanted vehicles languish in the desert.

Spring that emits water and fire at the same time is said to have remedial properties, and sparked its own religion.

A shrine of fire worship built on top of a natural flame.

A quirky house created entirely out of glass bottles combines a collector's spirit with an artist's flair.

Resonant stone, that has been played since prehistoric times.

Mysterious hillside with a continuously burning natural fire.

The ruins of an ancient island city built atop a coral reef in the South Pacific are spectacular and strange enough to have inspired H.P. Lovecraft.

Tropical paradise strewn with hundreds of World War II wrecks.

A failed utopia, shut down by a more legitimate nation.