Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.

This famous city eluded concrete detection until the early 2000's.

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.

Roman ruins top white travertine terraces formed by ancient hot springs.

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

Only a handful of these gorgeous historic waterwheels remain but even those are in danger from local unrest.

Ruins of the Crusaders' headquarters.

Mysterious lost empire of the Silk Road.

This seemingly random 30-foot statue of an oryx in Qatar's capital was a mascot for the 2006 Asian Games.

A superb spot to appreciate the traditional boats of the Indian Ocean.

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

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

A creepy, deserted mock Arabian village can be found in the middle of the Qatari desert.

On any given day this sprawling market houses literally tons of government-regulated gold, gems, and precious metals.

The oldest surviving mosque in the UAE has mysterious origins and unusual architecture.

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

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