This fairytale castle was built as a show of power but was nearly torn down thanks to its history of torture.

Swarovski's museum/theme park is a fake diamond fantasia overlooked by a giant.

The first mosque in the world to receive electricity.

A field filled with carved medieval tombstones called stećak.

An apparition of Virgin Mary in Herzegovina.

Controversial site of what could be Europe's first pyramid.

This historic timepiece is thought to be the only public clock in the world that keeps lunar time.

Celebrated example of Ottoman architecture that also served as a site for brutal massacres.

A bridge destroyed three times: once as a ruse, then in an actual attack, and finally for the movies.

Inat Kuća, or "House of Spite," is more than just an oddly named restaurant.

This abandoned Olympic skiing facility still bears the scars of the Siege of Sarajevo.

Oriental bazaar in the heart of Sarajevo.

The place where World War I began.

These warring psychedelic crags commemorate an unsuccessful military operation.

Bridge that died in war and was resurected.

Hundreds of thousands of concrete bunkers crowd Albania long after the fall of Communism.

One of the holiest Shi'i shrines in Iran honors the life and death of a learned noblewoman who became a saint.

This 17th-century structure is a beautiful testimony to traditional Persian architecture

Marked by the hand of the explorer Henry Morton Stanley.

Long before air conditioning, Persian architects found an ingenious way to cool off.

A historic trade hub teeming with gorgeous architecture, colorful goods, and vibrant designs.

Named after a legendary garden called Eram in southern Arabia, built by order of Shaddad, an Arab king who wanted to compete with Paradise.

The fire inside this temple has burned for more than 1,500 years.

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