welshmattsmith's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Malacca, Malaysia

A Famosa

Built by the Portuguese colonists in the early 16th century, this fort is one of the oldest European structure in Asia.
Batu Caves, Malaysia

Batu Caves

Holy Hindu shrine in an enormous, monkey-filled limestone cavern.
Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Arun

This dazzling Buddhist temple was constructed from over one million ceramic tiles salvaged from a British shipwreck.
Nyaung-U, Myanmar (Burma)

Bagan

Over 2,000 ancient temples dot the Myanmar landscape at the site of this famed archaeological site.
Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma)

U Bein Bridge

The oldest teak bridge in the world is made from the remains of a royal palace.
Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma)

Shwenandaw Kyaung Temple

A grand example of 19th century Burmese teak architecture, and the most significant of Mandalay's historic buildings.
Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Shwedagon Pagoda

This gem-encrusted temple is said to contain some of the Buddha's hair which can make the deaf hear and the blind see.
Galle, Sri Lanka

Galle Fort

This fort dates back to 1588 and was colonized by the Portuguese, Dutch, and English and sits prominently on the Indian Ocean where azure water lap the coast.
Moscow, Russia

Hotel Ukraina

The tallest hotel in Europe.
Moscow, Russia

'Compassion'

A monument to Malchik, a stray dog who lived in a Moscow metro station until his tragic death.
Moscow, Russia

Tsar Bell

World's largest bell sits on the grounds of the Kremlin in Moscow.
Moscow, Russia

Lenin's Mausoleum

This building holds the embalmed remains of the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution.
Moscow, Russia

Lubyanka

Former headquarters of the KGB.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Kunstkamera (Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography)

The oldest museum in Russia is home to a fascinating collection of nearly two million anthropological artifacts and anatomical curiosities.
Yekaterinburg, Russia

Keyboard Monument

Russia's giant concrete QWERTY keyboard is likely the largest in the world.
Yekaterinburg, Russia

The Church on the Blood

Church built on the site where the last tsar of Russia and his family were killed.
Turkmenistan

The Gates of Hell

A fiery crater has been burning in the Karakum Desert since 1971.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Independence Monument of Turkmenistan

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Giant Ruhnama

A huge monument to a bizarre book written by Turkmenistan’s longstanding dictator.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Arch of Neutrality

A dictator's gold statue once rotated to face the sun on a 75-meter high marble tower.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Wedding Palace

If you want to get married in the White Marble City of Ashgabat, you should do it in this surreal disco ball building.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque

The controversial final resting place of the equally controversial first president of Turkmenistan.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Central Asian Plov Center

Giant cauldrons overflow with Uzbekistan's favorite rice dish at this cavernous dining hall.
Xiva, Uzbekistan

Walls of Itchan Kala

Ancient barriers wrap around what was once an important stop along the Silk Road.