Places aemem Wants to Go

The ruins of a medieval monastery built on a perilous slope.

Giant stone letters dedicated to the founder of Armenia's alphabet.

Nestled in a peaceful valley, this Armenian monastery may have been saved from Mongols thanks to the eyes of God.

This ancient monastery complex was transformed from an island to a peninsula when the lake was partially drained.

This little medieval church hidden in the center of Yerevan was lost and rediscovered—twice.

This medieval manuscript collection has some of the most obscure and ancient texts in the world.

Centuries before the modern seismograph, Armenian monks measured quakes with this tilting pillar.

After visiting hours, this picturesque waterfall is essentially turned "off" to be used for hydroelectric power.

The most visited pilgrimage site in Armenia once held a saint in a pit for 13 years.

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.

An Albanian monument to the Communism that nearly crushed the country is now a crumbling wreck.

Explore a traditional Albanian dwelling that pays tribute to the region's rich history.

The largest Roman amphitheater in the Balkans once held over 20,000 people, but managed to lay hidden for hundreds of years.

According to a local legend, this old castle could only be built after a woman was immured in the walls.

Once the fallout shelter of a dictator, this sprawling bunker is now a combined history museum and contemporary art gallery.

The elliptical citadel resisted the advance of the mighty Ottomans several times, thanks to the military prowess of the "Dragon of Albania."

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

This ominous Albanian fortress houses tanks and downed planes as a reminder of their victories over Western imperialism.

A medieval bridge stretches over a sulfur-rich river that leads to year-round natural hot springs.