A hidden Buddhist gem accessible only by boat.

Monks turned this mountain into a temple by digging grottoes, tunnels, and a huge pagoda-like hall.

These layered sandstone mountains in China look like they are made of pressed crayons.

The western-most fortress on the Great Wall of China has gone from a strategic stronghold to a kitschy tourist carnival.

Hundreds of caves filled with thousands of centuries-old statues and murals.

An exquisite example of Uyghur Islamic architecture.

Be careful not to get trampled at this lively two thousand-year-old market.

Lonely minaret stump of a destroyed city.

These oldest of these "embroidered stones" were carved 4,000 years ago in a high mountain valley.

Extremely isolated Silk Road caravanserai in the middle of nowhere.

Touching displays of wishes for peace from the Cold War era.

The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.

Light still pours into the ruins of this ancient Islamic observatory.

These "50 Fortresses" have been unearthed in the ancient oasis of Khwarezm.

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

This "tower of death" has acted as an observatory, a religious hub, and an executioner's lair.

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.

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

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

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

A memorial to the thousands of Turkmen soldiers and civilians who died in a bloody 1881 battle.

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

The remains of a medieval city loom in one of the most isolated desert regions of Turkmenistan.

A massive stairway that almost wasn't leads to one of Australia's most scenic vistas.