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

Remnants of successive wars and Muslim colonialism in the 11th century.

An abused and forgotten metropolis, abandoned for centuries.

A geological oddity topped with a 2,000-year-old pagan temple.

Despite producing just a handful of movies, a brave and lyrical filmmaker has an entire museum dedicated to him.

This small shrine is dedicated to the designer of the first Russian fighter jet and his brother, who became Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.

She asked for a potato cellar and over the next 23 years he gave her a network of holy caves.

Armenia's premier center of astrophysical research was established during the Soviet era.

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

This Armenian monastery was carved out of cliffs and named after the spear used to stab Jesus.

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

Azerbaijani ghost town, decaying after a war left it an armed forces buffer zone.

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

This striking icon of the disputed Republic of Artsakh caused a stir at a Eurovision Song Contest.

A scenic canyon with thick forests and historic ruins.

Right up until the 20th century this network of man-made caves was the biggest village in Eastern Armenia.

A roaring, awe-inspiring double cascade of icy water flows through woodland Oregon like something out of a Tolkien novel.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

A charming desert roadside bakery that produces 10 times more bread daily than it has residents in its town.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

Coastal dunes, site of buried Egyptian movie set and former utopian colony.