Time capsule of a museum, in which the Soviet Union remains alive and kicking.

Where Stoddart and Connolly suffered in the infamous Bug Pit.

An 18-meter-long sarcophagus of a constantly growing dead prophet.

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

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

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

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

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

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.

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

The lovely lake that was naturally dammed, then naturally destroyed, then unnaturally saved.

The oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia has survived centuries of invasions, political shifts, and religious purges.

A huge communist-era propaganda monument and mural that offers stunning views of the Mongolian capital.

Enormous statue of the Emperor of the Mongols.

300-year-old villagers houses and traditional churches preserve a nearly lost piece of Russian history.

The world's tallest statue of a woman wields the world's tallest sword and is at risk of toppling over.

This massive glowering Lenin head gazes out over eastern Siberia.

One of the world's tallest statues is also one of its most hated.

A uniquely authentic display of traditional Russian culture.

Gargantuan home of Russian science.

Stalinist skyscraper built with help of cryotechnology.

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

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

A 250-year-old timepiece-automaton adorned with golden mechanical birds, which still sing to this day.