Places Edited by Daniel A. Gross

Wander among hulking piles of rusted machinery left over from the Eritrean-Ethiopian War.

This Arab fortress was once the largest citadel in Western Europe.

Through the decades, Black music stars have performed at this historic hub for music and the arts.

This former maximum-security prison is creepy, sobering, and supposedly haunted.

A 66-million-year-old rock formation stands tall over Mumbai, offering stellar city views.

The abandoned funicular tunnel was a secret base for the BBC during World War II.

This sculpture gallery is home to magnificent beasts made of scrap metal and found objects.

The remains of a 37,000-year-old prehistoric society were discovered in this mammoth cave, one of the largest in Asia.

The world's largest banyan tree is followed by a community of worshippers.

An architect transformed this abandoned cement factory into his castle-like workshop.

A sobering account of the vibrant multicultural neighborhood that was destroyed under apartheid.

A statue commemorate Tommie Smith and John Carlos's brave protest at the 1968 Olympics, a watershed moment for civil rights.

A 12th-century fortress containing some of Berlin's oldest buildings.

This little Greek plateau is home to thousands of rustic, white-sailed windmills.

This giant statue is the product of a mixture of corruption, Stalinist architecture, and North Korean manpower.

Hidden beneath a bridge, this waterfall is known for the large amounts of graffiti painted on its base.

Nailing a coin to this holy stump is just another way to ask the gods for relief from dental pain.

This replica stave church looks like a piece of Norway was simply plopped down in South Dakota.

Five ancient libraries, little changed for centuries, preserve a medieval archive of Quranic lore and civic documents

An annual festival celebrating Colorado's most famous frozen corpse.

The central mosque of this Mali town is entirely built from mud.

A living archive of urban activism and space reclaimed.

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

The tallest unclimbed mountain in the world remains poorly charted out of respect for local spirits.