Places dbone Wants to Go

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

Dedicated to a Bolshevik revolutionary, this museum is a true time capsule of the Soviet era.

This village was once a thriving Soviet uranium mining center, but is now semi-abandoned and desolate.

An unusual monument to a gentle giant who became a Kyrgyz hero.

This mysterious complex of abandoned yurts and fading murals was meant to be a center of science and spirituality in Kyrgyzstan.

A stunning blue-green lake located in the Terskey Alatau mountain range.

Built entirely of interlocking pieces, construction of this Chinese Muslim house of worship required zero nails.

This retro, UFO-like structure is a remnant of the Soviet-era circus.

Glacial lake that mysteriously empties itself every year.

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

A boulder carved into the shape of the cosmonaut's head.

An outstanding piece of retro Sci-Fi architecture built into a sacred mountain.

Extremely isolated Silk Road caravanserai in the middle of nowhere.

The first version of this stalwart construction appeared around 3,000 years ago.

The remains of an ancient city-state along the Silk Road.

This remote, abandoned Soviet observatory promises spectacular views for those who can reach it.

The largest Lenin statue in Central Asia was moved to an empty field rather than being destroyed.

Where the father of Persian poetry is laid to rest.

This medieval citadel once guarded the western entrance of the Pamir Highway.

This ancient Silk Road outpost overlooking the Wakhan Valley is miraculously still standing.

A building facade covered with the statues of 11 giants of Tajik literature.

The largest dam in the world and the site of a potential disaster.

The foundation of this ancient stupa dates back to the 1st-century.

More than 10,000 small mirrors cover the curved surface of the world's second-largest solar oven, located in a remote village in Uzbekistan.