A tree so massive it claims half the road, standing at the intersection of history and folklore.

Also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, this is one of the world's largest and oldest mosques.

One of the oldest and largest castles in the world.

Amid the rubble of Aleppo's Old Quarter, part of a historic market has been restored and re-opened.

This little gem in the Gulf of Riga has a very rich heritage and distinct culture.

This controversial monument was designed to lionize the Red Army, but also disheartened the Latvian people.

A quiet grave marks the site of a centuries-old fairytale love story that turned out to be a real murder.

The European Union’s tallest freestanding structure provides radio and television broadcasting to half of Latvia.

A subtle memorial marks where a human chain protested Soviet control in 1989.

Latvia’s first skyscraper, nicknamed ‘Stalin’s birthday cake.’

A Latvian rescuer who saved countless lives during World War II.

A monument to the grand synagogue that stood in this space before Nazis burned it down.

This celebration of Latvia’s freedom and independence avoided demolition over half a century of Soviet occupation.

Guests become prisoners on a visit to Latvian prison.

This charming Latvian lane doubled as Baker Street on the Soviet Union’s version of Sherlock Holmes.

The reconstruction of this prominent building fulfilled a long-written command.

Latvia's symbolic mountain-shaped national library is home to millions of cultural tomes.

A black cat protests the City Guild in Riga's Old Town.

Flamboyant architecture from the turn of 20th century.

3,000 market stands in five former Zeppelin hangars.

The world's largest neutrino telescope searches for secrets of the universe at the South Pole.

An enormous mural of a leaping orca painted on a fuel tank at a remote Antarctic base.

This ornate church has survived Nazi and Soviet occupation, including a short stint as a Soviet-era gymnasium and cinema.

This magnificent herd of stampeding elephants has been frozen in time for over a century.