One of the best-preserved Roman amphitheaters is still used today, but for less brutal events.

An Albanian monument to the Communism that nearly crushed the country is now a crumbling wreck.

The largest Roman amphitheater in the Balkans once held over 20,000 people, but managed to lay hidden for hundreds of years.

Gigantic water vessel, permanently grounded in Southern Albania.

According to a local legend, this old castle could only be built after a woman was immured in the walls.

Once the fallout shelter of a dictator, this sprawling bunker is now a combined history museum and contemporary art gallery.

What happens when you cross a mayor and a painter?

This ominous Albanian fortress houses tanks and downed planes as a reminder of their victories over Western imperialism.

Hundreds of thousands of concrete bunkers crowd Albania long after the fall of Communism.

The design of this beautifully crafted building was inspired by Norwegian glaciers.

One man's exploration of the human form, including the bizarre and delightful "Man Attacked by Babies."

The cathedral stands in New Jufa, Isfahan's Armenian quarter that was established in 1606.

Marked by the hand of the explorer Henry Morton Stanley.

This 17th-century structure is a beautiful testimony to traditional Persian architecture

Named after a legendary garden called Eram in southern Arabia, built by order of Shaddad, an Arab king who wanted to compete with Paradise.

Long before air conditioning, Persian architects found an ingenious way to cool off.

This ancient fortress in Iran was once the oldest and largest treasury in the world.

This ancient burial site is believed to be one of the first earthquake-protected structures in the world.

A dreamy mausoleum honors Persia's most famous poet.

The fire inside this temple has burned for more than 1,500 years.

17th century mosque for Shah Abbas' harem.

One of the largest and oldest caravansaries in Persia.

These little castles each held thousands of pigeons.

The ancient necropolis houses the immense rock-cut tombs of four Persian kings.