Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Arch of Neutrality
A dictator's gold statue once rotated to face the sun on a 75-meter high marble tower.
Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
A dictator's gold statue once rotated to face the sun on a 75-meter high marble tower.
Turkmenistan
A fiery crater has been burning in the Karakum Desert since 1971.
Gokdepe, Turkmenistan
This cavernous swimming spot doubles as a home to the largest known colony of bats in Central Asia.
Nokhur, Turkmenistan
A cemetery with goat-horn bedecked gravestones.
Iran
Iranian tombstones shaped like male and female sexual organs.
Muynak District, Uzbekistan
Once a bustling fishing port, this semi-ghost town is now more than 90 miles away from the shore.
Nukus, Uzbekistan
The ruins of an ancient Zoroastrian Tower of Silence believed to be the earliest example of the traditional funerary practice.
Beruni, Uzbekistan
These "50 Fortresses" have been unearthed in the ancient oasis of Khwarezm.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.
Kyrgyzstan
Lonely minaret stump of a destroyed city.
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Beatlemania is still going strong... at least in Kazakhstan.
Saty, Kazakhstan
Submerged trees jut ghost-like out of an idyllic turquoise mountain lake.
Barskoon, Kyrgyzstan
A boulder carved into the shape of the cosmonaut's head.
At-Bashi District, Kyrgyzstan
Extremely isolated Silk Road caravanserai in the middle of nowhere.
Kokand, Uzbekistan
Final palace complex of the last of 29 Kokand rulers.
Khujand, Tajikistan
The largest Lenin statue in Central Asia was moved to an empty field rather than being destroyed.
Rushon, Tajikistan
The largest dam in the world and the site of a potential disaster.
Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan
This magnificent blue mosque in Afghanistan is surrounded by thousands of white doves.
Bamyan, Afghanistan
Once an impressive link to Afghanistan’s Buddhist past, now a sad reminder of intolerance towards other cultures.
Shahrak, Afghanistan
200-foot-high minaret and only remnant of Afghanistan's lost city of the Turquoise Mountain.
Kandahar, Afghanistan
Rock-cut chamber at top of an outcroup, reached by a mountain stairway of forty steps.
Karachi, Pakistan
Reputedly haunted sandstone necropolis with exquisite stone carvings.
Qeshm, Iran
One of the world's largest salt caves is filled with fragile salt sculptures, salt rivers, and huge salt megadomes.
Shiraz, Iran
Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.