Putrefaction plateaus in Iran, where the dead were sent for decontamination before going to their final resting place.

The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.

These unusual stone structures are actually fish traps crafted by an ancient civilization.

If you've ever wondered at which cycle of the moon you’re supposed to spread manure produced by your guinea pigs, this is the place for you.

This 12-inch-tall wooden sculpture of a winged Virgin Mary has inspired much devotion and countless replicas.

Legend says if this neo-Gothic basilica is ever officially completed, the world will come to an end.

The Victoria-era quarantine station for Sydney.

This Edwardian style home doubles as a magnificent local art gallery.

Highly unusual subterranean stupa and adjacent cave monastery.

A lifetime's accumulation of bric-a-brac and kitsch.

The abandoned remnants of a little sanctuary for world peace that fell into disrepair.

One of the largest caverns in the world has a maw large enough to stack cathedrals in.

One of the world's tallest flagpoles.

Cartoon clouds and nature-inspired murals have transformed the streets of Kuala Lumpur.

What is left of the pillar of Saint Simeon, the voluntary martyr who climbed the column to give his sermons, remaining perched there for thirty-seven years.

Known as the "Valley of the Moon," this Jordanian wadi is one of the most amazing desertscapes on Earth.

This relatively recently abandoned brewery is a tragic reminder of the continuing effects of Hurricane Katrina.

What was once one of the country's largest confectionary plants is now an abandoned ruin, but is still pretty sweet.

A mysteriously abandoned campsite in San Angelo State Park.

The vast chamber inside this abandoned cooling tower looks like something out of a sci-fi dystopia.

A nearly abandoned 19th-century town on the Palouse.

An abandoned 19th-century hospital now swirling in ghost stories.

A hulking remnant of Alaska's industrial gold mining boom in the 1920s.

Abandoned mini-mansions that were once intended for affluent Bangkok families now sit empty.