This architecturally eclectic fortress witnessed centuries of bloody turmoil, including the massacre of its ruling clan.

The secret room where early Bolsheviks cranked out propaganda fliers on a smuggled printing press.

Ancient rock-hewn town that witnessed key events of Georgian history.

A museum glorifying the life of Stalin, located in the city of his birth.

Underground monastery and fortress.

This extraordinary, multi-pillared monument depicts the fascinating history of Georgia.

When the Soviets destroyed the historic Armenian monastery they somehow left its bell tower intact.

With over 10,000 lights, this engineering marvel lights up the city after dark.

A lively circle of dancers in the Georgian capital commemorates an ancient rite of spring.

A small but hugely whimsical theater where marionettes play out the "The Battle of Stalingrad."

The charmingly disheveled clock tower of Tbilisi's puppet theater.

At this rare mosque in Tbilisi, Sunni and Shia Muslims pray side by side.

A cluster of historic bathhouses built on the famed hot springs that gave the Georgian capital its name.

Foreign invaders almost left this lovely Caucasus palace alone—almost.

What might be the largest completely Jewish town in the world outside of Israel now faces dwindling numbers and empty streets.

Swirling layers of white and red rock earned these mountains their festive nickname.

Resonant stone, that has been played since prehistoric times.

Home to nearly a third of the world's mud volcanoes, Azerbaijan is home to a messy, bubbling, and sometimes explosive landscape.

A massive collection of petroglyphs dating back some 40,000 years.

This mysterious but iconic tapered tower appears in many Azeri fairytales and legends.

A gigantic collection of teeny, tiny books.

A series of waterfalls so massive they straddle the border of Argentina and Brazil.

An underexplored, 130-foot tropical waterfall that you will have all to yourself.

This neo-Gothic monastery offers a rare chance to witness the unique maned wolf right up close.