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

This lake in northwest Iran has started turning from green to red more frequently than scientists are comfortable with.

A historic trade hub teeming with gorgeous architecture, colorful goods, and vibrant designs.

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

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

This circular Iranian jail was once a political prison run by the country's secret police.

The tower in this 1,000-year-old mud-brick village seems to vibrate for no apparent reason.

Salt cured mummies continue to turn up in this Iranian mine.

These little castles each held thousands of pigeons.

This vast, water-filled underground labyrinth can only be toured by boat.

Modern-day cave dwellers carve elaborate homes out of volcanic debris.

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

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

A 1,500-year-old, 3-story subterranean city where ancient Persians took refuge in times of war.

A spectacular rainbow of stained glass makes the "Pink Mosque" one of the most beautiful in Iran.

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

Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.

Called the "Armenian Stonehenge," this ring of menhirs pierced with holes may be a prehistoric astronomical observatory.

Armenia's premier center of astrophysical research was established during the Soviet era.

The world's longest nonstop reversible cable car soars through spectacular scenery to the medieval Tatev Monastery.

Nestled in a peaceful valley, this Armenian monastery may have been saved from Mongols thanks to the eyes of God.

This Armenian monastery was carved out of cliffs and named after the spear used to stab Jesus.

The most visited pilgrimage site in Armenia once held a saint in a pit for 13 years.

Right up until the 20th century this network of man-made caves was the biggest village in Eastern Armenia.