Places guynthomas Wants to Go

A dictator's gold statue once rotated to face the sun on a 75-meter high marble tower.

A cemetery with goat-horn bedecked gravestones.

This cavernous swimming spot doubles as a home to the largest known colony of bats in Central Asia.

A fiery crater has been burning in the Karakum Desert since 1971.

Iranian tombstones shaped like male and female sexual organs.

This steamship has been beautifully rusting off the coast of an Iranian island since the 1960s.

In this tiny Iranian town playing on the roof isn't just encouraged, it's the only place to go.

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

Hydraulic systems in an ancient underground Iranian city.

Iran's colorful terraces are a rare geological masterpiece.

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

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

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

A collection of crumbling mansions stand as a reminder of a more prosperous time in this Indian village.

World's tallest monolithic statue has served as a pilgrimage site since its completion in 993 CE.

This lavish estate recalls the opulent history of Calcutta.

Eternal flame said to be a Hindu Goddesses fiery tounge.

Megalithic monuments resembling magic mushrooms.

Time has stopped at the house where Gandhi died.

Half-size replica of the Taj Mahal.

Modest by day, illuminated majestically at sunset.

A complex of six forts embedded in the Rajasthan hills.

Sacred Indian temple that’s all monkey business.

This otherworldly palace-mausoleum complex is the stuff eternal dreams are made of.