This ancient monastery complex was transformed from an island to a peninsula when the lake was partially drained.

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

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

A geological oddity topped with a 2,000-year-old pagan temple.

The medieval center of the Islamic world was also once the seat of Saladin's sultanate.

A network of ancient Egyptian tombs built into the cliff face along the Nile.

The largest known Ancient Egyptian obelisk.

One of its engravings is believed to be among the first representations of medical and surgical instruments.

These Egyptian statues have survived for 3,400 years and were an acoustic wonder of the ancient world.

Known as the Sistine Chapel of Egypt, this tomb houses some of the most well-preserved paintings in Egypt.

Ozymandias’ time-keeping temple.

Italian cave with exceptional acoustics and an unsavory history.

This tower once served as a radar station during the Cold War.

An icon of the city, this chapel features an amazing dome ceiling and offers panoramic views.

This chapel is the site of a yearly pilgrimage that originated during the Middle Ages.

This castle has links to Portugal’s founding and struggles for independence.

This little-known national museum houses over 40,000 works of art from across the world.

Portugal's National Pantheon has a history of curses, collapses and financial problems.

The medieval castle built as headquarters for the Pope's secretive Knights Templar.

Legacy of the earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the face of the Earth.

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.

An exquisite collection of fairytale conveyances that puts most car museums to shame.

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.