1513 Turkish world map, full of European state secrets and snarky commentary.

No one is sure if the world's fourth-largest diamond had been found in a rubbish heap or was pawned by Napoleon's mom.

This column celebrates Rome's victory over the Goths, and may be the oldest Roman monument in Istanbul.

This crucial gathering spot along the "hippie trail" still displays old notes between traveling beatniks and backpackers.

A tiny park in the middle of some big power politics.

The eclectic home of a leading Turkish architect is a gorgeous piece of eye candy.

One of the newest mosques in a city filled with thousands.

This historic hotel preserves many treasures from its heyday hosting passengers on the Orient Express.

Taking the subway here means doing so over a bridge located in the middle of an estuary.

This museum was invented in a novel before being made real by the author.

A gorgeous, Gaudí-esque stairway constructed in the city of Istanbul by a prominent Jewish family.

The lovely lake that was naturally dammed, then naturally destroyed, then unnaturally saved.

Nicknamed Kazakhstan's Grand Canyon, this natural wonder lies east of Almaty near the Chinese border.

Submerged trees jut ghost-like out of an idyllic turquoise mountain lake.

Beatlemania is still going strong... at least in Kazakhstan.

This Soviet statue is based on a piece of propaganda that's been elevated to national myth.

This sprawling market is a one-stop shop for traditional Kazakh foods, from mare’s milk to sheep’s head.

In Kazakhstan, a colorful cathedral with many lives once survived the most powerful earthquake in the region.

This airport also offers travelers the chance to view thousands of years of Turkish history.

A much-loved sculpture depicting the hero of a 1956 anti-Soviet uprising.

An impressive collection of massive radio satellites.

Modern art commemorates one of the first military actions of World War II.

Memorial to the lost dead of Gdansk, whose resting places were destroyed during World War II.

A floundering Polish shipyard was once the soul of the Solidarity movement that capsized communism.