Home to what was once considered the largest gate in central Asia.

Controversially restored in the 1970s, this giant 15th-century mosque is shrouded in legend.

Light still pours into the ruins of this ancient Islamic observatory.

The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.

Time capsule of a museum, in which the Soviet Union remains alive and kicking.

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

This Soviet-era athletic and recreation facility is the highest ice skating rink in the world.

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

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

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

A popular Icelandic children's story comes to life inside this cave.

One of the oldest family businesses in Reykjavík serves lamb-based hot dogs.

Iceland's tribute to its thankless civil servants.

A monument dedicated to the civil uprisings that took place during the Pots and Pans Revolution.

The first woman to become a member of the parliament of Iceland.

This aromatherapy shop and mini-museum cofounded by the Sigur Rós frontman documents Icelandic history through scents.

Three columns of volcanic rock shoot out of the ocean.

Along this wire fence, travelers have been leaving a particular memento since 2012.

If a glacial river suddenly diving into a sheer chasm via a dramatic, multi-stage waterfall isn't peak Iceland, it's certainly close.

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.

This five-foot-tall bronze bird is a memorial to a species that was hunted out of existence.

This natural Icelandic fissure allows divers to swim right between two volatile tectonic plates.

This beautiful, historic church looks like something out of a simpler past.

The picturesque birthplace of Icelandic democracy is drenched in the blood of its brutal past.