This seemingly random 30-foot statue of an oryx in Qatar's capital was a mascot for the 2006 Asian Games.

The enormous diamond-shaped building packs a trove of academic and literary treasures into one futuristic space.

Qatar's oldest market can trace its origins back more than a century.

This exceptionally well-preserved ancient marvel also houses a small museum dedicated to Jordanian folk tradition.

Gladiators battle and chariots race daily in the ruins of a once-great Roman city.

A more chill but no less fascinating version of the famous ancient archeological site.

An ancient capital city that dates back 3,000 years and harbors many surprises.

Only a handful of these gorgeous historic waterwheels remain but even those are in danger from local unrest.

What is left of the pillar of Saint Simeon, the voluntary martyr who climbed the column to give his sermons, remaining perched there for thirty-seven years.

One of the oldest and largest castles in the world.

Amid the rubble of Aleppo's Old Quarter, part of a historic market has been restored and re-opened.

Ruins of the Crusaders' headquarters.

Mysterious lost empire of the Silk Road.

The maze-like transportation hub contains abandoned areas, derelict stores, and a resident bat colony.

The only quarter of the Old City not dedicated to a major world religion.

The tallest waterfall in the Judean Desert is named for its connection to a biblical figure.

This daunting 1st century fortress was purportedly the site of one of the most dramatic revolts of the Jewish-Roman wars.

The home of the Dead Sea Scrolls is an abstract modernist dream.

The bluer than blue waters in these natural Israeli caves are reached via the world's steepest cable car.

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

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

Ozymandias’ time-keeping temple.

This monument is a stark reminder of the horrors of the Zanzibar slave trade.

In Zanzibar, a historic 19th-century palace is a reminder of the world's shortest war.