Places JonAkzar Wants to Go

These little castles each held thousands of pigeons.

One of the world's largest salt caves is filled with fragile salt sculptures, salt rivers, and huge salt megadomes.

Modern-day cave dwellers carve elaborate homes out of volcanic debris.

This vast, water-filled underground labyrinth can only be toured by boat.

The vertical-axis windmills of ancient Persia have been grinding flour for 1,000 years and counting.

The ancient necropolis houses the immense rock-cut tombs of four Persian kings.

This beautiful system of tunnels built into natural rock serves as a centuries old plumbing system.

This ruined fortress was the stronghold for a persecuted medieval leader and his infamous Assassins.

Ancient structures used to make and preserve ice in the deserts of Persia.

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

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

A spectacular rainbow of stained glass makes the "Pink Mosque" one of the most beautiful in Iran.

Iran's colorful terraces are a rare geological masterpiece.

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

Afghanistan's first skatepark, located in war torn Kabul.

Museum dedicated to overthrowing the Soviets, complete with diorama of Soviets being beaten to death with shovels.

The last operating synagogue in Afghanistan is run by Zablon Simintov, the last remaining Jew in Afghanistan.

A strip of neutral ground where the people of Tajikistan and Afghanistan come together to trade.

The abandoned palace stands as a wounded but proud beacon of Afghan hope.

This monument honors the life of a long-suffering lion whose story captivated the world.

What was once supposed to be the symbol of a shining Afghan future is now a bombed-out ruin.

A sobering museum dedicated to landmines and the personnel working to remove them from Afghanistan.

Despite a history of destruction, this former citadel survives to document Afghanistan's oft overlooked history.

Highly unusual subterranean stupa and adjacent cave monastery.