The heartbeat of modern Uzbekistan’s thriving market culture.

This Roman arch marks the location of an ancient gate at one of the Seven Hills of Rome.

Rome’s legendary peephole vista is also a former Crusader stronghold.

A vast Communist-era exhibition space in the Bulgarian capital.

Eastern Bloc nostalgia, anybody?

A striking symbol of the Bulgarian capital.

A Bulgarian monument to Russia's role in World War II is constantly being painted in pop culture protest.

This massive concrete sculpture is said to be the heaviest communist monument on Earth.

Glacial lake that mysteriously empties itself every year.

Built entirely of interlocking pieces, construction of this Chinese Muslim house of worship required zero nails.

A collection of Lenin busts and other Soviet Era statues sit idly behind the Semipalatinsk Hotel.

A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.

Rusting ships sit in a desert where a sea used to be.

Touching displays of wishes for peace from the Cold War era.

Giant cauldrons overflow with Uzbekistan's favorite rice dish at this cavernous dining hall.

The ruins of an ancient Zoroastrian Tower of Silence believed to be the earliest example of the traditional funerary practice.

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

Ancient barriers wrap around what was once an important stop along the Silk Road.

Final palace complex of the last of 29 Kokand rulers.

This "tower of death" has acted as an observatory, a religious hub, and an executioner's lair.

Former island in the Aral Sea used to be a top-secret Russian bio-weapons facility.

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

Once a bustling fishing port, this semi-ghost town is now more than 90 miles away from the shore.

Home to the deepest rift anywhere on Earth.