One of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world keeps an eye out in every direction.

Nailing a coin to this holy stump is just another way to ask the gods for relief from dental pain.

Sacred Buddhist home of some spiritual monkeys.

This ancient Hindu temple is covered in thousands of colorful statues and has a long mythological history.

This precariously balanced boulder is said to be a hunk of stolen butter dropped by the gods.

Picnic on the seashore in the footsteps of ancient kings, protected by giant mythical cat beasts.

This remarkably well-preserved Egyptian plinth is pretty well traveled for a giant piece of stone.

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.

This Stone Age solar temple aligns with the sun on each equinox and solstice.

This exclusive resort has completely covered a tiny Balkan island in a 5-star warren of guest rooms.

These historic defenses ensured the city within would survive hundreds of years of occupations, sieges, and invasions.

Formerly Yugoslavia's "forbidden island," this sleepy little city still holds the abandoned remains of military strongholds.

A tiny church on a man-made island in the Adriatic.

Gargoyle head that brings good luck.

Bridge that died in war and was resurected.

Oriental bazaar in the heart of Sarajevo.

A number of craters left by fatal mortar strikes have been filled with red resin to remember those lost during the Siege of Sarajevo.

Built in 1870 at the bridge that connected Buda and Pest, this spectacular incline railway was almost lost forever during World War II.

A unique hotel for the artistic soul.

Around 100,000 bodies are buried below the medieval headstones, many of which mark graves with multiple bodies stacked up to 12 deep.

This tipsy office building in downtown Prague was originally called “Fred and Ginger.”

It houses the remains of a 17th-century version of the Titanic.

This chimerical bridge/tunnel appears to dead end right into the sea.