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

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

One of the two original gateways into the Kasbah, this gateway is a nesting site for storks.

The designated Jewish quarter in Fez dates back to the 15th century.

This vast masterpiece of Moroccan architecture spreads across 20 acres.

The oldest monument in Marrakesh and the city's only surviving example of Almoravid architecture.

Deliberately hidden for centuries, the magnificent Saadian Tombs were eventually uncovered in 1917.

The largest madrasa in Morocco once housed more than 900 students within its exquisite walls.

The oldest known university in the world is in Fez, Morocco.

Traditional 11th-century outdoor tannery.

Fortune tellers, snake charmers, poets, and storytellers all gather on this historic square in Morocco.

Thousands of narrow alleyways in an ancient medieval city make up what's believed to be the world's largest car-free urban zone.

Mosaics, storks, and brothels—this ancient city has it all.

The other side is actually green.

It took 40 years to build this Eden-like garden in Marrakech, later restored by Yves Saint-Laurent.

The remains of a magnificent medieval fortress that was the capital of a vast empire.

Morocco's Argania trees are infested with nut-hungry goats.

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

Named for the biblical warrior, the largest castle in Israel actually dates to the Middle Ages.

This modernist cinema has survived war and reconstruction to become a symbol of Lebanon’s revolutionary spirit.

Giant reed houses made in the marshes of Southern Iraq.

Flames have been burning within this mountain for more than 2,500 years.

This church houses the tomb—but not the remains—of St. Nicholas, the likely progenitor to Santa Claus.

Unfinished monument to peace between Turkey and Armenia, long divided by a dispute over genocide.