Meybod, Iran
Yakhchāls
Ancient structures used to make and preserve ice in the deserts of Persia.
Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
Meybod, Iran
Ancient structures used to make and preserve ice in the deserts of Persia.
Roudbar Alamout, Iran
This ruined fortress was the stronghold for a persecuted medieval leader and his infamous Assassins.
Nushabad, Iran
A 1,500-year-old, 3-story subterranean city where ancient Persians took refuge in times of war.
Yazd, Iran
Putrefaction plateaus in Iran, where the dead were sent for decontamination before going to their final resting place.
Shiraz, Iran
A spectacular rainbow of stained glass makes the "Pink Mosque" one of the most beautiful in Iran.
Fars Province, Iran
The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.
Orost, Iran
Iran's colorful terraces are a rare geological masterpiece.
Shiraz, Iran
Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.
Baghdad, Iraq
A 2200 year old vessel may have been able to keep a charge.
Al-Shikhan, Iraq
The sacred shrine of the Yazidis.
Samarra, Iraq
9th century Abbasid mosque, damaged in modern warfare.
Hillah, Iraq
Celebrated as a center of civilization, the remains of the ancient city have been nearly destroyed by greed, egoism, and war.
Sednayah, Syria
One of the oldest monasteries in the world is a key pilgrimage site for both Muslims and Christians.
Damascus, Syria
Also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, this is one of the world's largest and oldest mosques.
Balshoon, Syria
A 1,500-year-old ghost settlement is slowly fading away.
Aleppo, Syria
One of the oldest and largest castles in the world.
Palmyra, Syria
Mysterious lost empire of the Silk Road.
Istanbul, Turkey
The only Roman honorific column in Istanbul.
Bursa, Turkey
This Ottoman bridge is a rare covered bridge with shops, and considers itself the only bazaar bridge in the world.
Istanbul, Turkey
Byzantine emperors ruled, lived, and died in this 13th-century palace-turned-museum.
İzmir, Turkey
This elevator was built in 1907 to connect two neighborhoods separated by a steep, rocky cliff.
Diyarbakir, Turkey
Balanced on four stone pillars, this historic tower was the site of a tragic political assassination.
Bucak, Turkey
A little-known caravanserai hidden among farmhouses in the Turkish countryside.
Ocaklı Köyü, Turkey
Remnants of successive wars and Muslim colonialism in the 11th century.