This ancient Silk Road outpost overlooking the Wakhan Valley is miraculously still standing.

An entertainment center in a huge transparent tent.

An abandoned Soviet-era mining town in the mountains of South Kazakhstan.

A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.

This retro, UFO-like structure is a remnant of the Soviet-era circus.

This mysterious complex of abandoned yurts and fading murals was meant to be a center of science and spirituality in Kyrgyzstan.

A small cell adjacent to this church was once the bedroom for a renowned saint.

Inside this small chapel tucked away in the forest is one of the most well-preserved Danse Macabre frescos.

This communist behemoth is the heaviest building in the world and a legacy of a brutal regime.

A Romanian church built from one single oak.

The European towns of Brașov and Râșnov each have proud signs reminiscent of the Hollywood sign.

The legendary cliffside castle of three-time Voivode of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler.

These temples are among the oldest free-standing stone buildings in the world.

Dynastic Home of the De Piro Family.

This almost-forgotten underground dungeon housed several convicts over the years, including Caravaggio.

The fishing boats that moor in this small lagoon enter and leave through a tunnel to the sea.

This unique building in the main square stands out among the city's typically Baroque architecture.

The remains of a 1st-century aristocratic Roman town house featuring beautiful well-preserved mosaics.

This spectacular dome managed to survive after being bombed in World War II, in an event known as the "Miracle of Mosta."

France's most famous cemetery, with some of its most curious tombs.

An artificial date palm stands as a memorial to Warsaw's Jewish community.

The giant statue and its model solar system honor the native Pole who declared that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

One of the world's largest collections of medieval religious art.

A statue honors the children who fought Nazis in Poland.