Places matthewboudier Wants to Go

Long before air conditioning, Persian architects found an ingenious way to cool off.

Named after a legendary garden called Eram in southern Arabia, built by order of Shaddad, an Arab king who wanted to compete with Paradise.

This ancient fortress in Iran was once the oldest and largest treasury in the world.

Burial site of a Jewish prophet revered in Iran.

The tower in this 1,000-year-old mud-brick village seems to vibrate for no apparent reason.

The fire inside this temple has burned for more than 1,500 years.

This 12,000 year old Iranian cave village has been continuously inhabited for over 3,000 years.

A dreamy mausoleum honors Persia's most famous poet.

This ancient burial site is believed to be one of the first earthquake-protected structures in the world.

Hundreds of stones dangle from barren trees in the middle of the desert.

In this tiny Iranian town playing on the roof isn't just encouraged, it's the only place to go.

One of the largest and oldest caravansaries in Persia.

17th century mosque for Shah Abbas' harem.

One of the world's largest salt caves is filled with fragile salt sculptures, salt rivers, and huge salt megadomes.

Modern-day cave dwellers carve elaborate homes out of volcanic debris.

A sophisticated astronomical tower built by one of the greatest Persian scholars of the Islamic Golden Age.

The ancient necropolis houses the immense rock-cut tombs of four Persian kings.

Hydraulic systems in an ancient underground Iranian city.

This beautiful system of tunnels built into natural rock serves as a centuries old plumbing system.

Putrefaction plateaus in Iran, where the dead were sent for decontamination before going to their final resting place.

A 1,500-year-old, 3-story subterranean city where ancient Persians took refuge in times of war.

Ancient structures used to make and preserve ice in the deserts of Persia.

This ruined fortress was the stronghold for a persecuted medieval leader and his infamous Assassins.

A spectacular rainbow of stained glass makes the "Pink Mosque" one of the most beautiful in Iran.