Places Edited by Max Cortesi

Time capsule of a museum, in which the Soviet Union remains alive and kicking.

Extremely isolated Silk Road caravanserai in the middle of nowhere.

A city entirely devoted to illegal gun production.

A series of waterfalls so massive they straddle the border of Argentina and Brazil.

A forlorn fishing village on the coast of Labrador, full of shipwrecks and Spanish gold.

A chilling monument to Korean patriots who resisted the Japanese occupation.

This bazaar is one of the oldest in the Arabian world.

Little island known for its massive beachfront "flowerpot" pillars.

A futuristic, brutalist masterpiece that is also strangely prison-like.

This red lake 4,000 meters above sea level is home to rare flamingos.

Giant stone letters dedicated to the founder of Armenia's alphabet.

120 mortarless pagodas built by one Korean hermit.

Pagan monument converted to Christianity with the population.

A 17th-century mosque that was used for war more than worship.

An awe-inspiring mosque in Morocco with one of the tallest minarets in the world.

One of the most remote and isolated villages on the Arabian Peninsula.

Village of slate houses, built on a white marble outcrop.

Groups of prehistoric tombs that dot the mountains of northern Oman.

17th century mosque for Shah Abbas' harem.

The place that allegedly inspired James Hilton's depiction of Shangri-La.

Small church on top of a huge rock column.

More than 100 monumental tombs carved into rock are preserved at this ancient Nabataean site in the Arabian Desert.

A modern temple with an ancient philosophy.

A neolithic tomb converted into a tiny chapel.