A New York–based physician returned home to Spain to build his own elaborate monument to Christopher Columbus.

The facade of this 16th-century building is decorated with carvings of 300 seashells.

The Cathedral of Salamanca has a number of unusual carvings but none so surprising as a modern astronaut.

The hidden ruins of an old hydroelectric plant reclaimed by nature.

Three bridges and one giant canyon make up this fantastic Spanish settlement.

One of the most spectacular bridges in Spain spans a narrow chasm that divides the city of Ronda.

This quaint Spanish village agreed to be painted blue as a marketing stunt but found that they preferred it that way.

An underground spring in a labyrinthine cave system, decorated with stalagmites and stalactites.

Spain's largest bullring offers a unique glimpse at architecture and history.

The final resting place of the great navigator, or maybe his brother.

Considered the birthplace of the Copper Age and Bronze Age, the river is tinted red from 5,000 years of mining.

Single runway interrupted by a busy road that cuts across its middle.

Founded as a refugee camp, now a popular tourist spot.

At this faithfully preserved medina off the Moroccan tourist circuit you can walk through six centuries of history in one day.

A sign marks where the two bodies of water meet.

Along the most northwestern point in Africa is an ancient cave surrounded by legends.

The legacy of a Moroccan Jewish community is remembered at this little mouldering cemetery.

A mythical garden that once grew the golden apples of wisdom is said to have existed in this ancient Moroccan city.

Traditional 11th-century outdoor tannery.

God's Saharan sandbox of wrath.

One of the most spectacular canyons in the world.

Exploring the wilder, more passionate sibling of Erg Chebbi feels like discovering a secret sun-kissed planet from another galaxy.

An abandoned horror film set sits eerily along a highway through Hollywood's "door to the desert."

A fortified city, home to a remaining population of five families