The most famous location in China was home to whole dynasties worth of imperial rulers.

Established hundreds of years ago, Gandan remains the premier Buddhist monastery in Ulaanbaatar.

The monastery survived the Communist revolution in Mongolia as a religious museum.

This cozy little museum is a journey through the history of Mongolia’s capital.

Enormous statue of the Emperor of the Mongols.

This remote mountain shrine is one of the most sacred Zoroastrian temples remaining in the world.

One of the holiest Shi'i shrines in Iran honors the life and death of a learned noblewoman who became a saint.

The cathedral stands in New Jufa, Isfahan's Armenian quarter that was established in 1606.

Marked by the hand of the explorer Henry Morton Stanley.

This 17th-century structure is a beautiful testimony to traditional Persian architecture

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

A dreamy mausoleum honors Persia's most famous poet.

17th century mosque for Shah Abbas' harem.

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

These little castles each held thousands of pigeons.

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

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

Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.

The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.

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

One of the largest cemeteries in the world.

This remnant of an ancient Persian city is considered to be the world's largest single-span brick vault arch.