Pulled from the rubble of one of the worst modern tragedies, a steel crossbeam became a symbol of hope for New Yorkers.

The very first subway station in New York City is beautiful, decked out in chandeliers, and ... abandoned?

The sacred shrine of the Yazidis.

An ancient fortified mound raised over the millennia from settlements built one on top of the other.

A fiery crater has been burning in the Karakum Desert since 1971.

This mysterious but iconic tapered tower appears in many Azeri fairytales and legends.

A unique museum dedicated to culture and artistry of carpet weaving.

The shallow, salty inlet was a safe haven for 19th-century pirates.

A bloody history is captured in this former prison turned museum.

A superb spot to appreciate the traditional boats of the Indian Ocean.

A preposterously luxurious hotel with gold-plated iPads, Rolls Royce chauffeurs, and a staff that trains by watching "Downton Abbey."

This 23-foot-tall bear stands amid the hustle and bustle of Hamad International Airport.

Qatar's oldest market can trace its origins back more than a century.

This fountain pays homage to Qatar's history of pearling, the primary industry before oil.

On any given day this sprawling market houses literally tons of government-regulated gold, gems, and precious metals.

The controversial final resting place of the equally controversial first president of Turkmenistan.

If you want to get married in the White Marble City of Ashgabat, you should do it in this surreal disco ball building.

A huge monument to a bizarre book written by Turkmenistan’s longstanding dictator.

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.

A dictator's gold statue once rotated to face the sun on a 75-meter high marble tower.

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

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

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

A dreamy mausoleum honors Persia's most famous poet.