Soviet-era gates guard an unexpected urban forest—and a future U.S. embassy.

A vivid and terrifying mural blends pop-culture-style depictions of Hell with traditional Orthodox imagery.

A unique collection of Soviet military artifacts lies hidden away in a disused train, in the unrecognized Eastern European republic of Transnistria.

At less than four inches in height, this iconic fictional character is the smallest public statue in all of Moldova.

The oldest building in Hargeisa survived the 1988 bombings that destroyed some 90 percent of the city.

This cave located in the badlands of Somaliland contains some of the oldest cave art in Africa.

A surprising number of shipwrecks visible just off the Somaliland coast.

A MiG-17 fighter jet sits atop this memorial to the indiscriminate bombardment of Hargeisa.

A salt lake dotted with steaming limestone chimneys.

Rimmed by white crusts of salt on every edge, Lac Assal is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world.

An ancient Ethiopian cave church is endangered by the simple building of a road.

An Ethiopian "Jerusalem" featuring a church hewn out of a single rock.

For centuries, Jeddah’s old town was a major trading port and a point of entry for Hajj pilgrims traveling by sea.

Scrap material from around Eritrea finds a new life at this outdoor market, where upcycling is a lifestyle.

Wander among hulking piles of rusted machinery left over from the Eritrean-Ethiopian War.

Eritrea's futuristic gas station is a nod to Italy's fascist history.

One of the famous Czech artist's lesser-known Prague installations appears to be a glowing fetus affixed to a drainpipe.

Synagogue built from the stones of Solomon's temple contains the golem of Prague.

The hidden lair of an alchemist rediscovered in a 2002 flood.

A Jenga-style cylindrical tower of books that appears to go on forever.

A Baroque mansion with ties to legendary magicians and alchemists.

A 400-year-old mummified arm dangles from the ceiling of St. James the Greater, serving as a warning to thieves.

A mocking tribute to the past and modern leadership of Prague.

This now-abandoned outcrop is an important Native American spiritual site, overtaken by European settlers and mining pollution.