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

Long before air conditioning, Persian architects found an ingenious way to cool off.

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

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

An homage to the medieval rulers of Bulgaria.

An island made out of shells, including a cemetery.

Legend has it a commoner volunteered to be buried alive in the foundation so that the great fortress could be built.

A magnificent collection of imperial armor and weaponry.

The housing complex served as an anti-fascist fortress during the Austrian Civil War.

A silly medieval mural preserved on the side of a Viennese house.

This museum promotes informed contraception by documenting its often secret past.

The final resting place for the remains of 143 Habsburg royalty.

The crypt of the imposing Stephensdom holds royal intestines and thousands of skeletons.

Although resembling a grand Buddhist temple, this structure is actually the largest mosque in China.

One of the word's deepest gorges is also tied to a fantastic legend.

Holy Grotto of Montserrat Monastery holds one of Europe's mysterious black Madonnas.

Peek into the world of those creating the beautiful, delicate paper parasols found all over the globe.

A gift from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, this is the only statue of the Soviet dictator in Southeast Asia.

This French colonial post office is arguably the grandest in all of Southeast Asia.

Artifacts and memories from the Vietnam war, located in a place that experienced it first hand.

An extravagant monument to an extravagantly unpopular Emperor.

This ancient market is often referred to as the oldest shopping mall in the world.

2300-year-old Roman road connecting the empire.

These bamboo and rope bridges cross the Nam Khan River for six months every year.