Places Sputnicktatorship Wants to Go

Nature's water park in the Wadi Bani Awf valley is full of pools flanked with cliffs and natural water slides.

Groups of prehistoric tombs that dot the mountains of northern Oman.

This bazaar is one of the oldest in the Arabian world.

An imposing Omani fortress surrounded by date palm trees.

This spectacular mosque houses the second-largest chandelier in the world.

A sinkhole and now a swimming hole, too, full of dazzling turquoise water.

The tallest minaret in Yemen is 150 feet high and entirely made of mud.

A nearly abandoned Jewish settlement perched atop a hill in the heart of Yemen.

One of Yemen’s oldest and most beautiful mosques was named for the incredible, historical queen buried inside it.

This impressive system of tanks was used to store drinking water as long as 2,000 years ago.

Yemen's "Stone Palace" looks like it was carved right out of the tall stone column on which it is built.

One of the most remote and isolated villages on the Arabian Peninsula.

Elaborate patterns adorn the city's disappearing traditional architecture.

A mesmerizing reservoir nestled at the heart of a pre-Islamic Yemeni village.

A city built from mud and known as the "Manhattan of the desert."

The most alien-looking place on Earth.

The mysterious round rocks of Schooner Gulch.

The cedar tree in Highgate Cemetery earned its title by accident.

A Gothic cathedral created from volcanic rocks.

This amazing ancient cave was kept secret for seven years to protect it from the public.

This tree was extinct for a thousand years before sprouting again from a 2,000-year-old seed.

An ancient quarry rediscovered by a dog and claimed by biblical kings, a German cult, and the Freemasons.

The most peaceful "country" in the Middle East.

Sitting right on the border between East and West Jerusalem this modern art museum is in itself a symbol of Israel's hoped-for unity.