Bohol's unusually shaped hills turn brown in the summer months.

Controversially restored in the 1970s, this giant 15th-century mosque is shrouded in legend.

Once a luxurious flagship of the Soviet Union, this Brutalist structure remains a landmark of Tashkent’s communist past.

Prowl through this sprawling bazaar under a massive Soviet-era dome for delicious eats.

An underground world of gorgeous, palatial metro stations designed as a nuclear shelter complex.

This "tower of death" has acted as an observatory, a religious hub, and an executioner's lair.

Ancient barriers wrap around what was once an important stop along the Silk Road.

Light still pours into the ruins of this ancient Islamic observatory.

The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.

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

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.

A memorial to the thousands of Turkmen soldiers and civilians who died in a bloody 1881 battle.

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

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

Right beyond the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border lies the oldest human settlement in Central Asia.

Next to a newer mosque in Khujand’s main square lies the city’s oldest mosque, whose interiors are spectacularly intricate.

A bustling bazaar with an elaborate facade in Central Asia’s underrated capital.

The world's second-tallest flagpole stands proud despite dropping rank.

This dark, damp, perilous tunnel is the only passage from north to south Tajikistan.

The first version of this stalwart construction appeared around 3,000 years ago.

According to myth, there's a bloody explanation for the beautiful bright red color of this rock formation set amidst alpine vegetation.

Built entirely of interlocking pieces, construction of this Chinese Muslim house of worship required zero nails.

Lonely minaret stump of a destroyed city.

This retro, UFO-like structure is a remnant of the Soviet-era circus.