Places stonoceno Wants to Go

This ancient mountain monastery welcomes all manner of faith in an effort to keep Christians in Syria.

Only a handful of these gorgeous historic waterwheels remain but even those are in danger from local unrest.

This ornate mosque is said to hold the remains of Muhammad's granddaughter beneath its dome of pure gold.

The Syrian headquarters of alleged hashish-smoking assassins.

A 1,500-year-old ghost settlement is slowly fading away.

Ruins of the Crusaders' headquarters.

Mysterious lost empire of the Silk Road.

This fortress sits atop a centuries-old well system.

A 19th-century fortress and collection of artifacts offer a tour of Saudi history.

An annual two-week festival near the city of Riyadh when Saudis let their hair down.

An archaeological site believed to be the burial place of the "mother of us all."

Site where Moses may have received the Ten Commandments.

This giant volcanic crater holds its very own field of salt.

Village of slate houses, built on a white marble outcrop.

Within the Saudi Arabian desert lies a 2,000-year-old ghost town made of stone and mud.

More than 100 monumental tombs carved into rock are preserved at this ancient Nabataean site in the Arabian Desert.

An unfinished tomb carved into a giant boulder in the Arabian Desert.

This clock is an architectural flourish that stands out as a landmark among a unique Israeli German community.

Israel's premiere solar energy research facility provides energy to nomads.

This mysterious Lady Liberty stands at the entrance to a small Israeli village.

Located within one of Israel's most picturesque monasteries is also the country's first meteorological research station.

This ancient village is peopled by a religious minority and is still using some of the same materials it was built with thousands of years ago.

One of only two towns in Israel populated by Circassians, a sect of Sunni Muslims who are also devoted to Israeli military service.

One of the few guarded stops along the great spice route.