Places vijayhm Wants to Go

Thanks to a loophole in property ownership, this alleyway has become a cacophonous street gallery.

This prehistoric sinkhole lured exclusively male mammoths to their death, much to the delight of science.

A cave network located at the southernmost tip of mainland Greece was once believed to be an entrance to Hades.

An autonomous republic of Orthodox monks.

An alien landscape on the banks of the Aegean Sea.

A minotaur, a labyrinth, and a dubious restoration pull in visitors from around the world.

A small island with shimmering pink sands, home to loggerhead turtles and rare plants.

A beautiful 19th-century Armenian mansion is preserved above an unassuming cafe.

This hidden gem is bathed in beautiful natural light.

A Turkish monastery tucked into a cliff wall.

The deepest underground city in Turkey was designed to protect 20,000 people behind massive stone doors.

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

Mysterious lost empire of the Silk Road.

After this one-of-a-kind palace was built the architect's hands are said to have been cut off to keep it that way.

Lebanon's highest point offers expansive views, martian terrains, and eerie ski lifts.

Brush shoulders with animatronic Arab leaders made of silicone.

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

Ethiopia's "smoking mountain" is in one of the hottest regions on the planet and is home to two lava lakes.

The Earth's saltiest natural body of water belches toxic gas.

Supposedly this Ethiopian chapel holds the Ark of the Covenant, guarded by virgins who cannot leave the building.

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

An ocean in the making, in the Ethiopian desert.

A salt lake dotted with steaming limestone chimneys.

An Ethiopian cloud forest protects some of the last wild arabica plants.