Perfectly preserved ancient monastery in an impossibly dramatic location on a rocky island in the Atlantic.

This statue once earned the distinction as one of the "Three Major Disappointments of the World."

Stunning wetlands ablaze with pink lotus flowers.

5,000 skulls in memorial to those killed by the Khmer Rouge.

The notorious "Hanoi Hilton" where Vietnamese colonial subjects and later American POWs, including John McCain, were imprisoned.

"Only the dead get off at Kymlinge."

Complete town of 5,000 living out at sea on the world's first offshore oil platform.

Home to nearly a third of the world's mud volcanoes, Azerbaijan is home to a messy, bubbling, and sometimes explosive landscape.

This striking icon of the disputed Republic of Artsakh caused a stir at a Eurovision Song Contest.

One of the few remaining casualties of the London Blitz, this destroyed church has become an enchanting public garden.

This ancient Hindu temple is covered in thousands of colorful statues and has a long mythological history.

The world's second-largest sundial, made entirely out of stone.

One of the largest statues in Israel was erected to protest pollution.

Deep in the Negev Desert, the world's tallest solar tower looks like a sight straight out of science fiction.

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.

This daunting 1st century fortress was purportedly the site of one of the most dramatic revolts of the Jewish-Roman wars.

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

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

The most alien-looking place on Earth.

This massive piece of artwork weighs more than 250 tons, and was designed as a tribute to the first president of the United Arab Emirates.

These otherworldly formations were shaped over millions of years by the forces of nature.

The oldest surviving mosque in the UAE has mysterious origins and unusual architecture.

Whitewashed mosque contains the world's largest carpet.

Billed as the "largest natural flower garden in the world" this Middle Eastern show field has little competition at 45 million flowers.