Meg's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Stockholm, Sweden

Katarina Elevator

This gem from the industrial age helps visitors and residents alike traverse hilly Stockholm.
Dakar, Senegal

Mosque of the Divinity

This unique religious structure is an architectural gem with arresting ocean views.
Hobart, New York

Hobart Book Village

This small Catskills village has six independent bookstores and more bookshops than restaurants.
Qom, Iran

Fatemeh Maasoume Shrine

One of the holiest Shi'i shrines in Iran honors the life and death of a learned noblewoman who became a saint.
Abu AR Rish Qebli, Egypt

Tombs of the Nobles

A network of ancient Egyptian tombs built into the cliff face along the Nile.
Bhutan

The Burning Lake

Legend has it a sacred treasure hidden by an ancient guru was revealed with a burning butter lamp from these waters.
Stockholm, Sweden

Normalhöjdpunkten

Hidden in plain sight, Sweden's official ordnance datum is now abandoned.
Mexico City, Mexico

Disk of Death

This strange sculpture of a menacing skull surrounded by sun rays was discovered at the foot of the Pyramid of the Sun.
Coolin, Idaho

Lionhead Natural Water Slides

Natural rock water slides hidden in the remote forests of northern Idaho.
Seattle, Washington

Seattle Center Armory

A community gathering place that once housed half-ton tanks and the World's Fair.
Madrid, Spain

San Antonio de los Alemanes

The little church's beautifully frescoed ceiling has earned it the nickname “the Sistine Chapel of Madrid.”
Timbuktu, Mali

Djingareyber Mosque

One of Western Africa's oldest mosques, this Timbuktu icon has stood for nearly 700 years.
Mexico City, Mexico

UNAM Botanical Garden

These biodiverse university gardens form a green oasis amid the urban chaos of Mexico City.
Selçuk, Turkey

Basilica of St. John

This crumbling medieval basilica once attracted pilgrims by the thousands to collect a miraculous dust that formed above the saint's tomb.
Venilale, Timor-Leste

Venilale Tunnels

These underground shelters dug by the Japanese during World War II later helped Timor-Leste achieve its independence.
Barcelona, Spain

FC Barcelona Coat of Arms

Barça football fans might see the insignia hidden in a church window as a divine sign.
Akron, Ohio

The Glendale Steps

An elegant sandstone stairway built by the WPA still connects two neighborhoods in Akron.
Grand Canyon Village, Arizona

Kaibab Lookout Trees

The remnants of a creative early method of wildfire prevention.
Padua, Italy

Padua Astronomical Clock

One of the world's oldest working clocks is curiously missing the Zodiac sign of Libra.
Waddesdon, England

Waddesdon Manor Aviary

An ornate aviary built during the Victorian trend of collecting exotic birds.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

Statue of Panfilov's 28 Guardsmen

This Soviet statue is based on a piece of propaganda that's been elevated to national myth.
Zurich, Switzerland

Kulturama

Zurich's evolution museum hosts a unique collection of skeletons among its natural history treasures.
Gwynedd, Wales

Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel

This Welsh hotel is the spiritual home of the British 1953 Everest expedition, the first successful ascent of Mount Everest.
Fort Pierre, South Dakota

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye Monument

A monument to the forgotten French explorers and their landmark expedition.