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Nubia, Egypt

The Temple of Abu Simbel

Ozymandias’ time-keeping temple.
Cairo, Egypt

Nilometer

An ancient instrument used to measure the waters of the Nile so Egyptian farmers would know whether to expect famine or flood.
Paphos, Cyprus

The Mosaics of Paphos

The ancient mosaics here are considered among the finest in the world, and serve as a stunning record of Greco-Roman daily life.
Sorrento, Italy

Valle dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills)

An Italian crevasse filled with abandoned buildings gives visitors a look at the world without humans.
Hamragarðar, Iceland

Gljúfrabúi

This fantastical waterfall is hidden in a cave located in a cracked cliff.
Iceland

Svartifoss

The unique waterfall in Iceland's south features a backdrop of geometric black lava columns.
Grindavík, Iceland

Blue Lagoon

Medicinal spa created with the discharge from a geothermal energy plant.
East Tigray, Ethiopia

Abuna Yemata Guh

Reaching the "Church in the Sky" requires scaling the cliff face of a sandstone pinnacle with a 650-foot drop.
Afar Zone 2, Ethiopia

Erta Ale

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

Ben Abeba

An otherworldly restaurant perched on the edge of a jagged cliff next to a medieval holy city.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The Zaisan Memorial

A huge communist-era propaganda monument and mural that offers stunning views of the Mongolian capital.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Genghis Khan Statue Complex

Enormous statue of the Emperor of the Mongols.
Moscow, Russia

Monument to the Conquerors of Space

Moscow's imposing monument to the Space Age.
Moscow, Russia

Children are the Victims of Adult Vices

Thirteen sculptures in central Moscow graphically depicting vices of the modern world.
Kazan, Russia

Temple of All Religions

This Russian religious complex is a Frankenstein's chapel that includes influence from almost all the major faiths.
Moscow, Russia

Moscow Metro Stations

The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.
Yekaterinburg, Russia

Psychedelic Salt Mines

It's hard to believe the dizzying patterns covering this abandoned mine are completely natural.
Fox Glacier, New Zealand

Fox Glacier

A glacier pocked with ice caves and surrounded by rainforests.
Waitomo, New Zealand

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

Tubing through a cave lit with glowworms is a magical underground experience.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Cemitério São João Batista

Try not to get lost in this picturesque Brazilian labyrinth of the dead.
Santo Amaro do Maranhão, Brazil

Lençóis Maranhenses Dunes

A faux desert landscape in the middle of the jungle that sprouts oases during the rainy season.
Tokyo, Japan

Ninja Akasaka

A restaurant modeled after feudal Japan, where the waitstaff are trained as ninjas.
Kyoto, Japan

Sanjūsangen-dō

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.
Tokyo, Japan

Omoide Yokocho

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”