The western-most fortress on the Great Wall of China has gone from a strategic stronghold to a kitschy tourist carnival.

Hundreds of caves filled with thousands of centuries-old statues and murals.

Although resembling a grand Buddhist temple, this structure is actually the largest mosque in China.

A lush desert oasis in the shape of a narrow crescent.

An extraordinary natural landscape of mountains, waterfalls, and rocky cliffs riddled with tunnels.

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

The home of the Dead Sea Scrolls is an abstract modernist dream.

A mapping error in the 19th century made loggers think this section of the forest was underwater.

Equal parts record-breaking temple to consumerism and bizarre fun park, it's more than you think it is...

At this Minnesota state park you can easily wade across the source of the mighty Mississippi.

The Midwest's reigning king of surplus stores is full of nothing you need and everything you want.

Home to the Amorphophallus titanum "Corpse Flower," which is among the largest flowers in the world and also smells powerfully of rotting flesh when in bloom.

20,000 pieces in a Frank Gehry-designed building.

A toweringly silly piece of modern art has been delighting locals since the 1980s.

Macabre astrological automaton clock dating to the late 1400s.

Medieval museum built over Roman baths that features famous tapestries of a lady and a unicorn.

An "inside out" building in the historical center of Paris, featuring Europe’s largest modern art museum.

An imperial art museum offers edible versions of its most treasured displays in an on-site fine-dining restaurant.

Memorial to the father of the Republic of China.

Enormous pendulum helps keep Taiwan's tallest building from swaying.

An ancient Egyptian temple sits within a modern European museum.

Thousands of tourists and residents in Cologne affix "love padlocks" on the Hohenzollernbrücke Bridge to symbolize their affections.

These turtle-shaped concrete stepping stones provide a unique river crossing in central Kyoto.

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.