The L.A. Zoo has a secret garden of rare bootleg cycads, a palm specimen dating back 280 million years.

After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.

These delicate buggers are some of the rarest fossils that have bubbled up from the Tar Pits.

Iran's "Rose Garden Palace," built during 131 years of rule by Qajar kings, consists of 17 stunning structures.

One of the holiest Shi'i shrines in Iran honors the life and death of a learned noblewoman who became a saint.

One of the world's largest shopping malls covers an area of 15 million square feet—and it's still set to grow.

Marked by the hand of the explorer Henry Morton Stanley.

This 17th-century structure is a beautiful testimony to traditional Persian architecture

This 12,000 year old Iranian cave village has been continuously inhabited for over 3,000 years.

A dreamy mausoleum honors Persia's most famous poet.

17th century mosque for Shah Abbas' harem.

The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.

One incredible room in the Santa Barbara Courthouse is covered in wall-to-wall canvas murals.

The beautiful behemoth is one of the largest trees of its kind in the United States.

The home of one of California's most important horticulturalists wilts amidst a lovely park.

The hottest, driest, and most scenic desert on Earth.