matthewswaller27's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Ayni, Tajikistan

Anzob Tunnel

This dark, damp, perilous tunnel is the only passage from north to south Tajikistan.
Pingan, Tajikistan

Hulbuk Fortress

This medieval citadel once guarded the western entrance of the Pamir Highway.
Ishkoshim, Tajikistan

Yamchun Fort

This ancient Silk Road outpost overlooking the Wakhan Valley is miraculously still standing.
Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Wall of Great Tajik Writers

A building facade covered with the statues of 11 giants of Tajik literature.
Rushon, Tajikistan

Sarez Lake

The largest dam in the world and the site of a potential disaster.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque

The controversial final resting place of the equally controversial first president of Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan

Dekhistan Ruins

The remains of a medieval city loom in one of the most isolated desert regions of Turkmenistan.
Gokdepe, Turkmenistan

Saparmurat Hajji Mosque

A memorial to the thousands of Turkmen soldiers and civilians who died in a bloody 1881 battle.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Independence Monument of Turkmenistan

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Giant Ruhnama

A huge monument to a bizarre book written by Turkmenistan’s longstanding dictator.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Arch of Neutrality

A dictator's gold statue once rotated to face the sun on a 75-meter high marble tower.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Turkmenbashi's Land of Fairy Tales

An eccentric dictator's take on a Turkmen version of Disneyland.
Koytendag, Turkmenistan

Kyrk Gyz Cave

A cave covered with bizarre stalactites of cloth.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The Walk of Health

This harsh mountain path was built as a strange attempt to improve the health of Turkmen citizens.
Balkanabat, Turkmenistan

Yangykala Canyon

Few people have ever heard of, let alone visited, one of Turkmenistan’s most impressive natural attractions.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Wedding Palace

If you want to get married in the White Marble City of Ashgabat, you should do it in this surreal disco ball building.
Nokhur, Turkmenistan

Nokhur Cemetery

A cemetery with goat-horn bedecked gravestones.
Merv, Turkmenistan

Ancient Merv

This famed Silk Road oasis was one of the largest cities in the world before it was destroyed by a Mongol horde.
Gokdepe, Turkmenistan

Köw Ata Underground Lake

This cavernous swimming spot doubles as a home to the largest known colony of bats in Central Asia.
Turkmenistan

The Gates of Hell

A fiery crater has been burning in the Karakum Desert since 1971.
Kathmandu, Nepal

Thapathali Durbar Temple

This is one of the last surviving structures of a once vast palace complex.
Kathmandu, Nepal

Ganatantra Smarak

Adjacent to Narayanhiti Palace, this park commemorates those who fought in Nepal's civil war.
Kathmandu, Nepal

Nepali Folk Musical Instrument Museum

This secluded museum beats the drum for the preservation of Nepal's musical heritage.
Kathmandu, Nepal

Maitighar Mandala

Hiding in plain sight near Kathmandu’s government center is a giant mandala that has become a locus for political protest.