Max Cortesi's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Pakistan
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Places edited in Pakistan
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Places visited in Thailand
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Places added to Ecuador
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Places edited in Sri Lanka
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Places visited in Sri Lanka
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Places added to Italy
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Places edited in Bolivia
Ming-Kush, Kyrgyzstan

Min Kush

This village was once a thriving Soviet uranium mining center, but is now semi-abandoned and desolate.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Wall of Great Tajik Writers

A building facade covered with the statues of 11 giants of Tajik literature.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Kojomkul, Kyrgyzstan

Kojomkul Memorial

An unusual monument to a gentle giant who became a Kyrgyz hero.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Ishkoshim, Tajikistan

Yamchun Fort

This ancient Silk Road outpost overlooking the Wakhan Valley is miraculously still standing.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Xiva, Uzbekistan

Walls of Itchan Kala

Ancient barriers wrap around what was once an important stop along the Silk Road.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Haidong Shi, China

White Horse Temple (白马寺)

This temple located on a vertical drop of a rocky mountain houses relics from the Song Dynasty.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Hatgal, Mongolia

Abandoned Petroleum Distribution Center

Traces of the thriving lake trade that once linked the Soviet Union with Mongolia.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Shop #47 at Mwenge Woodcarvers Market

An exquisite and eclectic selection of African masks stands out within a massive woodcarving marketplace.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Bulgan, Mongolia

Flaming Cliffs

Dinosaur eggs were first discovered at these fiery red cliffs.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Mongolian Military Museum

Thousands of artifacts tell Mongolia's military history, from the Bronze Age to the present.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Iran

Kharānaq

The tower in this 1,000-year-old mud-brick village seems to vibrate for no apparent reason.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Centre of Shaman Eternal Heavenly Sophistication

A nondescript dirt lot hides an intriguing center of shamanic healing.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek Circus

This retro, UFO-like structure is a remnant of the Soviet-era circus.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Old Kachcheri

These abandoned ruins in the middle of Jaffna have withstood centuries of tumultuous power struggles.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Alqosh, Iraq

Rabban Hormizd Monastery

An ancient sanctuary that has long been a holy site for the Chaldean Christian Church.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Nižná Slaná, Slovakia

Huta Etelka

An abandoned 19th-century iron factory perched along the outskirts of an idyllic village.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Laos

Vang Sang Buddhas

A mysterious, hidden cluster of Buddha sculptures carved into the rocks.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Yemen

Hababah Water Cistern

A mesmerizing reservoir nestled at the heart of a pre-Islamic Yemeni village.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Qatar

Al `Arish

An abandoned fishing village in pre-oil Qatar.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Amedi, Iraq

Bahdinan Gate

This beautiful arched gate is all that remains of the fortress the ancient mountaintop town of Amadiya once was.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Ngorongoro, Tanzania

Shifting Sand Dunes

These strange piles of magnetized volcanic ash travel across the desert about 50 feet per year.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Doha, Qatar

Qatar National Library

The enormous diamond-shaped building packs a trove of academic and literary treasures into one futuristic space.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Tulufan Shi, China

Tuyoq

Natives of this mud-brick desert village use an ancient irrigation system to grow sweet, seedless grapes.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Qatar

Inland Sea

The shallow, salty inlet was a safe haven for 19th-century pirates.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi