michaelsballard's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Baghdad, Iraq

Al-Shaheed Monument

A giant bisected onion dome remembers the Iraqis who died in the Iran-Iraq War.
Samarra, Iraq

Great Mosque of Samarra

9th century Abbasid mosque, damaged in modern warfare.
Barbar, Bahrain

Barbar Temple

This archaeological site boasts temple ruins that date back 5,000 years to the Dilmun culture, and may have been described in the tale of Gilgamesh's search for immortality.
Arad, Bahrain

Arad Fort

This beautifully historic Bahrain fortress might not be the most popular attraction around, but that might make it all the better.
Bahrain

Shajarat-al-Hayat (Tree of Life)

This centuries-old tree tells an unusual tale of vegetation and fertility in the desert.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Al Balad

For centuries, Jeddah’s old town was a major trading port and a point of entry for Hajj pilgrims traveling by sea.
Al Ula, Saudi Arabia

Lion Tombs of Dadan

Lions carved into the rockface adorn these two tombs built into the mountains of Dadan.
Saudi Arabia

The Edge of the World

These towering cliffs jut dramatically from the middle of a barren desert.
Al Ula, Saudi Arabia

Al 'Ula

Within the Saudi Arabian desert lies a 2,000-year-old ghost town made of stone and mud.
Hegra, Saudi Arabia

Hegra Archaeological Site

More than 100 monumental tombs carved into rock are preserved at this ancient Nabataean site in the Arabian Desert.
Hegra, Saudi Arabia

Qasr al-Farid

An unfinished tomb carved into a giant boulder in the Arabian Desert.
Athlone, Ireland

Sean's Bar

The oldest pub in Ireland may also be the oldest surviving bar in the entire world.
North Tipperary, Ireland

Barack Obama Plaza

This modest plaza in Moneygall, Ireland has cashed in on its distant connection to the U.S. president.
Esperança, Portugal

The World’s Shortest International Bridge

You can cross from one country to another in a single hop on this little bridge.
Hillah, Iraq

Babylon

Celebrated as a center of civilization, the remains of the ancient city have been nearly destroyed by greed, egoism, and war.
Baarle-Hertog, Belgium

Borders of Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog

A maze of crosses marks the jumbled divide between the Netherlands and Belgium.
Tiptonville, Kentucky

Kentucky Bend

Kentucky's anomalous peninsula projecting into the Mississippi River, site of legendary earthquakes and local feuds.
Siem Reap, Cambodia

Ta Prohm

A battle between nature and architecture in the Cambodian jungle.
Kampung Lupak Luas, Brunei

Kampong Ayer

Ferdinand Magellan dubbed the world's largest water village the "Venice of the East."
Qesm Saint Katrin, Egypt

St. Catherine's Monastery

Charnel house at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Algiers, Algeria

Martyrs' Memorial

This massive monument towers over the city as a constant reminder of the lives lost during Algeria's hard-won war for independence.
Batna, Algeria

Timgad

Classical ruins that remember ancient Rome's presence in Africa.
Constantine, Algeria

Sidi M'Cid Bridge

This dizzying span over the ancient Algerian city was once the highest suspension bridge in the world.
Tipaza, Algeria

Tipasa Roman Ruins

An extraordinary mix of Phoenician, Roman, early Christian, and Byzantine ruins beautifully set overlooking the Mediterranean.