nickfranssen's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Yekaterinburg, Russia
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Places visited in Fars Province, Iran
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Places visited in Iran
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Places edited in Kazan, Russia
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Places visited in Semey, Kazakhstan
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Ali Sadr, Iran

Ali Sadr Cave

This vast, water-filled underground labyrinth can only be toured by boat.
fafafariba Added by fafafariba
Al-Shikhan, Iraq

Lalish Temple

The sacred shrine of the Yazidis.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Dokan, Iraq

Qyzqapan Tomb

Ancient rock-cut tomb? Definitely. That of a great Median king? Unlikely.
Exiled Archaeologist Added by Exiled Archaeologist
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
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
Erbil, Iraq

Erbil Citadel

An ancient fortified mound raised over the millennia from settlements built one on top of the other.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

Amna Suraka Prison

A bloody history is captured in this former prison turned museum.
Nichali Ciaccio Added by Nichali Ciaccio
Yazd, Iran

Dolat Abad Windcatcher

Long before air conditioning, Persian architects found an ingenious way to cool off.
mariellen Added by mariellen
Yazd, Iran

Zoroastrian Towers of Silence

Putrefaction plateaus in Iran, where the dead were sent for decontamination before going to their final resting place.
rogerbcn Added by rogerbcn
Meybod, Iran

Yakhchāls

Ancient structures used to make and preserve ice in the deserts of Persia.
AaronNetsky Added by AaronNetsky
Isfahan, Iran

Pigeon Towers of Iran

These little castles each held thousands of pigeons.
Dylan Added by Dylan
Masuleh, Iran

Masuleh

In this tiny Iranian town playing on the roof isn't just encouraged, it's the only place to go.
ahvenas Added by ahvenas
Zanjān, Iran

Salt Men of Iran

Salt cured mummies continue to turn up in this Iranian mine.
Dylan Added by Dylan
Qom, Iran

Fatemeh Maasoume Shrine

One of the holiest Shi'i shrines in Iran honors the life and death of a learned noblewoman who became a saint.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Nushabad, Iran

Nushabad Underground City

A 1,500-year-old, 3-story subterranean city where ancient Persians took refuge in times of war.
Shervin Added by Shervin
Kandovan, Iran

Troglodyte Village of Kandovan

Modern-day cave dwellers carve elaborate homes out of volcanic debris.
nbj914 Added by nbj914
East Azerbaijan Province, Iran

Lake Urmia

This lake in northwest Iran has started turning from green to red more frequently than scientists are comfortable with.
AaronNetsky Added by AaronNetsky
Roudbar Alamout, Iran

Alamut Castle

This ruined fortress was the stronghold for a persecuted medieval leader and his infamous Assassins.
Andrasta Added by Andrasta
Orost, Iran

Badab-e Surt

Iran's colorful terraces are a rare geological masterpiece.
Kerry Wolfe Added by Kerry Wolfe
Iran

Khalid Nabi Cemetery

Iranian tombstones shaped like male and female sexual organs.
serflac Added by serflac
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Arch of Neutrality

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

Independence Monument of Turkmenistan

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.
Added by Tawsam
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.
EricGrundhauser Added by EricGrundhauser
Turkmenistan

The Gates of Hell

A fiery crater has been burning in the Karakum Desert since 1971.
Dylan Added by Dylan