roffels's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Junagadh, India

Mahabat Maqbara

This otherworldly palace-mausoleum complex is the stuff eternal dreams are made of.
Jaipur, India

Jal Mahal

More than half of this Indian palace is drowned but it looks all the more spectacular for it.
Verul, India

Ellora Caves

This complex of vertically-excavated Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu monolithic temples in India's Maharashtra providence illustrates a spirit of tolerance characteristic of ancient India.
Gheti, India

Shatrunjaya Hill

A mecca for India's Jains.
Jodhpur, India

The Blue City of Jodhpur

Once an indicator of social class, the color blue has come to define this city on the edge of the Thar Desert.
Cherrapunjee, India

The Root Bridges of Cherrapunji

Centuries-old bridges grown from tangled roots.
Jaipur, India

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds)

The 953 windows undoubtedly make this the world's most beautiful screened porch.
Abhaneri, India

Chand Baori

Thousands of exquisitely carved stone water storage wells, hundreds of stone steps fill this exquisite medieval stepwell.
Hisor, Tajikistan

Hisor Fort

The first version of this stalwart construction appeared around 3,000 years ago.
Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Wall of Great Tajik Writers

A building facade covered with the statues of 11 giants of Tajik literature.
Gokdepe, Turkmenistan

Köw Ata Underground Lake

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

Khan's Palace

Final palace complex of the last of 29 Kokand rulers.
Kantubek, Uzbekistan

Vozrozhdeniye Island

Former island in the Aral Sea used to be a top-secret Russian bio-weapons facility.
Xiva, Uzbekistan

Walls of Itchan Kala

Ancient barriers wrap around what was once an important stop along the Silk Road.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis

The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.
Gjirokaster, Albania

Gjirokaster Castle

This ominous Albanian fortress houses tanks and downed planes as a reminder of their victories over Western imperialism.
Krujë, Albania

Krujë Castle

The elliptical citadel resisted the advance of the mighty Ottomans several times, thanks to the military prowess of the "Dragon of Albania."
Përmet District, Albania

Benja Thermal Baths

A medieval bridge stretches over a sulfur-rich river that leads to year-round natural hot springs.
Tirana, Albania

Pyramid of Tirana

An Albanian monument to the Communism that nearly crushed the country is now a crumbling wreck.
Skopje, North Macedonia

Skopje Hydrometeorological Service Building

A solar-powered primary school inspires hope and experimentation in a country ripe for energy innovation.
Krusevo, North Macedonia

The Kruševo Makedonium

Space-age monument to an early 20th-century uprising.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

Beatles Statue of Almaty

Beatlemania is still going strong... at least in Kazakhstan.
Aralsk, Kazakhstan

Aral Sea

Rusting ships sit in a desert where a sea used to be.
Barskoon, Kyrgyzstan

Monument to Yuri Gagarin

A boulder carved into the shape of the cosmonaut's head.