Ruveyda's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Sinaia, Romania

Peleș Castle

This elaborately decorated, fairytale-like Romanian royal palace is one of the most striking castles in Europe.
Wallachia, Romania

Poenari Castle

The legendary cliffside castle of three-time Voivode of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler.
Bucharest, Romania

Curtea Veche (Old Princely Court)

The bust of Romania’s most notorious ruler, Vlad Dracula aka "Vlad the Impaler," keeps watch over the ruins of his medieval court.
Bucharest, Romania

Palace of the Parliament

This communist behemoth is the heaviest building in the world and a legacy of a brutal regime.
Bucharest, Romania

Arcul de Triumf

Romania's triumphal arch looks out over Bucharest.
Athens, Greece

Fethiye Mosque

This historic structure has been used as a mosque, a barracks, a prison, a school, and a bakery.
Athens, Greece

Panathenaic Stadium Passage

Gladiators once walked this ancient, subterranean passage.
Athens, Greece

Petraki Monastery

The oldest standing Byzantine church in Athens is tucked within a monastery in the middle of an upscale shopping district.
Athens, Greece

Syntagma Square Metro Station

Where commuters walk through remnants of an ancient Greek necropolis.
Athens, Greece

Old Madrasa of Athens

The ruined doorway is a portal to the building's turbulent and torturous past.
Athens, Greece

Theatre of Dionysus

Heralded as the world's first theater, these ruins are often overlooked as they reside in the shadows of the Acropolis.
Athens, Greece

Lycabettus Funicular

The railway carts travelers to central Athens's highest peak, which offers stunning vistas of the city.
Athens, Greece

Anafiotika

The Cycladic architecture makes this Athens neighborhood feel like an island paradise hidden in the shadow of the Acropolis.
Athens, Greece

Tower of the Winds

An ancient octagonal weather station named for the eight Greek gods of wind.
Athens, Greece

The Athenian Agora

This ancient Greek place of assembly and marketplace is being revealed layer by layer below the modern Athens cityscape.
Heraklion, Greece

Phaistos Disc

This famous archeological mystery may be an ancient example of movable type.
Osaka, Japan

Dotonbori Hotel Front Pillars

Surreal giant face-pillars welcome visitors from across the globe to this hotel.
Istanbul, Turkey

Column of the Goths

This column celebrates Rome's victory over the Goths, and may be the oldest Roman monument in Istanbul.
Istanbul, Turkey

Serpent Column

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.
Istanbul, Turkey

Tünel

Climb a steep hill in 90 seconds on the second-oldest urban subway in the world.
Istanbul, Turkey

Pudding Shop (Lale Restaurant)

This crucial gathering spot along the "hippie trail" still displays old notes between traveling beatniks and backpackers.
Istanbul, Turkey

St. Stephen Bulgarian Iron Church

The most metal church of all time was built in record time because of an international, pious pissing contest.
Istanbul, Turkey

Viking Runes at Hagia Sophia

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.
Istanbul, Turkey

Ottoman Bird Palaces

The ornate miniature mansions were built for Istanbul's feathered residents.