shawjohn's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Qesm Saint Katrin, Egypt

Red Sea Blue Hole

The deadliest diving spot in the world is also a stunning geological marvel.
Allison Added by Allison
Nagoa Ash Shatb, Egypt

Temple of Kom Ombo

One of its engravings is believed to be among the first representations of medical and surgical instruments.
Jaszmina Szendrey Added by Jaszmina Szendrey
Luxor, Egypt

Colossi of Memnon

These Egyptian statues have survived for 3,400 years and were an acoustic wonder of the ancient world.
Kerry Wolfe Added by Kerry Wolfe
Zawya Sultan Basha, Egypt

City of the Dead

An endless sea of white conical domes.
Added by Tawsam
Nubia, Egypt

The Temple of Abu Simbel

Ozymandias’ time-keeping temple.
emdrichardson Added by emdrichardson
Cairo, Egypt

Nilometer

An ancient instrument used to measure the waters of the Nile so Egyptian farmers would know whether to expect famine or flood.
AaronNetsky Added by AaronNetsky
Ohrid, North Macedonia

National Workshop For Handmade Paper

See how paper is made the old-fashioned way.
Added by Richard Viewegh
North Macedonia

Kokino Observatory

This 3,800-year-old site contains markers used to study the movement of the sun and moon and create a lunar calendar.
Added by mdimitar
Ketenovo, North Macedonia

Kuklica

Stone pillars and a petrified wedding party in the hills of North Macedonia.
serflac Added by serflac
Ishkoshim, Tajikistan

Yamchun Fort

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

The Maiden Tower

This mysterious but iconic tapered tower appears in many Azeri fairytales and legends.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Baku, Azerbaijan

Heydar Aliyev Center

The building's fluid, wavelike walls are a true feat of architectural ingenuity.
Added by William J
Baku, Azerbaijan

Musical Stone of Gobustan

Resonant stone, that has been played since prehistoric times.
Added by Tawsam
Baku, Azerbaijan

Mud Volcanoes of Azerbaijan

Home to nearly a third of the world's mud volcanoes, Azerbaijan is home to a messy, bubbling, and sometimes explosive landscape.
Dylan Added by Dylan
Baku, Azerbaijan

Fire Temple of Baku

A shrine of fire worship built on top of a natural flame.
Added by Tawsam
Baku, Azerbaijan

Yanar Dağ (Fire Mountain)

Mysterious hillside with a continuously burning natural fire.
Added by Tawsam
Bukhara, Uzbekistan

"The Bug Pit" at Zindon Prison

Where Stoddart and Connolly suffered in the infamous Bug Pit.
Added by Tawsam
Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Kalyan Minaret

This "tower of death" has acted as an observatory, a religious hub, and an executioner's lair.
dzhastin Added by dzhastin
Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis

The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.
Added by Tawsam
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The Walk of Health

This harsh mountain path was built as a strange attempt to improve the health of Turkmen citizens.
Added by Tawsam
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Giant Ruhnama

A huge monument to a bizarre book written by Turkmenistan’s longstanding dictator.
Added by Tawsam
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

Turkmenbashi's Land of Fairy Tales

An eccentric dictator's take on a Turkmen version of Disneyland.
jamesboneill Added by jamesboneill