stefkevanhoof's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Central Asian Plov Center

Giant cauldrons overflow with Uzbekistan's favorite rice dish at this cavernous dining hall.
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Tel Aviv Central Bus Station

The maze-like transportation hub contains abandoned areas, derelict stores, and a resident bat colony.
Jerusalem, Israel

Shrine of the Book

The home of the Dead Sea Scrolls is an abstract modernist dream.
Jerusalem, Israel

Meah Shearim

Neighborhood in Jerusalem is home to the ultra-orthodox haredim.
Jerusalem, Israel

Razzouk Ink

This family tattoo parlor has been inking religious pilgrims in the Middle East for 700 years.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Red Terror Martyrs' Memorial Museum

A powerful tribute to the victims who suffered under Ethiopia's most devastating regime.
Shaki, Azerbaijan

Palace of the Shaki Khans

Foreign invaders almost left this lovely Caucasus palace alone—almost.
Qirmizi Qasaba, Azerbaijan

Krasnaya Sloboda (Qırmızı QƏsƏbƏ)

What might be the largest completely Jewish town in the world outside of Israel now faces dwindling numbers and empty streets.
Baku, Azerbaijan

Heydar Aliyev Center

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

Fire Temple of Baku

A shrine of fire worship built on top of a natural flame.
Qaradagh, Azerbaijan

Neft Dasları

Complete town of 5,000 living out at sea on the world's first offshore oil platform.
Katskhi, Georgia

Katskhi Pillar

Small church on top of a huge rock column.
Georgia

Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument

A cylinder monument with a spectacular vista commemorates a friendship that some say never existed.
Gori, Georgia

Stalin Museum

A museum glorifying the life of Stalin, located in the city of his birth.
Tbilisi, Georgia

Bank of Georgia Building

Unusual building appears to be haphazardly built from randomly piled bricks.
Udabno, Georgia

Davit Gareja Cave Monastery

Rock-hewn monastery complex with hundreds of cave structures tucked away into the mountainside.
Garni, Armenia

Garni Gorge

A geological oddity topped with a 2,000-year-old pagan temple.
Areni, Armenia

Areni-1 Cave Complex

This series of Armenian caves held the oldest brain, shoe, and winery in the world.
Yeghegnadzor, Armenia

Noravank Monastery

Nestled in a peaceful valley, this Armenian monastery may have been saved from Mongols thanks to the eyes of God.
Shiraz, Iran

Shah Cheragh

Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.
Shiraz, Iran

Eram Garden

Named after a legendary garden called Eram in southern Arabia, built by order of Shaddad, an Arab king who wanted to compete with Paradise.
Fars Province, Iran

The Ruins of Persepolis

The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.
Isfahan, Iran

Sheikh Lotfallah Mosque

17th century mosque for Shah Abbas' harem.
Iran

Graffiti at Persepolis

Marked by the hand of the explorer Henry Morton Stanley.