The Wakhan Cooridor, whichever side of the border you happen to be on, is all sorts of beautiful.

It should be no surprise, of course, that there’s also a crazy long history to human habitation in the area. The Yamchun Fortress was built in the early 3rd Century B.C., almost 1500 years before Marco Polo passed through the region on his travels.

While once this fortress would have been one of a string of strongholds protecting travelers against bandit raids, it now serves only as a silent outpost of history looking out over the intimidating mountains of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Not many tourists make it this far, from what I could tell. Those that do, though, are well-advised to prepare to be wow-ed.