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Eric Lafforgue

Palm trees shade the remains of the once-flourishing Manda town, a ninth century settlement that prospered with trade from China and the Middle East. Early residents left behind unique brickwork and seawalls made of blocks of coral.

The citadel of Bam in southeastern Iran has stood sentinel over the city for more than 2,500 years and reached its peak during the medieval period, when Bam served as a critical trading point along the Silk Road. The citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was severely damaged in a 2003 earthquake.

This elaborately carved mihrab in Ishfahan's Friday Mosque points the worshippers' way to Mecca. The mosque, the oldest in Iran, represents 12 centuries of Islamic architecture.

A woman dressed in the traditional Japanese Yukata, at the Gokoku shrine in Japan's Kyushu region during Obon.

Church of St. George, Ethiopia: The 11 medieval cave churches of Lalibela were built in the 13th century in a mountainous region of Ethiopia.