The desert is often perceived as a vast, barren landscape, but it is full of mysteries and treasures that continue to astonish and amaze us. For intrepid explorers and archeologists, deserts have yielded a fascinating array of discoveries that reflect civilizations, the forces of nature, and human creativity. Over the years, curious wanderers too have stumbled upon some of the most peculiar and extraordinary finds in the world's most arid regions. Let's take a look at some of these odd and fascinating desert discoveries.
Related: Who Knew the Desert Was So Colorful?
1. 10,000-year-old giraffe engravings in the Sahara desert
2. A shrine for dogs that have passed in a desert wash
3. This bobcat sat atop a 40-foot-tall cactus in the Arizona desert after being chased by a mountain lion
4. A wild watermelon plant in the Sahara desert
5. The unusual Yareta plant grows in Chile, in one of the world's driest deserts
6. This is Wonderstone. A natural rock found in the Utah desert
7. A staircase in the desert outside Las Vegas
8. A salt mine trench in the Mohave desert
9. Abandoned Star Wars' set in a desert in Tunisia
10. A strange doorway in a high desert
11. A Prada Store in the West Texas desert that is never open for business
12. Abandoned cinema in an Egyptian desert
13. Ships abandoned in the desert that was once the Aral Sea
14. An odd Obelisk-like structure in the Utah desert, USA
