Not quite pop culture, but one of the more interesting sights was Agdam in the Nagorno-Karabakh...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agdam_Mosque
This was 2015, prior to the 2020 war when Agdam was ceded back to Azerbaijan control and the area was otherwise peaceful. The Nagorno-Karabakh is disputed territory. The US most other countries consider it belonging to Azerbaijan but occupied and under control of Armenia. Armenia and perhaps one or two other places consider it a separate state - and one can get visas in Yerevan to visit. We were cycling through both Georgia and Armenia but made the trip to Nagorno-Karabakh as an overnight trip with a regular minibus service. Most of the populated area is around the capital Stepanakert which has an interesting feel that is a mix of former-Soviet city and Armenia.
One could get to some of the outlying areas with a taxi. Some of them were noted archaeological ruins. We were also able to ask our taxi driver to stop through Agdam (for an extra fee). It was mostly ruins, with the mosque being the one spot still standing. One could climb up one of the minarets and look over the area.
In 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war again and my understanding is large portions of the Nagorno-Karabakh were ceded back to Azerbaijan control including Agdam. Not sure if one can visit from the other side. (I know I can't visit Azerbaijan as long as I have the special visa in my passport).
