In this article we are going to present you with 9 lost cities that we still find very fascinating.
The lost City of Atlantis is without a doubt, the realm that fascinated us even since childhood. Plato’s stories were questioned, however a lot of people believe that this island is for real and they are still searching for it. Still, to believe that a civilization like that suddenly disappeared without leaving anything behind is like accepting that a mammoth walks through snow without leaving any tracks…
Plato claimed that the city of Atlantis existed somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, right near Gibraltar. In 1882, when Oceans were not so popular, the author Ignatius Donnely described in his book, Atlantis, the Antediluvian World, the process in which this city sank, vertically. Donnelly believed that in many areas, the Atlantic was only a few dozens meters deep, and in these areas Atlantis might have been built.
El Dorado. It is said that this city was full of gold, which attracted many gold diggers and treasure hunts, from the ancient times and until today. Somewhere in the depth of the south american forest, the myths binds with reality but it doesn’t leave any room for interpretations. German scientist Alexandra Von Humboldt said that, after careful topological studies, that El Dorado simply does not exist. However, the world believed in the myth, and many people still believe it.
Petra was a symbol of Jordan even since the VI century. Who managed to visit this place they probably knows how the buildings sculpted in the mountains can be, how beautiful are the viaducts that descent slowly to the Dead Sea, situated almost 400 meters under sea level. The Hor Mountain is more like raw material for the most talented sculptors that wanted to leave behind a gallery with incredible creations. But people have also lived inside these creations. Petra was not known to the world until 1812, when Johann Ludwig Burckhardt found the city and described it in it’s journal. Since then, Petra is the most important touristic attraction in Jordan.
Pompeii is today one of the most visited regions in Italy, with more than 2 million tourists each year. Before the year 79, this roman city lived it’s life close to the Vesuvius volcanu. In year 79, the volcano erupted for two days, covering Pompeii with ashes. What’s interesting is that nobody knew anything about this city until the 16th century when it was discovered. Digging has been made and people identified in the exact positions in which the wave of heat caught up with them.
Some time ago the headquarters of some bloody wars between the Greeks, Troy was considered a legendary City, ignored by the archeologists. This until 1870, when two historians united their forces and managed to discover the ruins of this famous Greek city, which today can be found on Turkish soil. Frank Calvert bought a piece of land from a farmer in 1865, and the german Heinrich Schliemann came, in 1868 and found the city!
Angkor known it’s glory between years 802 and 1431, and today the city knows a bigger glory. The city is the main attraction for Cambodia tourist, and the great Angkor Wat temple asks for respect and complete silence.The Khmer empire, which blossomed at Angkor, suffered a devastating loss in 1431, when it was defeated by the Ayutthayan. In 2007, researchers said that Angkor was the biggest preindustrial city in the world.
After a 45 km’s route through the Peruvian mountains you will reach the amazing ruins of the lost city of Machu Picchu. Like Indiana Jones you will go through the subtropical jungle with a machete, you will cross deep rivers and walk thousands of steps and passage ways build thousands of years ago. Along the route, you will be able to admire the amazing mountain view which is an integrating part of this world, as well as the ancient monasteries. The culminating point is the arrival at Machu Picchu. Hidden in the jungle.
In south of Egypt, near Helwan, we can find the ruins of the ancient Capital Memphis. Egyptians migrated a lot after year 3100 BC in the north of the country, closer to the Nile, where they built Teba and Alexandria. Memphis was, however, a place where people supplied themselves with construction materials, using them for their own homes. For that reason, historians have a hard time finding some relics that are now worth a fortune. Since 1979, the old Memphis is open to the public.
As it happened with El Dorado, another fascinating city found its place in the South American legends. This time we are talking about the amazonian jungle, the Z city, allegedly a very technological advanced city with water networks, temples and quality roads. Research hasn’t found any evidence until a few years ago, when a team of explorers have discovered the ruins of a city which they named Kuhikugu.
