Some countries, territories and villages destroyed by wars, catastrophes or other historical reasons, remain among the most beautiful attractions on the face of the earth. Some of them are remembered through stories or by the few remains of the civilization that characterized them. But what are the 9 most beautiful lost cities in the world? Here is the ranking according to Lonely Planet.
The ranking of the most beautiful LOST CITIES in the world. The first is Italian
#9 Palenque, the Mayan gold mine
Palenque is located in Mexico, at the foot of the Chiapas mountains and is known for its gold mines. Probably born about 100 years before Christ, it became one of the most important inhabited centers of the Maya civilization five hundred years later. Entered in history for some of its legends concerning child kings, beheadings and invasions, it was subsequently abandoned.
#8 Skara Brae, gone with the wind and with the erosion
Skara Brae is a collection of village ruins in Orkney, Scotland that dates back more than 5000 years. Discovered in 1850 following a storm that revealed stone remains, it featured eight stone cottages complete with beds, fireplaces, and bookshelves. The village was abandoned as a result of erosion that brought it closer and closer to the sea, a factor that still limits winter visits today. Orkney is connected to the mainland by ferries and flights, some of which are seasonal.
#7 Angkor, the Khmer capital trapped in the jungle
Angkor is located in Cambodia and is known thanks to the stone temples trapped among the climbing plants of the jungle. According to some research, the city covered over 3 hectares, reached about one million inhabitants and was the capital of the Khmer empire. 500 years ago it was abandoned due to climate change which caused a water crisis.
#6 Babylon, from the Tower of Babel to the Hanging Gardens
Babylon is located in present-day Iraq and was founded around 2500 BC. Its best known period, however, dates back to 500 years later, when Hammurabi became the Babylonian emperor and made Babylon the capital. Destroyed by the Assyrians in the 6th century BC, it fell into ruin with the death of Alexander the Great. The most impressive and well-known structures are the Tower of Babel and the hanging gardens. What would it have been like today?
#5 Taxila, the 3 cities in 1
Taxila was founded by an Indian king around the 7th century AD and brings together three stories of lost cities. The first is Bhir Mound which was lost to a new Taxila known as Sirkap, built following the Greek invasion. Later under the Kushana empire it took the name of Sirsukh. The city declined when the Huns destroyed it in the 6th century and left it in ruins. Today there is the Taxila Museum which houses all the artifacts that civilization has left behind.
#4 Darwin, the abandoned mining town
Darwin was born in California thanks to the discovery of silver present in the subsoil. Founded in 1874, it was abandoned only four years later when the search for gold began. Reborn at the beginning of the twentieth century when copper became a very important material, today it is a deserted city. There is only one lonely road to Darwin, which comes off State Highway 190, 75km southwest of Stovepipe Wells.
#3 Dunwich, the storm destroyed everything
Dunwich, in today’s Suffolk, was one of the largest cities in medieval UK. Due to the 13th century storm, a large part of the city was demolished. Coastal erosion was also added which led to total destruction and abandonment. The Dunwich Museum has a full-scale replica of the city in its golden age, without coastal erosion.
#2 The glory of Carthage, the antagonist of Rome
Carthage, after 900 years of domination in North Africa and southern Europe, succumbed to the conquests of the Roman Empire following the provocations in Italic land by the armies led by Hannibal’s elephants. After the reconstruction thanks to the Romans, it was destroyed by the Muslim Arabs. Today it is possible to visit the ruins on the outskirts of Tunis where there are Roman baths, temples and villas.
#1 Herculaneum, the city preserved by the lava of Vesuvius
Herculaneum is located in Campania, Italy. It was destroyed by a river of lava and ash from Vesuvius in 79 AD. The city was discovered only 300 years ago and has become a real gold mine for archaeologists. Thanks to the pyroclastic flow that charred the organic material, it preserved human structures and bodies. Hundreds of ancient parchments were found in the Villa dei Papiri. The city can be reached with a 25-minute train ride on the Circumvesuviana.
Source: LonelyPlanetItalia
FABIO MARCOMIN
(Original article by Marco Abate)
