Ancient, long disappeared from modern maps of the city are of great interest to both historians and ordinary tourists, treasure hunters, romantics and adventurers. Some of the 5 lost and re-discovered cities became examples of ideal villages, where everything was clearly thought out and adapted for a carefree, comfortable life.
Cities forgotten for centuries, which were not even mentioned in legends, are evidence that a single community can at any time face wars, natural or man-made disasters. And then you will have to leave your houses in panic, which will soon be buried by sand or hidden by a forest.
Some lost cities were discovered by chance, others were found thanks to the perseverance of professionals who calculated their location in advance. With the development of technology, the chances of discovering new ancient cities hidden from the eyes of modern people increase every year. Many shocks await scientists ahead.
We bring to your attention 5 ancient cities, partially destroyed by time and now turned into popular tourist areas.
Lothal, India
The Indian state of Gujarat and some regions of neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan were the place where the Harappan (Indian) civilization developed 3-5 millennia ago. The city of Lothal was one of its settlements. It is interesting in that it was a thriving port city, in which a dock was equipped - one of the first on the planet.
The inhabitants of Lothal were engaged in active trade with distant countries. Their ships, loaded with precious stones, silk, food, reached the shores of West Africa.
In the vicinity of Lothal there were extensive rice terraces, which were supplied with water from the rivers and streams of the Indus basin.
Lothal was studied by a group of Indian archaeologists in 1954-1960. Most of the artifacts found during the excavations of the city are now kept in a small museum near this archaeological site.
Tourists are allowed on the territory of Lothal. You can get here by taxi from Ahmedabad city.
Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, China
Few people know, but around the burial complex of the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang, now under the protection of UNESCO, there is a large city, still unexplored by scientists.
Qin Shi Huang, revered by the people of China for uniting scattered small kingdoms under his rule, died at the age of 48 in 210 BC. NS. The construction of his tomb began much earlier - in 246 BC. NS.
The burial place of the famous Chinese emperor was found by accident: peasants digging a well in 1974 stumbled upon fragments of pottery. Soon, the famous Terracotta Army was found in that place - about 8 thousand figures of warriors in different poses, which were supposed to guard the peace of Qin Shi Huang.
Also, archaeologists managed to find:
- a clay-earthen dam that protected the necropolis from the south;
- several burials of concubines and people close to the emperor;
- the complex of buildings where the workers who care for the mausoleum lived;
- a pond decorated with statues;
- stables, farm and workshops;
- a system of underground caves and canals that were filled with mercury - it is because of this toxic substance that further excavations are carried out with great care.
How to get to Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum? First you need to get to the city of Xi'an (planes and trains fly here from Beijing), where you can take a taxi to the burial complex.
Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
In the central region of Sri Lanka, on a 150-meter lonely cliff with a flat top, surrounded by jungle, is one of the tourist gems of Ceylon - the Sigiriya fortress. It cannot be called lost, since the locals have never forgotten about it. But the Europeans learned about Sigiriya only in 1831, when a British soldier accidentally stumbled upon Lion Rock in the rainforest.
Since then, the ancient city, which has already turned 2,500 years old, has been carefully studied. However, many finds of architects of that time are still considered inexplicable and surprise modern scientists. For example, no one can explain how the plumbing was laid to the top of the cliff, or how the local ventilation system works.
Sigiriya turned into a fortified residential building only in the 5th century AD. e., thanks to the efforts of King Kassapa I. On the mountain are the ruins of the palace of Kassapa with beautiful frescoes, gardens and ponds. A staircase carved in stone leads upstairs.
Sigiriya can be reached by bus or tuk-tuk from Dambulla. The journey takes about 40 minutes.
Tanis, Egypt
Tanis is the capital of the pharaohs of the XXI dynasty, who ruled over Ancient Egypt, or rather, only its northern part, in 1069-945 BC.
It is believed that Tanis appeared long before this period - even under the rulers of the XII dynasty. The city was probably abandoned by its inhabitants due to the shallowing of the Nile arm, on which it was built. Then Memphis became the capital of the Egyptian kingdom.
Today, several fishing families live on the site of the ancient city.
Archaeological excavations at the Tanis site began in 1866. The most significant discoveries were made in these parts by the French archaeologist Pierre Monte, who in 1939 managed to find a royal burial with undiluted tombs. All artifacts from them were transferred to the Cairo Museum.
Herculaneum, Italy
Everyone has heard of the Italian city of Pompeii, buried under tons of ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79. However, few people know that during that terrible catastrophe several more villages suffered, including the city of Herculaneum.
At the time of the eruption of Vesuvius, the city had already lost its former glory - 17 years before the eruption of Vesuvius, Gurculaneum was partially destroyed by an earthquake, so most of the inhabitants simply moved to other cities.
By 79, only 4 thousand people lived there. Surprisingly, almost all of them managed to escape: the first ash ejection from Vesuvius did not damage the city. On the few bodies found by archaeologists in Herculaneum, marks were found indicating that the dead people were slaves. Most likely, they were abandoned in the city before the eruption.
The remains of Herculaneum were discovered in 1710 by a local peasant. Now the city has been turned into a museum. You can reach it from Naples by train or bus.
