The 5 most mysterious lost cities in the world

Ancient cities that have become legends have long attracted the attention of archaeologists, historians, and hobbyists. Often legends endow these settlements with untold riches, magnificent temples, and palaces, and it seems they can only exist in tales.

Today we can only imagine their former greatness and power, and archaeologists will read the writings on the ruins of these cities. Cities that were swallowed up by seas and jungles, cities that were destroyed in wars and abandoned in periods of severe drought. Cities that have left behind many mysteries and few clues. Although some of them have not yet been proven, archaeologists persist in their search.

Troy

The legendary Troy with its countless riches has stirred the minds of many explorers for hundreds of years. In the list of the most famous lost cities it rightfully occupies the first place. According to legend, the Greeks burned Troy to the ground after conquering it. Many theories were put forward about its location, and in the 19th century, it was found in Anatolia, Turkey.

On a hill near Hisarlik, archaeologists have found a wall 6 meters high, and some findings suggest that there were nine cities in the area, one of which may have been Troy.

Babylon

There are many legends associated with Babylon: the biblical cautionary tale of the division of languages, and the famous Hanging Gardens of Semiramis, which have become an unofficial symbol of the once mighty city. More than a thousand years ago Babylon ruled the area and dictated its rules to neighboring states, and now only ruins are left of it.

In the 19th century brick walls of the city were discovered with the ruins of the northern palace, and parts of the Ishtar Gate were collected in Berlin’s Pergamon Museum.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is the most famous city of the Incas. Today it has a lot to tell about its inhabitants, their culture, and religion, and yet it was forgotten for more than four hundred years when the Inca Empire fell into decline in the 1930s of the 16th century. It was not until 1911 that it was discovered by the American explorer Hiram Bingham, and the whole world paid attention to the city.

The city has a rather peculiar location: in the heart of the jungle. It is still not clear why the Incas chose this place, but it is believed that the reason is some religious or astronomical factors.

Carthage

Carthage was a great city of great wealth. Today it is difficult to imagine its former power, as only ruins remain of an important seaport.

The city was destroyed twice, the first time in the Punic War in 146 B.C. by the Romans, and the second time in 196 by the Arabs. Now the ruins of this city can be seen on the hill of Birsa in Tunisia.

Tikal

Tikal was once the capital of the legendary Maya, their cultural and political center. For about a thousand years the city was home to 90,000 Amerindians, and there were about 4,000 structures and buildings. Historians are still unable to understand why the inhabitants left Tikal around 900 AD. The empty Tikal was gradually swallowed up by the jungle, and it was not until the 19th century that researchers were able to discover this lost city.

Why do you think these cities were abandoned or destroyed? Is there something mystical about them?

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