~ Top 10 Lost Cities you Can Visit Today ~

[MysteRy]

Top 10 Lost Cities you Can Visit Today

1. Troy, Turkey   



Probably everyone has grown up with the legends about the brave heroes, who met in the glorious battle for Troy. The story of Homer about the beautiful Helen and the admirable warriors Achilles and Hector is still moving and interesting after so many centuries. Luckily today people who find ancient Greek stories fascinating can go and see the remains of the legendary city. The city, that is was described in Iliad, actually existed and is located in Anatolia, Turkey. It was discovered in the nineteenth century and there are pretty much proofs that the remains of the several ancient cities found in Anatolia could be actually those of Troy! According to all written stories this city was flourishing until the war which happened about 12-13 century BC. The remains of the city were discovered in a mound about six meters under the surface of the ground and are now an object of great interest by scientists, archaeologist, historians and, of course, tourists. In 1998 Troy was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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2. Pompeii, Italy   



Today one of the most dramatic stories of the tragedy in Pompeii reminds us about the mighty power of nature. It is known that the volcano of Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and buried the whole city of Pompeii. It was discovered under the tons of ash and pumice, which had been covering the remains of it for centuries. In 1749 the city was found by accident in the region of Campania, Italy. Archaeologists and scientists were absolutely fascinated by the unbelievable possibility to see so many details of the life and habits of the people of Pompeii, because almost everything was preserved in its original form by the volcano magma. The city was flourishing before the eruption of the volcano, which obviously came all of a sudden, and destroyed it. Today the remains of the city are one of the most attractive tourist sites in Italy as more than two and a half million people visit it each year. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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3. Machu Picchu, Peru   



One of the most interesting remains in the world is in Peru, the city of Machu Picchu in the Cusco region, revealing the rich colourful culture of the Incas. Today it is one of the most attractive sites and tourists from all over the world go to see the culture and architecture of the mystery people, who lived there. Another important detail, making this city one of the preferable destinations is that most of the structures are preserved in a satisfactory good condition and you could get a whole idea about the city. It was built in the fifteenth century and then in the sixteenth the Inca people were reached by a mysterious disaster and the city remained empty and silent. The buildings which tourists could see now were made in the typical style of the Inca people, with walls made of smooth stones. Tourists could see the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, The Room of the three Windows. The city of Machu Picchu is a UNESCO Heritage Site since 1983.

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4. Memphis, Egypt   



During the reign of the Old Kingdom in Egypt, its capital city was Memphis. The city had been built about 3100 BC, probably by the Pharaoh Menes. Menes remained an important person in the history of Egypt as he was the first pharaoh who managed to unite the Upper and Lower Egypt. The remains of Memphis are located south of the present capital Cairo and along with the pyramids of Giza is one of the most attractive tourist sites in Egypt. The ancient glory and significance of the city are notable by the glorious architectures and it is not a coincidence that the patron of it was the God Ptah, who was a protector of the craftsmen. Today the city is like an open-air museum and there are numerous amazing structures which are gorgeous. The Great Temple of Ptah is not preserved, but there are many suggestions regarding its glorious structure, having in mind that it was one of the most important structures, built probably by Menes himself. After you see the Great Temple of Ptah, you could continue with three more temples dedicated to Ptah and other temples, which all form a great Temple complex, which tells a lot of the ancient Egyptian culture.

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5. Petra, Jordan   



The most attractive site in the country of Jordan is of course the ancient city of Petra. This is an amazing place where tourists could see incomparable architectures, which are cut into the rocks. This amazing historical place is situated in Ma'an, nearby Mount Hor and is definitely a place worth visiting. This treasure became known since 1812; it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was in the BBC list of forty places you should visit... This city, carved into the rocks with the charming colour close to red, attracts people from any part in the world, because there is no second of that kind. The city is preserved in a pretty good condition and visitors could see temples, buildings, tombs, monuments and even streets. Unfortunately today there are many factors like erosion and rain, but Jordan government is taking care of the protection of this priceless heritage.

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6. Angkor, Cambodia   



Angkor is a province in Cambodia, where you can find one of the most attractive and fascinating temples, an excellent example for the beauty of the Khmer architecture. The remains of the city are today open to the tourists, who could go there and admire the unique stone temples of the ancient city. According to the specialists it was built about the twelfth century and is still one of the most magnificent cities in the world. The remains of the city are placed among a picturesque forests and it is a real pleasure to visit them. The temple complex is more than colossal, surrounded by a wall with impressive measures - 1024 by 802 meters and height of four and a half meters. The temple is higher than the city, composed by rectangular galleries and it is all decorated with beautiful reliefs. The visitors could spend more than a day to be able to see all the amazing hand-made frescoes, covering the walls of the Angkor temple. It is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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7. Carthage, Tunisia   



One of the most mysterious cities of the ancient times that you could still visit today is Carthage in Tunisia, because when it was conquered by the Romans about 140 years BC, all its written historical files were lost. It is known that the city was established about the first century BC. It was built by a Phoenician colony in the Gulf of Tunis. The name is translated as "the new city", because it was relatively new centre of culture and religion. Built near the Tunis Lake the city flourished and developed, so now there is a rich heritage of the people who lived there once. The city survived different periods of rule and signs of all of them remained in its appearance, so it is a unique and charming combination of different religions, styles and habits. Places of interest are: the museum, which has an excellent exhibition of statues and interesting artefact; the remains of Punic, the Tower. You may also see different arches, baths, graves and the fabulous theatre. This is definitely the one of the world's most attractive city remains!

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8. Tikal, Guatemala   



One of the most famous marks left by the Maya civilization is the remains of the ancient city of Tikal. It is located in the north part of Guatemala and it is the most visited by tourists place in the country. The city is part of a national park, which is also called Tikal. Since 1979 the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Scientists consider that some of the architectural treasures of Tikal date back to the fourth century BC. It is now known that this city was an important centre for the Maya people and was flourishing. Tikal consists of several architectural complexes - the Great Plaza, the Central and the North Acropolis. This amazing city is the biggest of the Maya sites outside Mexico. There are temples, pyramids and there are still some of them which are not discovered, as excavation works continue.

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9. Palmyra, Syria   



Palmira is not so well preserved, but excavation works revealed magnificent structures, which were definitely amazing. The most noticeable is the Baal Temple, which was one of the most important buildings in the city. Archaeologists discovered that its measures were 205 by 210 meters.  There are many other buildings like arch, theatre, houses and enormous funeral necropolis. They are all very beautifully decorated with different ornaments. There are reliefs and frescoes which are one of a kind. Even though there are so many priceless artefacts discovered in Palmyra, scientists are still working over this rich heritage, which will reveal more and more of the fascinating pieces of ancient culture. People, who go to Syria visit Palmyra as one of the greatest treasures from the ancient world!

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10. Timgad, Algeria   



The last city in our list is Timgad in Algeria, which is more than mysterious and charming. The remains of Timgad could definitely be used as a setting for an interesting adventure movie. The city was at important location, as many ancient roads were crossing there. There were walls around it. It is believed that it was founded about one hundred years AD. Visitors could see the road that the Romans built there, remains of arches - the most famous of them is the Trajan Arch, which is twelve meters high and had to be partially restored in order to preserve it for the future generations! There are also: a theatre in a relatively good condition, a library and a Roman bath. Timgad is a city which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of Algeria's most visited sites!