In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful,

the Most Compassionate

Praise be to Allah, and may His peace and blessings be upon Muhammad,

and upon his family and companions, and all those who follow him



History's once glorious metropolises. A city becomes lost when it is abandoned by its inhabitants and left to decay. This can be the result of war, migration, or natural disaster, but in each case these cities can act as a sort of time capsule, leaving a civilization frozen in history and waiting to be discovered. While many of these cities have indeed been rediscovered, others have never been found and have taken on the status of legend. 

Petra in Jordan1. Petra, Jordan

Country: Jordan
Civilization: the Nabataeans
Inhabited: sixth century B.C.

This rose-colored city carved from cliffs garnered fame in the West thanks to the 1980s blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.


Chichen Itza, Mexico 2. Chichen Itza, Mexico

Country: Mexico
Civilization: the Mayans
 Inhabited: 600 to 1000 A.D.

Site of one of Mesoamerica's largest ball courts, this royal city is located near a massive underground cenote, or sinkhole, where the bodies of human sacrifices were dropped.




Derinkuyu Underground City3. Derinkuyu Underground City, Turkey

Country: Turkey
Civilization: possibly the Phrygians
Inhabited: App. eighth century B.C.to 10th century A.D.

This underground network has more than 10 floors and room for up to 50,000 people, plus livestock. It is rumored to have been a hideout for early Christians escaping Roman persecution.


Machu Picchu, Peru4. Machu Picchu, Peru


Country: Peru
Civilization: the Incas
Inhabited: 15th and 16th centuries A.D.


Conquistadors carrying small pox wiped out the inhabitants of this royal mountaintop fortress, but the Lost City of the Incas was never actually discovered by the Spanish--in fact, it wasn't discovered until 1911.





Angkor, Cambodia5. Angkor, Cambodia

Country: Cambodia
Civilization: the Khmer Empire
 Inhabited: ninth century to 15th century A.D.

More than a thousand temples, including Angkor Wat, populate this long-time Khmer capital. It declined after a successful attack by invaders from what is now Thailand.


Pre-Roman Carthage, Tunisia6. Pre-Roman Carthage, Tunisia

Country: Tunisia
Civilization: the Phoenicians
 Inhabited: 650 to 146 B.C.

Carthage was home to the Roman Empire's arch-nemesis, Hannibal. It was burned and the earth salted during the final Punic War.


Pompeii, Italy7. Pompeii, Italy

Country: Italy
Civilization: the Roman Empire
Inhabited: seventh/sixth century B.C. to 79 A.D.

Pompeii was a cultural center and vacation destination for Roman high society until it was destroyed in 79 A.D. by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Left behind are naturally ash-encased mummies.

Memphis, Egypt8. Memphis, Egypt

Country: Egypt
Civilization: the Ancient Egyptians
Inhabited: third millennium B.C. to seventh century A.D.

Located at the mouth of the Nile delta, Memphis thrived for centures as a center of trade, commerce, religion and royalty. Foreign invasions, including one by Alexander the Great, let to its demise.

Teotihuacan, Mexico9. Teotihuacan, Mexico

Country: Mexico
Civilization: possibly the Totonac people
Inhabited: 100 B.C. to 250 A.D.

This city, the founders of which remain a mystery, is home to some of the largest pyramids in pre-Columbian America. It inspired several major empires, those of the Zapotec and Mayans.

Mosque City of Bagerhat, Bangladesh10. Mosque City of Bagerhat, Bangladesh

Country: Bangladesh
Civilization: Khan Jahan Ali
Inhabited: 15th century A.D.

The city formerly known as Khalifatabad was founded by a
Turkish general. It boasts more than 50 Islamic monuments and the Sixty Pillar Mosque, constructed with 60 pillars and 80 domes.



http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-39274939

0 comments:

Post a Comment