10 Amazing Lost Cities
The Maya were an ancient civilization of southern Mexico and the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras Belize and El Salvador. Today there are an estimated 6 million Maya living in these regions and speaking a variety of Maya languages. Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico; an estimated 1.2 million tourists visit the ruins every year. How they build this is one other phenomena. During the first millennium AD the Maya observed and mapped the movements of the sun, moon, planets and stars. These celestial objects were incorporated into a complex cosmology and mythology that explained the past and predicted the future. The Maya built their sophisticated and highly decorated ceremonial architecture, including temple-pyramids, palaces and observatories apparently without the use the wheel. While no physical evidence has yet been found of the Mayan use of large wheels for transportation purposes numerous toys have been discovered that do have wheels, therefore it cannot be categorically stated that the Maya did not use larger wheels. [Read More at Wikipedia]
The people who lived here were Inca but unfortunately they extinguish. Ancient Inca were great masons. Buildings at the site are so well-built that anyone would be wondering how the early Inca people built all of those. There are buildings at the sight as well as baths and temples. Since Machu Picchu is a peak and living there is already challenging as it is, having 150 buildings constructed is phenomenal. Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious building. Angkor was the seat of Khmer empire. Unfortunately in new history we remember only Red Khmer’s and not in a good way. Anyhow, to build this sanctuary was expected to spend 37 years in the construction that was all of the reign of King Suriyavoraman II. There were 500 builders, 1,000,000 laborers, and 5,000 stone dragging elephants. Even Arnold Toinebee, an English historian who had traveled around the world, said when he saw Angkor Wat that, “See Angkor Wat and Die”.
The Memphis is now an open air museum at Mit Rahina is a small diversion between Saqqara and Giza. It has a number of statues tagged as belonging to Ramses II, an alabaster sphinx, pieces of other statues and the colossi of Ramses II. Most of the displayed artefacts seem to be New Kingdom relics. The open air museum takes about 45 minutes to get around, and that is looking at and photographing each piece on display.
These cities are now lost, but they really existed once. It is amazing how in one moment there was a populated city with all its attributes of a functional, urban area, and all of the sudden it’s gone! How this happened? These are 10 amazing lost cities which were modern, populated and well organized and now they are gone. It would be like today New York or Rio or Shanghai would disappear. It sounds like mission impossible. I wonder if people who lived in these ten amazing lost cities felt the same. When looking at the ruins of those places I can not tear off the impression that these cities are gone. They are genuine piece of art. With the tools they had at that time, this is really something which is hard to build, even today with all the technology and machines. How the city grow and what was life on the streets of these places, we can not tell with accuracy. We must satisfy our curiosity with the data scientists, archeologist and historians are giving us. God only knows how we can be wrong, in so many levels about all these ancient places. Because, as I see it, it is all about guessing game. They dig out some old stuff and than they guess what that was for. These are 10 amazing places which you can visit and see. Even though they are now ruins, still looks so mighty and astonishing.
1. Chichen Itza, Mexico
The Maya were an ancient civilization of southern Mexico and the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras Belize and El Salvador. Today there are an estimated 6 million Maya living in these regions and speaking a variety of Maya languages. Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico; an estimated 1.2 million tourists visit the ruins every year. How they build this is one other phenomena. During the first millennium AD the Maya observed and mapped the movements of the sun, moon, planets and stars. These celestial objects were incorporated into a complex cosmology and mythology that explained the past and predicted the future. The Maya built their sophisticated and highly decorated ceremonial architecture, including temple-pyramids, palaces and observatories apparently without the use the wheel. While no physical evidence has yet been found of the Mayan use of large wheels for transportation purposes numerous toys have been discovered that do have wheels, therefore it cannot be categorically stated that the Maya did not use larger wheels. [Read More at Wikipedia]
2. Machu Pichu, Peru
The people who lived here were Inca but unfortunately they extinguish. Ancient Inca were great masons. Buildings at the site are so well-built that anyone would be wondering how the early Inca people built all of those. There are buildings at the sight as well as baths and temples. Since Machu Picchu is a peak and living there is already challenging as it is, having 150 buildings constructed is phenomenal. Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
3. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious building. Angkor was the seat of Khmer empire. Unfortunately in new history we remember only Red Khmer’s and not in a good way. Anyhow, to build this sanctuary was expected to spend 37 years in the construction that was all of the reign of King Suriyavoraman II. There were 500 builders, 1,000,000 laborers, and 5,000 stone dragging elephants. Even Arnold Toinebee, an English historian who had traveled around the world, said when he saw Angkor Wat that, “See Angkor Wat and Die”.
4. Memphis, Egypt
The Memphis is now an open air museum at Mit Rahina is a small diversion between Saqqara and Giza. It has a number of statues tagged as belonging to Ramses II, an alabaster sphinx, pieces of other statues and the colossi of Ramses II. Most of the displayed artefacts seem to be New Kingdom relics. The open air museum takes about 45 minutes to get around, and that is looking at and photographing each piece on display.
