22 Incredible Lost Cities!

Whether we’ll ever come across the real Atlantis, the Lost City of Z or the road to El Dorado is open for debate, but we do know that there have been some incredible cities that are just as intriguing that have been stumbled upon over the centuries. Let’s take a journey back in time to visit some of these incredible places.

9 - Palenque, Southern Mexico
This once flourishing city was first occupied in 100 BC and is located near the Usumacinta River in the Mexican state of Chiapas. From 600 to 700 AD, Palenque did well under the leadership of Pakal, a club-footed king whose image has been recorded in hieroglyphs. He was called the “Sun Shield” or “White Macaw.” During his reign, many of the fine buildings went up, including plazas and temples. The cities demise began with hostile relations with the neighbouring rival Mayan city of Toniná and records tell of an attack by them in 730. The area was abandoned in the 10th century and the area was only rediscovered in the 18th century.

8 - Leptis Magna, Libya
Leptis Magna was once a bustling city that served as a major trading hub for Libya. Roman emperor, Septimius Severus, was born here. It was Severus who changed the area into a gigantic city, but when Rome fell, so did Leptis Magna. Raiders pillaged the city, leaving it in ruins and over time it was swallowed up by sand. It stayed hidden for 1,200-years until it was discovered by archaeologists in the 19th century. The sand meant that the city was almost perfectly preserved, and the findings in the area were vast.

7 - Teotihuacan, Mexico
Located near Mexico City, Teotihuacan spanned 8-square miles or 20-square kilometres. It’s believed as many as 100,000 people lived there during its zenith between 100 B.C. and A.D. 650. It’s not clear who originally built it, but it’s believed to the Totonac people. It’s also not clear why the city was abandoned, but the Aztecs took it over 1,400-years after it was built. It’s here that you will find the “Pyramid Of The Sun”, one of the most incredible pyramids in the world.

6 - Kuelap, Peru
This is basically the cousin of the Inca city, Machu Picchu, although far older and quieter and thanks to a recent addition of a cable car, a lot easier to reach. It’s got everything you expect from a lost city – waterfalls, pyramids and temples. It was built during the 6th century AD by the Chachapoyas. Very little is known about these "Warriors of the Clouds" as they were also known, and the area was abandoned in the 16th century. It’s believed war and disease were the reasons for everyone leaving.


5 - Mohenjo-Daro, Pakistan
This incredible archaeological site was once a thriving city built around 2600 BC. It rivalled it’s Greek and Egyptian equivalents and those that built this city are masters of town planning and civil engineering. There is evidence of shops, streets, homes and a massive boundary wall, sadly, all under threat from erosion. Mohenjo-Daro was deserted in the 19th century when the Indus Valley Civilization declined and rediscovered in the 1920’s by R. D. Banerji.

4 - La Ciudad Perdida, Columbia
This is also known as the Lost Colombian City and it was built roughly 1,300-years ago by the Tairona people. It was built on the hills, as their god was said to want them closer to the stars. The area was inhabited for 800-years until the Spanish arrived. The Spaniards brought diseases with them that the Tairona were not immune against, and they were wiped out! When they were all deceased, the city was forgotten until it was rediscovered in the 1970’s by a group of bandits. They stole whatever they could and sold it on the black market. Word got out, and the city was rediscovered by archaeologists. The city also goes by the name of “The Lost City”

3 - Vijayanagar, India
It’s not much to look at now, but in 1500 AD, Vijayanagar had a bigger population than Paris! It was part of the greatest empire in Southern India and was built in 1336. Today, you can still see the Virupaksha Temple, which is revered by Hindus and non-Hindus alike. The empire collapsed in 1614 and was left to nature thereafter.

2 - Troy, Turkey
Thought to be merely a legend for centuries, Troy turned out to be true when it was discovered in the 1860’s in northwest Anatolia by Heinrich Schliemann. It’s believed that Troy was built 3,000 BC and had been abandoned and rebuilt several times over the centuries. To this day, there is still no clear evidence that the Trojan War really took place.
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