These ancient cities hold generations of knowledge and secrets about those that inhabited them centuries ago.
The ancient lost city of Petra in Jordan. Giuseppe Milo. CC BY 2.0.
From the incredible stone structures in Petra, Jordan to the geometrically revolutionary Mayan pyramids at Chichén Itzá, ancient civilizations around the world have long been of fascination to historians, scientists and travelers alike. Unfortunately, there are countless ancient cities — once thriving and metropolitan — that have been ravaged by time, war and nature. Here are six such ancient cities that now lie in ruin, but whose secrets are still available for you to enjoy.
1. Ctesiphon, Iraq
A view of the Tāq Kisrā at the ancient city of Ctesiphon in Iraq. Taisir Mahdi. CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Persian Empire began in 559 BCE and was revolutionarily metropolitan in their emphasis on the development of science, art and technology in the name of culture and religion. As the empire’s winter capital, the city of Ctesiphon located in central Iraq was often at the center of this progress. One of the most impressive remaining structures is the palace of King Khosrow I who ruled from 531 to 579 AD and was principally responsible for the construction of the vaulted brick vaults of the Tāq Kisrā. To this day, the hall is one of the largest brick arches in the world.
In 637 AD, an Arab invasion resulted in the successful conquest of Ctesiphon, using the site as a makeshift mosque. However, the newcomers soon chose to locate their capital at the northern city of Baghdad instead, leaving the abandoned city to become a quarry.
2. Mesa Verde, Colorado, USA
The cliff palaces in Mesa Verde National Park are the largest of their kind in North America. Scrubhiker. CC BY-NC 2.0.
Located within the bounds of Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado, the prehistoric settlement of cliff palaces is the largest collection of its kind in North America. The plateau, which is almost 2,600 meters (roughly 8,530 feet) above sea level, was once inhabited by Ancestral Puebloans, whose community flourished from approximately 450 to 1300 BCE. Because of the incredible condition in which the 600 sandstone and mud mortar constructions were preserved, Mesa Verde was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, making it one of the first in America. These dwellings include a number of multi-story structures as well as small villages of up to 200 connected rooms, while other functional and ceremonial buildings, such as shrines, field houses, farming terraces and displays of rock art, are also scattered across the landscape.
This ancient city was completely abandoned by the Ancestral Puebloans by 1300 BCE. A devastating drought beginning in 1276 and lasting for over two decades brought an end to their once prosperous harvest, simultaneously driving away the animals they hunted for food.
3. Xanadu, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
The giant rock carvings of Kublai Khan at the archaeological site of Xanadu in Inner Mongolia. China Discovery. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
The once magnificent palaces at Xanadu (Shangdu in Mandarin) were first made known to the western world by Marco Polo after his visit to the Mongol court in 1275 BCE. The city was the summer capital of the empire from 1274 to 1364 BCE and was made prominent by Kublai Khan who chose the site to construct his luxurious summer palace complete with gardens and gilded rooms. Xanadu stretched far beyond the palace, however, covering a grand total of 250 square kilometers (about 96.5 square miles) and housing roughly 200,000 people at the height of its activity. The city was unique for its blend of traditional Mongol and Chinese architectural elements which aligned with the empire’s desire to combine elements of the Mongolian nomadic hunting culture with the farming lifestyles of the local Chinese.
The city suffered significant neglect following the decline of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty in 1368 BCE, becoming completely abandoned around 1430. The site became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012 in order to help preserve the few remaining temples, tombs and other ruins.
4. Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
A view of the ancient stone complex in the medieval city of Great Zimbabwe. Christopher Scott. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
The ruins of Great Zimbabwe are one of the only remaining sites from the wealthy medieval African trading empires that largely controlled life on the continent’s eastern seaboard. Built in the eleventh century by the Shona people on a hilltop plateau, the city served as the capital of their trading empire for four centuries and was thus well protected by the five meter high (just over 16 feet) granite wall surrounding the inner settlements. The global prominence of the Zimbabwean trade is evidenced by the Arab coins and Chinese and Persian pottery fragments excavated by archaeologists among the ruins. Among the various sections that make up the site, the oldest is the hill complex which is believed to have been the religious center of the citadel and dates back to 900 BCE.
Though historians are not sure exactly why the site was abandoned in the fifteenth century, it was likely due to a combination of overpopulation in the area and the subsequent depletion of local resources.
5. Tikal, Guatemala
The Tikal ruins in Guatemala are a magnificent display of ancient Mayan architecture. chenisyuan. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Located within the aptly nicknamed “Maya Forest” in the northern Guatemalan province of Petén, Tikal National Park comprises 575 square kilometers (roughly 222 square miles) of tropical jungle and ancient Mayan ruins. This incredible collection of structures date back to the Preclassic Period of the Mayan empire which ran from 600 BCE to 900 AD. Of the spread, archaeologists have identified a more central urban concentration of temples, palaces, residential buildings, terraces and sports grounds. These, in addition to the countless monuments, stone carvings and mural paintings which have all been exceptionally well preserved, are testaments to an artistic and technical sophistication far beyond its time. These ruins, in addition to the amazingly biodiverse jungle that surrounds it, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 in order to ensure the continued preservation of the ruins and to protect the thousands of plant and animal species that reside within the park.
Historians most widely believe that a sudden surge of overpopulation around the year 900 AD and the resulting strain on natural resources in the area led to widespread crop failure. This in turn forced the Mayan residents of Tikal to leave their homes, with the complete abandonment of the city coinciding with the end of the 10th century.
6. Ephesus, Turkey
The facade of the Library of Celsus still stands amongst the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey. H Weber. CC BY-SA 2.0.
The ancient harbor city of Ephesus sits on the western shore of modern day Turkey by the Aegean Sea, but was founded in the 11th century BCE by an Ionian prince according to legend. While exact chronologies of the city’s history are up for debate, it is known that Ephesus changed hands a number of times over the course of its history, coming under the rule of the Persian, Roman and Ottoman empires, each leaving its mark on the city’s culture. These influences are evident in the varied architecture of the many remaining structures at the ruin site, from the famed Temple of Artemis that was said to be four times larger than the Parthenon, to the open air amphitheaters, agoras and aqueducts built in the traditional Roman style.
Following a devastating earthquake in the mid-sixth century AD, Ephesus was left in extreme disrepair and vulnerable to the impending Arab invasions that would see most of the population leave the city. By the time the Ottoman Empire arrived in the 15th century, the city and its once prosperous harbor were practically already abandoned.
Tanaya Vohra
Tanaya is an undergraduate student pursuing a major in Public Health at the University of Chicago. She's lived in Asia, Europe and North America and wants to share her love of travel and exploring new cultures through her writing.