Abandoned cities of the world

114

Palmyra, December 1938

In almost all countries of the world, you can hear about cities that were once abandoned by their inhabitants. Some of them are known only from ancient sources, from others only settlements or sad ruins remained. But there are those that still amaze with their bewitching, unusual beauty to us and attract numerous crowds of tourists from all over the world. Witnesses of other eras and peers of ancient civilizations that have gone into oblivion, they conceal many unsolved mysteries, touching any of which is the cherished dream of any archaeologist.

How do these ghost towns come about?



Having asked this question in any non-professional audience, we, first of all, will hear about various disasters and natural disasters that destroyed the ancient Roman Pompeii and the lesser-known Herculaneum and Stabius, Judaic Sodom and Gomorrah. Some will even remember the Jamaican pirate city of Port Royal, which on July 7, 1692 was destroyed by an earthquake and then washed into the sea by the waves of a gigantic tsunami (this catastrophe made a great impression on contemporaries and was called the "Judgment of the Lord").

The list could be continued. However, of all these cities, as an exception, only a few have survived to this day. For example, the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia were not destroyed, but covered with a layer of volcanic ash.

Pompeii








Abandoned cities of the world
Pompeii


Herculaneum


Stabia

A similar fate was in store for the Minoan city of Akrotiri, which was described in the article. "In Search of Sunken Cities".

It should be admitted that many destroyed cities were very unlucky: they died quickly and together with all their inhabitants. Therefore, there was no one to revive them in their former place.

But others, destroyed by earthquakes, catastrophic floods and all-consuming fires, have been lovingly restored by their inhabitants. New palaces, bridges and cathedrals, more beautiful and better than the previous ones, ascended in the old place, as if symbolizing the victory of the spirit of creativity and creation over the blind and merciless elements. Lisbon and Tashkent, destroyed by the most powerful earthquakes, can serve as examples of such a revival. And the city of San Salvador (the capital of the Central American state) was destroyed by earthquakes 200 times over 5 years (in 1798, 1854, 1873, 1965 and 1987). But to this day it stands in its place.

Carthage


Another popular version is the destruction of cities by enemies. The most famous example, familiar to everyone from school years, is the sad fate of Carthage, in which, by order of the Roman Senate, all buildings were destroyed, and the land in their place was plowed up and sown with salt.

However, this message of Roman historians does not stand up to criticism and is easily refuted, both from the standpoint of common sense and the works of later historians from different countries and peoples.

Common sense tells us that it is not at all easy to destroy a stone city so that in its place there is a field available for agricultural work. Indeed, in 1162, Friedrich Barbarossa passionately wanted to destroy Milan and spent a lot of money and time on this, but in vain.

In 1793, a convention ordered the destruction of the rebellious Lyon. At the disposal of the commissioners of the convention who arrived there (led by the later famous Fouche) were powerful siege weapons. But, having examined the city, they were convinced of the unrealistic fulfillment of the task assigned to them. And, in general, they worked on the decree of the revolutionary government of France. Everything was limited to the destruction of several, far from the largest, buildings.

It is hard to believe that a task that proved too much for the frantic German emperor and the unyielding Jacobins was accomplished in 149 BC. e. Roman general Scipio. Salt was probably only planted on a small patch of land. And this act had a purely symbolic meaning.

And indeed upon further study stories question we learn that Carthage continued to exist and attract the attention of its neighbors. In 435 (according to other sources - in 439) A.D. e. it was captured by vandals. And in 533 Carthage was taken by the troops of Belisarius. And this city with all its surroundings became part of the Byzantine Empire.

Only during the Arab conquest of 688-670, Carthage, having ceded the capital status to Kairouan, began to empty and decline. An alien stone city, a bearer of an alien, hostile culture, was simply not needed by people from the sultry deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. In the end, only the majestic ruins remained of it, which are one of the main attractions of modern Tunisia.






Carthage today, photographs by Maria Ryzhova

Old Ryazan


This, of course, does not mean at all that other cities did not die in numerous wars.
Such was the fate of Old Ryazan, destroyed by the troops of Batu Khan: the wooden city burned down, and all its defenders and residents perished with it. There was no one to come to the ashes. And Pereyaslavl-Ryazan became the capital of the principality. The city most likely received this name from immigrants from Southern Russia, who brought with them familiar names - Pereyaslavl, Lybed, Trubezh.


The Kiev river Lybed flows into the Pereyaslavl river Trubezh in modern Ryazan

But later it began to be perceived as a city that took over the glory of the former capital. In 1788 (during the reign of Catherine II) Pereyaslavl became Ryazan.

Saray Berke


Such is the fate of Saray Berke - the capital of the Golden Horde, which in 1395 was destroyed by the soldiers of Tamerlane. The surviving residents were taken to Maveranahr. And since then, the Golden Horde has ceased to be a great state. It is believed that the remains of the Berke Saray were at the bottom of the Volga, which changed its course. And now it is hard to believe that a city once existed in the endless Volga steppe, with its size, crowded population and beauty that amazed not only Russian merchants, but also European travelers who visited it.

However, Ryazan, and Saray Berke, and many other cities that disappeared from the geographical maps perished only because their inhabitants died with them or were taken prisoner. Cities stand as long as there are people who are loving and ready to revive them again and again. And the new peoples, who came to replace the former ones, rarely needed the cities built before them. That is why Carthage lies in ruins, the city of the proud Romans in Western Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa. And in the same Tunisia, not far from Carthage, you can see the perfectly preserved Roman city of Duggu.




Dougga in our days, photographs by Maria Ryzhova

The fate of ancient Palmyra


And in the waterless Syrian desert, in one of the oases between Damascus and the Euphrates, you can see the remains of the ancient city of Palmyra, with which they once loved to compare St. Petersburg. This name was given to the city by the Greeks and is a tracing of the Aramaic "Tadmor", which means "City of palm trees".

In time immemorial, a caravanserai was built around a source of lukewarm and slightly giving off gray water, which was called Efka. Here merchants and travelers could rest after a long journey and gain strength to continue their journey. The emergence of the city near this source is traditionally associated with the Jewish king Solomon, who built it as an advanced stronghold against the attacks of the Aramaic tribes.

During the conquest of Judea by Nebuchadnezzar, Palmyra was devastated. But, thanks to its extremely advantageous position on the most important trade routes between the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates valley, it was reborn like a phoenix from the ashes. Gradually, a state of its own, called Palmyrene, was even formed around it.

The rich trading city inevitably fell into the sphere of interests of the gaining strength of the Parthian kingdom and the Roman Empire. After the victory of the Romans, the city was ruled by the local senate, whose decisions were approved by the governor appointed by Rome. Attempts to gain independence did not bring success; during one of the uprisings, suppressed by the troops of Emperor Trajan, the city was badly damaged. But it was restored by Hadrian, who ordered to rename it to Adrianople.

Under Caracalla, Palmyra received the status of a Roman colony. After the weakening of Rome as a result of defeat by the Persians in 260, the ruler of Palmyrene, Odenatus, declared himself “king of kings”.

Palmyra reached its heyday under Queen Zenobia, who dared to challenge Rome itself, but was defeated and died in 273.

In 744, Palmyra was conquered by the Arabs, who did not want to live in a foreign city. And they began to build their dwellings outside of it. Then the city became part of the Turkish Empire, the authorities of which also showed no interest in the forgotten city. After one of the earthquakes, the last inhabitants left the city. And his remains were covered with sand.




The honor of discovering Palmyra is disputed by the Italian Pietro della Balle and the Englishman Halifax, who visited this city in the XNUMXth century and described it.

There are currently two Palmyras. Ancient - fascinates travelers with the ruins of its grandiose temples, palaces, aqueducts and colonnades. And a small town nearby, the main occupation of the inhabitants of which before the outbreak of the civil war was serving tourists arriving from all over the world.

In the spring of 2015, Palmyra was captured by ISIS militants, who destroyed many objects, including the triumphal arch (the photo of which you saw at the beginning of the article), the temples of Baalshamin and Bel. The tomb towers located near the city did not survive either.

Petra and Abu Simbel


And at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, two important discoveries were made by the outstanding Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

Before starting his travels, he learned Arabic and converted to Islam. He began to call himself Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Abdullah. And for 8 years spent in the East, no one doubted his Arab origin.


F. Schlet. Portrait bust of Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (Sheikh Ibrahim), 1867

In 1817, Burckhardt died of an intestinal infection, before he was 33 years old, and was buried in the Muslim cemetery in Cairo with all the honors due to a sheikh and a hajj.


Tomb of Sheikh Ibrahim (Ludwig Burkhart), Cairo

It was Burckhardt who discovered the lost city of Petra on the territory of modern Jordan in 1812.

Almost all of its buildings are carved into the rocks. At one time, Petra was the capital of the Nabataean kingdom and was located on the trade route connecting the Middle East, Arabia and India. In the 363st century A.D. e. this state entered the sphere of influence of Rome, and under the emperor Trajan it was completely conquered and annexed to the Roman province of Arabia. After the earthquake in XNUMX, many residents left Petra. Gradually the city was forgotten. And only the Bedouin nomads still remembered the road to it.

Even today, an excursion to Petra is a small adventure, during which it is easy to feel like a great traveler and discoverer. The road along which we are walking turns into a narrow path that goes into a narrow gorge, niches and bas-reliefs carved into the rocks gradually appear on the sides, and then the mountains suddenly part and a huge red and pink temple appears in front of us in all its glory - the first among the stunning man-made wonders of the ancient city.


In the valley, surrounded on all sides by inaccessible mountains, there are several more temples, ruins of houses, hundreds of tombs and a huge amphitheater with 4000 seats.
Ludwig Burkhart also discovered the Abu Simbel temple complex, which is called the "Sacred Mountain" in Egyptian texts.


It is a 100-meter-high rock in which two temples were carved during the reign of Ramses II. The big one was erected in honor of Pharaoh and dedicated to the gods Amon, Ra-Horakhti and Ptah. Twice a year - on October 22 and February 22, the sun's rays illuminate three of the four statues: the sculptures of Amun and Ra get 6 minutes of sunlight each, Ramses - as much as 12, but the statue of Ptah remains in the dark.

A small temple was erected in honor of Queen Nefertari Merenmuth - the first wife of this pharaoh, and dedicated to the goddess Hathor.

During the construction of the Aswan Dam, the Abu Simbel temples were cut into blocks weighing up to 30 tons and moved to a new location, where they were reassembled.



Abu Simbel temple relocation works

Meroe


The ruins of another ancient city can be viewed in Sudan, where Meroe is located on the eastern bank of the Nile between Khartoum and Atbara (the first settlements in its place date back to the XNUMXth century BC).

From the VI century BC. e. it was the capital of the state of Kush, which was heavily influenced by Egypt. In 23 BC. e. the country of Kush was conquered by Rome. And in the III century A.D. e. Meroe was captured by the state of Axum. Then it fell into decay and was forgotten for many centuries. Here are the ruins of the temples of Amun and the Sun, the remains of several palaces and a swimming pool. In the desert, 5 kilometers south of the city, there are 100 pyramids, in which several generations of the Kush rulers are buried.


Meroe Pyramids, Sudan

They are much lower than the Egyptian ones (the highest does not even reach 30 meters in height). But they make a pretty strong impression. Since the traveler, who managed to get to them, can enjoy the spectacle of the chain of pyramids growing out of the dunes almost completely alone, not distracted by the invocations of camel owners or souvenir merchants that annoy tourists in Cairo or Giza so much.

Earlier, the Meroe pyramids were covered with mortar, and their bases were decorated with red, yellow and blue stars. Currently, most of them are left without tops, which were demolished in the XNUMXth century by the Italian adventurer Giuseppe Ferlini, who was looking for treasures. Unfortunately, he stumbled upon the treasure on the first try (a cache with gold rings, amulets and necklaces with pronounced Hellenistic features was discovered in the pyramid of Queen Amanishaheto). All subsequent searches were unsuccessful, but significant damage was caused to the pyramids.

Multi-Column Iram


In the early 90s of the twentieth century, thanks to footage received from one of the satellites, the ancient city of Iram was discovered (Iram Multicolumn - Iram zat al-imad). Sometimes it is also called Ubar (after the name of the oasis). According to legend, it was covered with sand during a storm that raged for 8 days and 7 nights. He is mentioned in the 89th chapter of the Qur'an:

"Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the Adits - the people of Iram, who possessed columns, the likes of which were not created in the cities?"


Reconstruction of the city of Iram


Iram, city ruins

In the next article we will talk about the lost cities of the Incas and Mayans, as well as the grandiose Buddhist cities and complexes of Southeast Asia.
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114 comments
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  1. +19
    27 May 2021 04: 17
    Thanks to the author for the material and high-quality photos!
  2. +10
    27 May 2021 05: 08
    As always, it is read in one breath! hi
    1. -1
      28 May 2021 17: 05
      resource degradation is catastrophic. Soon local graphomaniacs, in pursuit of royalties, will tell us about something that even a poor student knows.
      1. +1
        28 May 2021 17: 13
        I am a poor student and did not know it hi
  3. +12
    27 May 2021 05: 17
    All these destroyed and lost cities keep many secrets and mysteries of bygone civilizations and peoples.
    This topic is endless and very exciting ... there are not enough VO resources to tell about each such city in detail.
    Thank you Vyacheslav for the article hi In his youth, he was very fond of this ... but then I realized that life was not enough to embrace something that was not obsessive. smile
    1. +2
      27 May 2021 14: 34
      Lyokha, "it is necessary to have a snack" (c) the author's name is actually Valery, and Vyacheslav - "Caliber"
  4. +5
    27 May 2021 05: 57
    It is a pity, it is not told about Mohenjo Daro, that there was an invasion? Catastrophe?
    1. +4
      27 May 2021 06: 36
      Quote: parusnik
      It is a pity, it is not told about Mohenjo Daro, that there was an invasion? Catastrophe?


      Yes, and about Arkaim could be mentioned.
      1. VLR
        +19
        27 May 2021 07: 33
        There will be a separate small article about Arkaim - one after another, as the end of the cycle.
        1. +5
          27 May 2021 11: 11
          It's good that about Arkaim will be. And then some kind of unhealthy "excitement" around this name was formed. Will wait. smile
    2. +2
      27 May 2021 12: 16
      It is a pity, it is not told about Mohenjo Daro, that there was an invasion? Catastrophe?

      In this case, I will join - you can also mention Harappa!
    3. +3
      27 May 2021 17: 41
      According to the latest information, it is simply abandoned.
      Those burials, which with traces of violent death, as it turned out, belonged to the period when the city was already abandoned.
      There, in parallel with the depopulation of the cities of Harappa (many of which, by the way, in our terminology were "monocities", specializing in a specific type of product), there was an explosive agricultural colonization of the previously unexploited drylands of Punjab, thanks to the introduction of new drought-resistant crops imported from Arabia and the Horn of Africa.
      And no technological regression - on the contrary, glass blowing and pottery furnaces with an annular furnace were mastered.
      Only the signs of a centralized state have disappeared, with uniform measures of weight and length.
      As if this state was fighting, struggling with a long-term drought, defeated it and ... overstrained itself.
  5. +8
    27 May 2021 06: 51
    Thanks, very interesting!

    "for a moment flew away to the beloved land of battles, heroes, treasures, where gigantic sails pass like shadows and a cry - song - whisper is heard:" Mystery is charm! Mystery is charm! "
    A.S. Green "Golden Chain"
    1. +5
      27 May 2021 07: 14
      There's something about it. Probably, this line has its own Zurbagans and Lissas. Such as we come up with them.
    2. +3
      27 May 2021 14: 57
      Green is a peculiar author. I perceive his works as - romantic fantasy.
      Comrades, I tried to remember and could not: there was no fantasy before Green?
      1. +1
        28 May 2021 08: 27
        before Green there was no fantasy?
        It was laughing Iliad, Odyssey, Ring of the Nibelungen, Legend of Ilya Muromets, Nightingale the Robber and Idolische, Legend of King Arthur ...
        1. +1
          28 May 2021 13: 20
          Campaign of our comrades: "Green" will not have to be proud that his namesake is the founder of fantasy.
  6. +8
    27 May 2021 07: 12
    Palmyra has remained until recently, and I think that there are still places where they stop to rest.
    Just half of the day's car route through the Syrian Desert.

    About 15 years ago, a few sellers of "arafatoks" ran through the ruins. I don’t know what now.

    And, of course, I would like to understand - where, after all, was the Saray.
    Wasn't his departure under the Volga water reflected in any way in literary sources?
  7. +9
    27 May 2021 07: 22
    Indeed, in 1162, Friedrich Barbarossa passionately wanted to destroy Milan and spent a lot of money and time on this, but in vain.
    Either he destroyed it, or not ... In any case, five years later, the city again joined the fight against Frederick.
    Thank you, Valery!
    1. VLR
      +9
      27 May 2021 09: 39
      But look at what ferries go to Akkaba from Nuweiba:


      This is the port of Akkaba from the plane, November 2018, there was still a third ferry, but it did not fit into the frame. My daughter and I sailed in March 2018 on the one on the right - "Princess":


      Indeed, a little trip.
      1. VLR
        +12
        27 May 2021 09: 48
        And these are the cats of Petra:


      2. VLR
        +5
        27 May 2021 10: 39
        Yes, and the second photo with the 2012 ferry, typo
      3. +5
        27 May 2021 13: 09
        I saw one like this on the other side of the bay in January 2018.

        View of Aqaba from the Eilat Botanical Garden.
  8. +11
    27 May 2021 07: 23
    Ancient cities often lie under the feet of passers-by walking along the streets of modern cities ...

    Article plus.
    1. +7
      27 May 2021 07: 59
      This is in case the history of the city was interrupted.
      Otherwise they only complement each other: as, for example, Chersonesos and Sevastopol.
      1. +11
        27 May 2021 08: 55
        Hello, Sergey!
        Thank you for remembering Chersonesos, for me it is also a memory of youth. smile




        1. +6
          27 May 2021 09: 13
          Good morning, Constantine!
          Yes. Cities are not only points on the map, as well as streets.

          It is somewhat like a long saga that we tell each other from different pages.
          1. +5
            27 May 2021 09: 22
            So for me every stone there is almost native, I have a lot connected with these stones. smile
            1. +3
              27 May 2021 13: 11
              Not much connected, but etched into the memory as it should.
      2. +3
        27 May 2021 09: 43
        Quote from Korsar4
        This is in case the history of the city was interrupted.

        Why so?

        The cultural layers of the city are simply "growing", preserving the horizons of different eras.

        For example, the cultural layer under the Ivanovskaya Square of the Kremlin more than 5 meters "grew" from the 12th to the 19th century, in Veliky Novgorod it ranges from 2m to 7,5m (in the Troitsky excavation site you can go down to the level of the 10th century), etc.
        1. +2
          27 May 2021 13: 13
          Are growing. But the living city contains all the ages, even if they have gone into the earth.
  9. +9
    27 May 2021 07: 53
    Even today, an excursion to Petra is a little adventure,
    And for the wallet, including. $ 80, for crossing the Jordanian border, this is in addition to the excursion itself.
    1. VLR
      +3
      27 May 2021 10: 38
      Attached photos to the wrong comment, hurried smile
      Look above
  10. +9
    27 May 2021 07: 59
    An interesting article, but the author is trying to grasp the immensity. Thank you.
    1. +5
      27 May 2021 10: 28
      An interesting article, but the author is trying to grasp the immensity. Thank you.

      Yes, a little "to the top", but an easy, relaxed excursion. The syllable is very good. Something reminded of "7 and 37 miracles" from Igor Mozheiko. what
      I propose to Valery to develop the topic. I would like to hear about Halicarnassus. And about the culture of medieval Mali with their unique clay mosques. drinks
      Separately, I bow to Valery's daughter for the photo! love
      which in the XNUMXth century were demolished by the Italian adventurer Giuseppe Ferlini looking for treasures

      This thieving vandal, it turns out, was a Good Doctor by profession! There is no limit to perfection! request By the way, I did not know that there are pyramids on the territory of Sudan.
      1. +5
        27 May 2021 10: 55
        The islets of Nan Madol contain the remains of stone palaces, temples, tombs and residential buildings, erected between 1200 and 1500 AD. e. Until 1500, Nan Madol was the capital of the local ruling Saudeler dynasty. It is considered the religious and cult center of Eastern Micronesia. It seems that everything is clear. But damn it! Kaak ?! (c)
        1. +4
          27 May 2021 11: 08
          It is considered the religious and cult center of Eastern Micronesia. It seems that everything is clear. But damn it! Kaak ?! (c)

          Daniel, if you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known about this place! belay As far as I caught a glimpse, no one knows when they started building there at all! Vika: "From these signs, one can judge that the Saudeler dynasty most likely used the remains of older, previously destroyed structures, the shape and purpose of which is now impossible to guess." That's awesome! drinks
          1. +5
            27 May 2021 12: 26
            And here I am about the same thing. And the locals, nowadays, consider it a cursed place. As if so. They see devils there. And the time of construction is not so ancient 13-16 centuries, but they believe that they were built by dwarfs. And for One night. Understandably, aliens are excluded, but the legends go further than the 13-15 centuries. In Ireland or Scotland, there is an abandoned stone city, I don’t remember the name. So there the walls were melted down as in Mohendjdaro. In childhood I read such a book simply. Scientists wrote, not Samsonov. laughing
            1. +6
              27 May 2021 14: 15
              As a child, I simply read such a book. Scientists wrote, not Samsonov.

              Yes, this great scientist everywhere would pull the asses of the Scythian-Russes in half with the superethnos on every little-known building. fellow Well, how would it be! request
              - We do not know who built the pyramid in Scotland!
              - According to the authoritative scientist, director of the Academy of Puppet Sciences P.P. Rusoariyeva, this was done by the hyper-Slavo-Russians. A dung mummy interspersed with unusual components was found in the cultural layer ...
  11. +5
    27 May 2021 08: 00
    What an interesting article!
    1. +5
      27 May 2021 11: 19
      What an interesting article!

      And you, too, note, Vyacheslav Olegovich! People like to "travel virtually" - to discover new things! drinks
      1. +4
        27 May 2021 11: 30
        Yes, Nikolai, I like it. But ... I prefer to write about what I saw with my own eyes. Or what is permitted "testimony". In both cases, it is quite difficult to mine both.
        1. +3
          27 May 2021 11: 37
          In both cases, it is quite difficult to mine both.

          I think many people can share photos - from pre-covid travels.
  12. +7
    27 May 2021 08: 06
    And as a child, I read the book "My Russia", because it mentioned the city of Khara Hito or Khara Hoto, discovered by Russian travelers in the Gobi Desert, it was very interesting to read. Many thanks for the article!
  13. The comment was deleted.
  14. +10
    27 May 2021 09: 19
    Wonderful article and many thanks to Valery!

    But, for reasons beyond the author's control, there is also a "fly in the ointment":
    In the spring of 2015, Palmyra was captured by ISIS militants, who destroyed many objects, including the triumphal arch (the photo of which you saw at the beginning of the article), the temples of Baalshamin and Bel. The tomb towers located near the city did not survive either.

    From these militant obscurantists from the most "peaceful" religion, the "enlightened students", I mean the Taliban, who in 2001 shot them with guns and then blew up the Bamiyan statues of Buddha (6th century AD), which were part of a complex of Buddhist monasteries in the Bamiyan Valley.

    And this is a photo of heroic fighters for the true faith, who, due to their lack of abilities, are not capable of creating anything, but they will not be able to destroy something done by other people.
    1. +6
      27 May 2021 12: 46
      And this is a photo of heroic fighters

      Harsh Jihad Warriors Entertainment belay
      1. +5
        27 May 2021 13: 05
        Hmmm ... "Love, the villainess of evil - you will love the goat." laughing
      2. +3
        27 May 2021 16: 17
        Colleague "Boltorez" thank you for: "Adventures of T-34", it was cool
        About your video. The musical accompaniment is not in Arabic, but rather in Italian
        1. +2
          27 May 2021 16: 24
          The musical accompaniment is not in Arabic, but rather in Italian
          So Italian is the romantic language of love laughing And about Stompy, I'm glad to try. Now I'm thinking, what else to write.
          1. +1
            27 May 2021 18: 46
            Alex, hello! Whose performance is such a funny music? Do you know, in an hour? good
        2. +1
          27 May 2021 18: 44
          What kind of Italian? !!!! Listen. And by the way, whose opinion is that? Zulfiya? Vera? Gulchetai? laughing
          1. +2
            27 May 2021 18: 49
            What-so Italian
            Good day! In order not to injure the psyche, I watched the video without sound - you never know what laughing Language - English (American accent from the South of the USA), song - light cowboy ballad.
            1. +2
              27 May 2021 18: 53
              And I immediately understood, because I am not indifferent to * country *. True, I do not remember the performers, I just listen to hunt.
              1. +1
                27 May 2021 18: 56
                Somehow this track does not fit video, but at least not techno ...
                1. +1
                  27 May 2021 18: 59
                  Well .... with a certain flight of fantasy. With the harsh realities of the development of the Wild West ... With a shortage of the fairer sex somewhere in Arizona. Do you know thoughts. A joke, a joke, a joke! laughing
                  1. +1
                    27 May 2021 19: 01
                    There, it seems, in women with a low s.o. there was no shortage of criminals from England were taken into exile.
                    1. +1
                      27 May 2021 19: 04
                      So after all * cow boys * not only in cities and towns sat on saloons? laughing
                      1. +2
                        27 May 2021 19: 05
                        I think that no one would sit at the same table with a cowboy caught doing this in the saloon. wassat
                      2. +2
                        27 May 2021 19: 09
                        Ha, ha, ha! It's all about the scale and caution of the individual. laughing But I definitely liked the music! good And immediately the question: How is my favorite band * Smokey * doing there? Do you still remember these guys?
                      3. +3
                        27 May 2021 19: 20
                        * Smokey *? Do you still remember these guys
                        They have a concert in Denmark (Alborg) the day after tomorrow. And so they have a good tour this year - they will even go to South Africa in October.
                      4. +2
                        27 May 2021 19: 25
                        I'm glad for them. I still love their songs, and even Chris Norman's vocals ... beyond praise.
                      5. +1
                        27 May 2021 19: 29
                        I’ll wait until all restrictions are canceled, and we’ll go with my wife to the Korpiklaani concert wherever he is. Cheerful guys, and how they play to the audience!
          2. +1
            27 May 2021 19: 10
            Sergei, in any case, not Gulchitay, after all, Abdula strangled her. Remember how he tricked her?
            Zulka is gone today
    2. +2
      27 May 2021 15: 53
      Konstantin, at Zulka’s, didn’t come to work today, the son was born in 2014 and scolded him: “ISIS. And now, when he plays a lot, he scolds him so
      1. 0
        27 May 2021 19: 05
        That's right! You already keep us informed of this fascinating story. laughing laughing laughing
        1. 0
          27 May 2021 19: 14
          Oh, and the ulcer is you
          1. +1
            27 May 2021 19: 15
            I do not argue, this is not my worst drawback.
            1. 0
              27 May 2021 20: 29
              I appreciate self-criticism. It's harder for me: I can't always admit mistakes, or rather I DO NOT LOVE
  15. +8
    27 May 2021 09: 22
    Cities also die after the change of the political system.
    Estonia, EU.
    Tapa city

    pos. Azeri, seashore, central street (Kesk tn.)

    Miners' villages


    Photos from the Internet.
    1. +5
      27 May 2021 10: 33
      Cities also die after the change of the political system.

      I read that somewhere near the border with the Leningrad Region you have an extinct village, EMNIP, a former Soviet military unit. We also have those. They say that apartments in Vorkuta are given for a pittance ... If there is anyone from there, educate.
      1. +4
        27 May 2021 11: 00
        In Vorkuta it is. For 300 € we have a two-room apartment with all amenities.
        Or for debts.
        1. +4
          27 May 2021 11: 17
          We have a two-room apartment with all amenities for 300 €.

          Alexander, I don’t understand - a two-room apartment costs 300 euros? In Estonia?belay
          1. +5
            27 May 2021 11: 24
            From this amount and above. But I do not even advise you to think. These are dying villages.
            1. +6
              27 May 2021 11: 29
              From this amount and above. But I do not even advise you to think. These are dying villages.

              Hmm ... We also have a lot of them, as far as I understand, in the north.
              1. +2
                27 May 2021 13: 43
                Where something used to be finished off, but now it is not profitable. Market!
                Last year I spoke with a friend from Ukhta. Also dies out.
    2. +7
      27 May 2021 10: 39
      Of the modern, you can include Chernobyl here
      1. +4
        27 May 2021 11: 01
        Chernobyl is a different story, but also on the topic. Technological disaster
        1. +3
          27 May 2021 19: 35
          Hi Sasha!
          Yagala, a former dormitory for family cadets of TVVPSU.

          And here's another photo, I think many people on the left will easily recognize the comrade.
          [/ Center]
          1. +2
            27 May 2021 20: 09
            And who is on the right?
            1. +3
              27 May 2021 20: 11
              Ha, ha, ha! I don't even know. A student? recourse
        2. +3
          27 May 2021 20: 07
          Friends! Probably more correct would be Pripyat.
    3. +4
      27 May 2021 13: 16
      Tapa. As you affectionately called her "Slipper". As far as I understand, the railway was tied.
      1. +3
        27 May 2021 13: 39
        The largest railway junction for Estonia. There were 2 depots during the USSR. Well, the airfield. Now there is a NATO base. At least some life
        1. +1
          27 May 2021 20: 14
          I also remember the village of Rakvere. We were unloading coal there. Oooh! That was a job, after that we were ... Afro-Russians. laughing
          1. +1
            27 May 2021 22: 00
            Sergey! Well, not the village of Rakvere, but the city! He's Rakovor, he's Weisenberg.
            And the character in the photo on the left, as their daughter says in Tallinn
            1. +2
              28 May 2021 08: 56
              Sasha, greetings! The thing is that they drove us in in the evening, unloaded all night. There was no way to assess the scale of the settlement accordingly. Coal, coal, coal! And dust ... coal. This is remembered very thoroughly. bully
              1. +1
                28 May 2021 09: 57
                Hello. It happens that something is remembered for a lifetime.
                So you graduated from college?
                1. +2
                  28 May 2021 10: 00
                  Nope laughing I realized that it was absolutely not mine and ... went to BUP. Then, Ladushkin, near Koenig. And that's all. bully
                  1. +1
                    28 May 2021 10: 18
                    And without an abbreviation and special names, otherwise I just don't understand
                    1. +1
                      28 May 2021 10: 25
                      Training Support Battalion.
                      1. +1
                        28 May 2021 10: 29
                        It is now clear. drinks
  16. +8
    27 May 2021 10: 08
    And there is another example from relatively recent history - the town in France, Oradour-sur-Glan, whose population was destroyed by the SS from the Der Fuhrer regiment. The French did not begin to restore it, but left it as it was, turning the village into a memorial.

    1. +5
      27 May 2021 13: 12
      About this was the book "Where the grass no longer grows" by Georges Magnan, a very tough and cruel book, I would not advise women to read, but I recommend to men.
      1. +5
        27 May 2021 13: 34
        This was the book "Where the grass does not grow anymore" by Georges Magnan

        There is also the film "The Old Gun" with Philippe Noiret and Romy Schneider. The plot is based on this tragedy.
        1. +5
          27 May 2021 13: 53
          I saw the film and I liked it, but, you see, the scale of the tragedy is incompatible.
          Although for each person his own life is unique and he does not have another.
          1. +2
            27 May 2021 14: 05
            I saw the film and I liked it, but, you see, the scale of the tragedy is incompatible.

            Perhaps you forgot the movie. There, too, all the inhabitants were destroyed, including the wife of the protagonist, simply burned alive from a flamethrower, only a shadow on the wall remained. And he took an old gun and began to take revenge ..
            1. +4
              27 May 2021 14: 24
              I remember everything. They killed the villagers and killed the doctor's wife and daughter. I meant that many more people were killed in Oradour. But in the film, local residents, like in Oradour, were killed in a church.




              I saw a film with Romy Schneider, it was in the Soviet box office, I have not watched remakes and will not watch.
              1. +3
                27 May 2021 15: 12
                I saw a film with Romy Schneider, it was in the Soviet box office, I have not watched remakes and will not watch.

                There is also a domestic remake, with the same name, and in the main role - "Honored Monk without a Demon" Timofey Tribuntsev. Do you remember we also discussed that this Czech ZB-53 wanders from one of our films to another?
                1. +3
                  27 May 2021 15: 17
                  I have not seen the domestic remake and does not want to watch. And, frankly, I don’t remember the discussion. And as for this machine gun, the machine is textured, why not take it off. It’s a pity, I don’t have a photo of our department, there was a new one - the fly didn’t sit. smile
                  1. +2
                    27 May 2021 15: 29
                    And as for this machine gun, the machine is textured, why not take it off.

                    Yes, he appeared in a number of films, I think the same. After the occupation of Czechoslovakia, the Germans received tens of thousands of Czech machine guns.
                    It’s a pity, I don’t have a photo of our department, there was a new one - the fly did not sit.

                    I only remember you with MG-34 on the machine. drinks
                    1. +4
                      27 May 2021 15: 59
                      I think there are enough of them at Mosfilm, where in my time the entire warehouse was filled with trophies.
                      And about me ... laughing

                      "Thank you dear party,
                      That there is no vodka on the weekend
                      Thanks to her care
                      We drink vodka at work. "(C) drinks
              2. +3
                27 May 2021 20: 09
                Hello friend! The scene of the burning of the heroine Romy kills completely. The most terrible scene, the most terrible!
                1. +2
                  27 May 2021 20: 41
                  Hello, Sergey! hi Yes, and the murder of the girl, in passing, from a pistol offhand. One can feel that the director has his own "tolerant" attitude towards the German nation. Well, obviously he has a right.
  17. +2
    27 May 2021 11: 03
    Valery, thank you very much! Very interesting! I read about something before, but, for example, I heard about Meroe for the first time.
  18. 0
    27 May 2021 11: 40
    In general, one must distinguish between cities built of wood in areas with abundant rainfall, such as Old Ryazan, and those built of stone in arid areas such as Palmyra.

    And yes - the size of the central part of Carthage, inhabited by the Phoenicians, was small enough for its complete destruction and sprinkling with salt by the Romans (the outskirts inhabited by local Berbers do not count).

    Saray Berke is a city in the understanding of only its nomadic inhabitants, consisting of an adobe center and yurt outskirts. After the collapse of the Golden Horde, the adobe buildings spread out in the rains, the owners of the yurts migrated along with the yurts.
  19. +6
    27 May 2021 11: 58
    You can also remember about Pylos "King Nestor" - it was a great success to find him and identify him for myceneology. Since after its destruction at the turn of the XIII-XII centuries BC. no one lived on this place, excavations yielded invaluable material and, above all, an archive of clay tablets with Linear B, the publication of which made it possible to decipher it.
    The megaron is well preserved:

    Traces of painting are still visible on the hearth:

    The stairs to the second floor can be used even now:

    Perfectly preserved bath:

    Amphoras are still visible in the storerooms, apparently they contained oil, which intensified the burning of the palace during destruction:

    The back room is the archive, where hundreds of clay tablets were found, burnt in a fire and therefore perfectly preserved. hi
  20. +1
    27 May 2021 14: 52
    They forgot about Tanais ...
  21. +3
    27 May 2021 15: 31
    Good day. Today turned out to be a terrible day and only, 20 minutes ago, we found time to read. Perhaps we will discuss it tomorrow, if there is no new interesting one.
    Valery, to you:; +++++++ (from me and my friends)
  22. +2
    27 May 2021 16: 47
    “having examined the city, they were convinced of the unrealistic fulfillment of the task assigned to them” comrade, it seems to me that it’s a matter of Fouche himself. It was a cunning one of the cunning, perhaps, even then he began a search: "an alternate airfield".
    "It was limited to the destruction of several not the largest buildings" we all know very well what siege artillery can do. There would be a desire, and if not the whole city, but the most significant objects can be ground into rubble
  23. +1
    27 May 2021 17: 45
    I do not quite agree with you about Carthage, after all, Roman Carthage is not completely successive to the Punic: the Bierce hill was leveled for the construction of the Octavin Forum and all the most interesting things from the late Punic period are now found in the rubble of the Roman period.
  24. +1
    28 May 2021 09: 54
    Thanks for the interesting article. I immediately remembered the abandoned cities in Mexico, where I was lucky enough to visit
  25. 0
    30 May 2021 08: 42
    Quote: SERGE ANT
    Thanks to the author for the material and high-quality photos!


    Of course, thanks to the author.
    But the author forgot the most important of the previously existing, now abandoned cities - Babylon, Susa, Ashur, Nineveh, Ctesiphon, Pella, Khorezm, Nissa, Karakorum, Chang'an, Angkor, Memphis, Sarmizegetus. But these were once the capitals of the greatest civilizations or just large states.
  26. 0
    31 May 2021 12: 27
    Quote: Krasnodar
    As always, it is read in one breath! hi


    Of course, thanks to the author.
    But the author forgot the most important of the previously existing, now abandoned cities - Babylon, Susa, Ashur, Nineveh, Ctesiphon, Pella, Khorezm, Nissa, Karakorum, Chang'an, Angkor, Memphis, Sarmizegetus. But these were once the capitals of the greatest civilizations or just large states.
  27. -1
    12 August 2021 15: 23
    It would be nice to continue the topic, there is no need to say that it is far from the Military Review. Destroyed and abandoned cities were somehow associated with wars, the secrets of these battles are still a completely undisclosed topic.

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