Zanzibar, Tanzania
Image by phoosh
Just the name ‘Zanzibar’ conjures images of harem girls giggling
behind gauzy veils, carved wooden doors opening to spice-filled rooms
and other images from The Thousand and One Nights. Only in this case, they’re not fiction. Zanzibar
grew into a powerful city state between the 12th and 15th centuries,
sending ships laden with slaves, gold, ivory and wood to Arabia and
beyond. Eventually the Sultan of Oman moved his court here – 100
concubines and eunuchs included – and started Zanzibar’s famous clove
plantations. He’s long gone, but an Arabic influence and the scent of
sweet spice still lingers over the sultry island.El Dorado, Colombia
Image by *L*u*z*A*
Veiled behind vine-draped trees deep in the Amazon jungle gleams a
dazzling kingdom of gold. Or so the story goes. When the Spanish
conquistadors caught wind of El Dorado (literally ‘The Golden One’)
after washing up on Colombia’s
shores in the 1500s, they scattered like frenzied piranhas to find it.
They began in the Andean highlands, and whacked through the forests of Peru, Venezuela and Guyana
over the next two centuries in their savage quest. No one ever found
the fabled city, perhaps because it has the ability to retreat from
unworthy seekers.Valley Of The Kings, Egypt
Image by archer10 (Dennis)
On the west bank of the Nile River, across from the city of Luxor, lies the final resting place of Egypt’s
pharaohs. You know the guys – Ramses the Great, Tuthmosis, and the
funkiest pharaoh of all, King Tut. They ruled between 1500 and 1000 BC,
pooh-poohing pyramids for elaborate tombs carved into the valley’s rocky
hills. More than 60 chambers have been unearthed so far, containing
mummies in gilt sarcophagi, bejewelled statues and a curse that lands on
those who dare disturb the graves. Visitors remain undeterred, as the
valley ranks as one of Egypt’s top attractions.Ys, France
Image by Aided_Eye
Celtic Princess Dahut asked her dad, King Gradlon, to build her a
city by the sea. Ys sprung up, and to protect it from the high waves,
the king built a dyke around it. The sole entrance was through a brass
gate, and only Gradlon had the key. Meanwhile Dahut, taking advantage of
her new digs, chose a different lover every night and had him killed
afterward. Eventually a demon outwitted her, persuaded her to steal the
key, and opened the gate. Ys flooded, and everyone drowned except
Gradlon. The ruined city lies beneath the bay at Douarnenez, now a
popular beach town in Brittany.Troy, Turkey
Image by myhsu
Fans of mythology will recognise Troy as the old stomping grounds of
folks like Hector, Paris and Helen, as well as one giant wooden horse.
The city was ground zero for the Trojan War, sparked when Paris
kidnapped Helen from her kingly husband in Greece. The Greeks ganged up
and sailed straight over to Troy, determined to kick ass. And they did,
especially after Odysseus Trojan Horse idea. Modern-day visitors can
tromp around the walls, temples and ruins at the area, also known as Truva, in Turkey’s northwest corner.Karakorum, Mongolia
Image by Honza Soukup
Genghis Khan set up house here in the mid-13th century, then headed out to conquer half the world. Karakorum was his Mongol capital and became known as the Empire of the Steppe.
Alas, the glory didn’t last long – about 30 years, in fact – and then
the city was destroyed. Current visitors will need to muster serious
imagination to envisage the great walls and gates that once encircled
the place. Many bits were incorporated into the nearby Erdene Zuu monastery’s long white walls and 108 stupas.Carthage, Tunisia
Image by StartAgain
Located on the outskirts of modern Tunis, Carthage
was a city-state superpower and the archenemy of Rome during the 3rd
century BC. Its might came from a killer navy of Phoenician ships that
patrolled the Mediterranean Sea, and an army of elephants that marched
over mountains with a military commander named Hannibal. Despite being
dubbed ‘the shining city’, Carthage couldn’t hold on for long. The
Romans stormed in and razed it, ultimately building their own city on
the site. It’s their baths, houses, cisterns and basilicas that visitors
see today.Timbuktu, Mali
Image by emilio labrador
A byword for ‘place that’s way the hell out there’, Timbuktu
earned its reputation early on as the terminus of a rich trade route
linking West Africa and the Mediterranean. All you had to do to get your
gold, slaves and ivory north (or salt to come south) was join a camel
caravan and plod for months across the Sahara through sandstorms,
blazing heat and insanity-inducing isolation. It’s still a mighty trek
to reach Timbuktu, and though salt caravans continue to pass through led
by blue-clad Tuaregs, the city only hints at its 15th-century grandeur of wealthy merchants and mosques.Avalon, England
Image by Noviewsnocomments
King Arthur rests on the enchanted isle of Avalon, sleeping off the
wounds accrued during a lifetime of knights, crusades, sorcerers, Round
Tables and magical swords. As Britain’s ‘once and future king’, it is
said he will return wielding Excalibur and the Holy Grail to unite his
country when it needs him most. Today the modern town of Glastonbury
spreads over the site where Avalon once floated. True to its mystic
roots, it attracts free spirits who come to buy crystals, consult with
psychics, lick vegan ice-cream cones or attend crop-circle symposiums.Shambhala, Tibet
Image by lylevincent
The kingdom of Shambhala hides somewhere deep within the snow-stained
peaks of the Himalayas. An enlightened, peaceful ‘Pure Land’ of
Buddhist lore, it can be reached only by individuals who have racked up
the appropriate karma. Explorers in the past century have set out to
find Shambhala in Tibet, which is also where James Hilton placed it in his novel Lost Horizon (under the name of Shangri-la). Since no one has yet discovered the kingdom, perhaps the next best thing is the town of Zhongdian on the China–Tibet border. It was renamed Shangri-la in 2001, claiming to be the place’s inspiration.
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