When you think of lost cities, you might think of fictional worlds like Atlantis. But what about the lost cities in time that might still be out there, waiting to be uncovered? While some cities are legends, myths, and stories, there are some with enough evidence to say they were real, and where they could be. The only problem is we haven’t found them yet. Want to dive into history and explore these places? Then keep reading.
6. El Dorado, the Lost City of Gold
El Dorado is one of the most popular lost cities in the world that still might be out there today. Several pieces of media highlight this lost city, such as the animated movie The Road to El Dorado (2000) and the iconic franchise Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Cyrstal Skull (2008). Treasure hunters and historians alike have been searching for the lost city, also known as the City of Gold. The origins come from legendary tales of the Muisca tribe, who occupied the Cundinamarca and Boyaca areas of Columbia.
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5. The Lost Land of Lyonesse
Lyonesse is the home country of Tristan according to the Arthurian legend, from the story of Tristan and Iseult. The mythical land is said to have sunk into the sea. But while the story is referred to as myths and legends, there is some belief that it actually represents a real city that sunk into the sea many years ago. But the location of the city makes it hard to determine if it’s real or not.
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4. The Lost Desert Cities of Dubai
While Dubai cultivates around dazzling architecture and effortless wealth, its deserts are filled with lost cities. One such city is the cities of Arabia. One in particular is Julfar, the medical city. This one, in particular, is most interesting to historians as there are several records about the city, however, nothing can be found. Julfar is home to the legendary Arabian seafarer Ahmed ibn Majid, as well as the fictional Sindbad the Sailor, Julfar is said to have thrived for thousands of years before falling to ruin and disappearing from human memory for almost two centuries.
3. Thule
Thule is one of the most interesting lost cities on the list. Most mythological places in ancient Greek records can be found in the Mediterranean, however, one location, Thule, is different. The island is somewhere near Britain and was apparently the northernmost part of the inhabited world. The area was first written by the Greek explorer Pytheas of Massalia in about 320 BC and was later written as an island north of Ireland or Britain. While modern interpretations assume Thule is Iceland, however, it doesn’t quite match up, meaning Thule is still one of the many lost cities and lands.
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2. City of Aztlan
The Lost City of Aztlan is one of the most popular cities undiscovered. The city is the ancient homeland of the great Aztec civilization, one of the most important empires of the ancient Americans. Interestingly enough, much is known about their empire located where today’s Mexico City can be found, but less is known about the very start of their culture, and some consider the missing island of Aztlan to be the reason for this.
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1. Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z is the name given by Colon Percy Garrison Fawcett, a British surveyor of the 20th century. He gave this name to an indigenous city that he believed had existed in the jungle of the Mato Grosso state of Brazil. These findings were based on the histories of South America and his own explorations of the Amazon River region. He thought that a complex civilization once existed there, and that isolated ruins may have survived, however, no such civilization has been found yet.
