The Lost City of Farini. El Auja: a Turkish city lost in the desert on the border of Egypt and Israel The lost city of Aztlan is the birthplace of the Aztecs

For almost 130 years, the mysterious story of a mysterious city, lost in the middle of the hottest desert of the African continent - the Kalahari, has been exciting the scientific community, adventurers and treasure hunters.

On November 7, 1885, a report on its discovery to members of the Berlin Geographical Society was made by Gelarmi Farini. On March 8, 1886, he repeated the same report to the Royal Geographic Society Great Britain. In the same year, in London, Farini published his book Through the Kalahari Desert, in which, in particular, he described the discovery of the lost city. At the first stage, all these messages aroused genuine interest.

The personality of the discoverer himself was also legendary. Canadian William Leonard Hunt worked as a shop assistant and was going to marry the owner's daughter. Once with his fiancee, he attended a performance of the Great Blond (circus name), who walked on a tightrope over Niagara Falls. What he saw shocked him so much that he decided to repeat these tricks.

However, William's future relatives did not like these plans. Hunt lost his job and his fiancee. But the world found the great tightrope walker Farini - such a pseudonym Hunt chose for himself for performances. For a long time he tried to surpass the exploits of the Great Blond, to overshadow his frenzied glory. Once, for example, Blond fried an omelette on a tile he brought with him in the middle of a rope hanging over the Niagara Falls. Immediately, Farini lowered a bucket on a rope, scooped up Niagara water and washed a dozen handkerchiefs in the same place. Glory Farini thundered around the world. Later, he became an impresario and organized various amazing spectacles, both in America and in Europe.

Once, while organizing a show where "exhibits" were living Africans, Farini met Gert Kert Lowe. Lowe was born to a Bushwoman and a white in South Africa. His stories about the vast wealth of these lands, primarily about diamonds, so inflamed Farini's imagination that he decided to travel to this part of the world, remote from civilization.

Farini, his son Lulu, and Lowe, who accompanied them, arrived in Cape Town in early January 1885 on the steamer Roslyn Castle. By rail, they managed to get to Hopetown station, located on the border of the Kalahari. Their further journey took place in a wagon drawn first by mules, and later by oxen and buffaloes. Accompanied by hired half-breed hunters, and with a homemade Kalahari map purchased from a German engineer, Farini headed deep into the desert. During the journey, he hunted and collected a collection of local insects.

Finally, the travelers made the main discovery of their expedition. "We camped at the foot of the mountain - on a rocky ridge, in appearance reminiscent of a Chinese wall after an earthquake. It turned out to be the ruins of a huge building, in some places covered with sand. We carefully examined these ruins, almost a mile long. They were a pile of huge hewn stones, and here and there between them clearly visible traces of cement ... In general, the wall was in the form of a semicircle, within which, at a distance of about forty feet from each other, were piles of masonry in the form of an oval or obtuse ellipse one and a half feet high ... Since they are all in one or another We ordered all of our men to dig out the largest of them with shovels (a job they obviously did not like) and found that the sand prevented the joints from collapsing. He could not understand why it was necessary to dig up old stones.For him, this activity seemed like a waste of time ... M We began to dig in the sand in the middle part of the semicircle and found a pavement twenty feet wide, lined with large stones. The upper layer was composed of oblong stones set at right angles to the lower layer. This pavement was crossed by another of the same kind, forming, as it were, a Maltese cross. Apparently, in its center there was once some kind of altar, column or monument, as evidenced by the surviving base - dilapidated masonry. My son tried to find some hieroglyphs or inscriptions, but found nothing. Then he took a few photographs and sketches. Let people more knowledgeable than I judge by them when and by whom this city was built.

This description, taken from Farini's Across the Kalahari Desert, is the only account of the mysterious city of the Kalahari, never seen again. In the time that has passed since Farini's publication of the existence of a lost city in the middle of the desert, at least twenty-five expeditions have been organized to search for it. Despite the use of automobiles and aviation, no traces of the mysterious monument of the ages have been found.

Soon various versions began to appear explaining these failures. The first and simplest was that this mysterious city Farini simply invented in order to revive the faltering interest in himself. This version does not stand up to scrutiny. The book is written in an interesting way. The story of the discovered city is far from being central to it, but is only one of the episodes. Under these conditions, it did not make any sense for his son to draw sketches of non-existent ruins and falsify their photographs.

Professor A. J. Clement in 1964 put forward another, more scientific version. In his opinion, for the ruins of the city, Farini took a kind of scree of stones of natural origin. Indeed, the mineral dolorite tends to break down under the influence of the forces of nature in such a way that it gives the impression of being processed by man. But this version does not explain the presence of cement, which Farini quite specifically writes about. In addition, not a single expedition was able to find a talus of dolorite, more or less reminiscent of the described city.

Apparently, the mysterious city of Farini is covered with sand dunes, and the search for it must be continued. A member of one of the expeditions, a real enthusiast, Dr. Paver wrote about this: “All this is very vague. When you see this desert, you will understand that you can wander for months among the sand dunes and not even come close to the places where the lost city is located.

If, nevertheless, someone decides to look for the mysterious city of the Kalahari desert, there are its coordinates. Farini reported them - 23.5 ° south latitude and 21.5 ° east longitude. But, as it turned out later, Farini's map was not very accurate.

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The city of Ubar, lost in time and considered an invention of writers who wrote that he died from an unknown catastrophe, exists! In 1990, an expedition of archaeologists from the United States of America found strange ruins in the sands of the state of Oman dating back to the third century BC.

Lawrence of Arabia dreamed of finding the "Atlantis of the Sands" - this was the name given to the lost city by archaeologists who could not organize its excavations. Seven thousand seven hundred and seven kilometers in a square stretch around, sand and only sand, nothing alive - that's where the mysterious city is located. "The middle of the empty moon" - this is the name given by the Arabs to the desert surrounding Ubar.

The Sultanate of Oman is considered by many to be a piece of heaven on earth - five thousand years ago, a city appeared in the desert of the Sultanate, which was called Ubar or the "City of Columns". Fortified walls surrounded the city with minarets and residential buildings, residents were born, married and married - now all this is shrouded in the mystery of centuries ..

In the "City of Sands" there was the production of aromatic resins, incense and myrrh, which made it the crossroads of all routes for merchants, a rare traveler passed by this wonderful place. Cut off from the world by an endless desert, the City of Sand seemed to dreamers a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert.

The Ubarites called their city “a fragment of paradise on earth”, but the day came and the sands erased any reminder of it… So, where is the answer to the question – was the lost city really? The light shed when images were received from satellites and the thinnest lines appeared, which converged at one point. It is likely that there was an ancient city under the dunes. Archaeologists suggest that a few meters separate the fortress, which surrounds a large area. Once inside, there were houses, shops of merchants and the palace of the ruler. Interestingly, the Koran mentions the mysterious "city of the highest columns" - Irem, and there is evidence that this is the legendary Ubar.

Ptolemy wrote about Ubar in his chronicles, Herodotus even claimed that the forest of the city was guarded by ferocious flying snakes, the legends describe the “spring of youth” located in Ubar.

Everything inexplicable and mystical has always attracted a person. Mysteries fascinate people so much that special tours to the mysterious places of our planet are incredibly popular among travelers. Among all the mysterious places of the Earth boldly...

The city of Irkutsk is one and largest cities in Siberia and is famous for the fact that several fairly large air crashes occurred there. According to the observations of parapsychologists, in terms of the number of ghosts, Irkutsk can compete even with such cities as Moscow, ...

In the southwestern part of Libya in the once historical region of Tripolitania, right in the middle of an oasis, there is a pearl of the desert - one of the oldest cities on the African continent Ghadames....

How many lost cities exist on our planet, no one knows for sure. But those that archaeologists manage to discover invariably arouse great interest, both among specialist historians and ordinary lovers of everything unusual. Here are some of the largest lost cities.

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1. Tikal, Guatemala

Tikal is one of the largest Mayan city-states. It was built in the 7th century BC, and during its heyday, its population reached 200 thousand people. The history of Tikal was full of dramatic moments, and after numerous wars and uprisings, people finally left it. It happened at the end of the 10th century, and since then Tikal has remained a ghost town.

2. Ctesiphon, Iraq

In the period from the 2nd to the 7th centuries, Ctesiphon was the capital of the first Parthian kingdom, and then the Sassanid one. The brick buildings of Ctesiphon that have survived to this day still amaze the imagination with their splendor and size.

3. Great Zimbabwe

Great or Great Zimbabwe is called the ruins of an ancient city located on the territory of the South African state of Zimbabwe. According to archaeologists, this city appeared in 1130 and for three centuries was considered the main shrine of the Shona people. Behind the high stone walls of the city, about 18,000 people could simultaneously live. Today, the city walls are one of the most amazing monuments of Great Zimbabwe. They are built without the use of any mortar, and their height reaches five meters.

4. Mohenjo-Daro, Pakistan

Related to the Indus civilization, the city with the gloomy name of Mohenjo-Daro (which translates as "The Hill of the Dead") appeared in the Indus Valley on the territory of modern Pakistan more than four and a half thousand years ago. He is a contemporary Egyptian pyramids and one of the first cities in South Asia. The city prospered for almost a thousand years, but still, in the end, the inhabitants left it. Archaeologists suggest that the reason for this was the invasion of the Aryans.

5. Bagerhat, Bangladesh

This city, standing at the confluence of the Ganges and Brahmaputra, was built in the 15th century. During its heyday there were 360 ​​mosques. But after the death of the founder, Bagerhat fell into decay, and it was almost completely swallowed up by the jungle. Today, part of the city has been cleared, and excursions for tourists are conducted here.

6. Mesa Verde National Park, USA

V national park Mesa Verde (Colorado) has many ruins of ancient cities built by the Anasazi Indians in the 6th-13th centuries. The largest building in the park is the magnificent "Rock Palace", which attracts more than 700 thousand tourists every year. The city was abandoned by the inhabitants around 1300. The reasons why people abandoned their homes are still unclear, but there are suggestions that a prolonged drought is to blame.

7. Vijayanagar, India

Once Vijayanagar was the capital of a powerful empire that occupied the entire south of the Indian subcontinent. Today, on the site of the City of Victory (as the name Vijayanagar is translated) is the village of Hampi. True, here today, in addition to the majestic ruins, there are also many active Hindu temples, including the famous Pampapatha temple, which is even older than Vijayanagara itself.

8. City of Ani, Turkey

Ani is the capital of the ancient Armenian kingdom, located on the territory of modern Turkey. Once the population of this ancient city exceeded 100 thousand people, and thanks to the abundance of temples, it was known as the city of 1001 churches. The ruins of many Armenian churches of the 11th-13th centuries and the Seljuk palace have survived to this day. But all these monuments are in a terrible state - the homeless live in them, and careless tourists have picnics on their territory. The authorities do not show due attention to the protection of this historical monument.

9. Thebes, Egypt

The first human settlements on the territory of this city date back to 3200 BC. In 2000 BC about 40,000 people lived in Thebes, which made them the most big city that time. status of big city Thebes retained the world until 1000 BC. Even today, the ruins left from its former splendor are amazing. The most famous monuments of Thebes are the Temple of Luxor, the Temple of Karnak (which is the largest temple complex ancient egypt) and the tomb of Tutankhamen.

10. Carthage, Tunisia

Throughout its long history, Carthage has been the capital of various states. At first it was a Phoenician state, which was also called Carthage. In 146 BC. both the state and the city were completely destroyed by the Romans, but pretty soon the Romans themselves rebuilt Carthage. After the fall of Rome, Carthage became the capital of the Vandal kingdom. The final fall of the great city took place in the 7th century, when the city was destroyed by the Arabs. But still, many ruins, mainly of the Roman period, have survived to our time.

11. Persepolis, Iran

The founder of the magnificent city of Persepolis was the Persian king Cyrus the Great. The city was founded around 560 BC. Over the centuries, the city passed from hand to hand, while retaining the status of the capital and the great city. But during the Arab conquest, Persepolis was completely reduced to ruins. The most famous monument of the city is the huge Apadana Palace.

12. Ephesus, Turkey

It was in this city in the VI century BC. the legendary temple of Artemis was built, which was one of the seven wonders of the world. The city prospered as long as the sea was nearby. But when it retreated far from the city walls, trade gradually died out, and with it the magnificent city disappeared, leaving behind only ruins.

13. Palenque, Mexico

In the III-VIII centuries, Palenque was of great political and cultural importance for the Mayan civilization. Many magnificent stone buildings dating back to 600-800 years have survived to our time, including the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Cross and the Temple of the Inscriptions. The city fell into disrepair long before the arrival of Columbus, probably as a result of tribal wars.

14. Pompeii and Herculaneum, Italy

These two died as a result of a volcanic eruption. cities are probably some of the most famous disappeared cities. When on August 24, 79 A.D. a catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius began, most of the inhabitants of Pompeii died suddenly, and then the city was completely buried under a many-meter layer of volcanic ash. The inhabitants of Herculaneum were more fortunate - many of them managed to leave the city before it disappeared under the hot ash.

15. Petra, Jordan

In ancient times, the city of Petra stood at the crossroads of important trade routes, which brought him untold wealth. But over time, the Romans mastered waterway, which greatly weakened overland trade. Gradually, the inhabitants left the city, and it was swallowed up by the sands of the Arabian Desert. Today you can see well-preserved magnificent ancient buildings here.

16. Angkor, Cambodia

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries. Today it is one of the most grandiose historical sights in the world. The area of ​​this temple city exceeds 400 square kilometers, and the magnificence of the sculptures of its Hindu temples is absolutely amazing.

17. Ciudad Perdida, Colombia

The name Ciudad Perdida is translated from Spanish as "the lost city". This city is almost 700 years older than the famous Machu Picchu. In 1972, Ciudad Perdida was accidentally discovered by local tomb robbers. When the trade in archaeological treasures from this city took on a large scale, the Colombian authorities finally became interested, and the city was discovered after a full-scale survey. In this area there are constantly fighting between government forces and various armed groups, so tourists are quite at risk, going even along the officially proposed routes, which are guarded by the Colombian military. The road itself to Ciudad Perdida is also quite difficult and requires a good physical training.

18. Machu Picchu, Peru

Ancient city Machu Picchu was named a New Wonder of the World in 2007. The city appeared around 1440 and flourished until the mysterious and sudden disappearance of all its inhabitants in 1532. The city escaped the attack of the conquistadors and destruction, but for some reason the inhabitants left it.

19. Chichen Itza, Mexico

Chichen Itza is one of the largest cities of the Maya civilization. It was founded in the 7th century, and in 1194 the inhabitants left it for unknown reasons. The Spanish conquerors destroyed a huge number of Maya manuscripts, so archaeologists are unable to find out the real reason for the decline of the great city.
Today, crowds of tourists are attracted by the superbly preserved pyramids and temples of Chichen Itza.

20. Xanadu, Mongolia

Xanadu is the summer residence of the legendary Mongol Khan Kublai Khan, who is better known in the West as Kubla Khan. In 1275, Marco Polo described this place as a magnificent marble palace, decorated with gold. But only ruins have survived to this day.

In the western part of the Israeli Negev desert and literally a kilometer from the impressive border fence with Egypt, the Turkish city of El Auja is located, the existence of which few people know. Meanwhile, until 1956, about 5 thousand people lived here, several guest houses, a hospital, a colorful oriental bazaar, a station railway and even an airport. The history of this place fully reflects the absurdity of what is happening in the Middle East: according to the UN decision on the division of Palestine in 1947, this territory was ceded to the Palestinian state, but was immediately occupied by Egypt, but already in 1949 the Israelis recaptured El-Auja from the Egyptians. Under the ceasefire agreement, the town was declared a demilitarized zone under UN control, while the positions of the conflicting parties were located almost in the town itself. El-Auja was jointly administered by Egypt and Israel under the supervision of the UN, until in 1956, as a result of another war, it was finally taken under control by the Israeli army and in 1978 Egypt, which concluded a peace treaty with Israel, recognized El-Auja as an Israeli city. What is the city today?

After reading the above, the reader may have a reasonable question: why on earth did Israel and Egypt divide between themselves a piece of territory allocated for a Palestinian state? On the map, you can see what Palestine looked like based on the UN resolution on the creation of a Jewish and Arab states. As you know, the Arab countries did not recognize these borders and tried to destroy the barely created state of Israel, but lost the war. To be more precise, the result of the war was the division of Palestine, as a result of which Jordan captured the West Bank, Egypt captured the Gaza Strip, and Israel captured the Galilee, the western Negev (excluding the “patch” of El Auja) and the land west of Jerusalem - Israel. As for El Auja, it is marked in yellow near Israel's border with Egypt -

The importance of the city was that until the end of the fifties, the only paved road that connected Egypt and Palestine passed through it. During the Turkish era (until 1917), El Auja was the border between British Egypt and Turkish Palestine. Customs was located here and border trade flourished. Despite being a dry and dreary desert and remote from civilization, El Auja grew rapidly, its population tripled in a mere ten years. After the capture of Palestine by the British in 1917, a large military unit arose here and an airfield was built. Now that Egypt and Palestine have become one, and the entire traffic flow went through El Auja, the town began to grow even faster.

The end of everything came as a result of the first Arab-Israeli war of 1948-49, when the area turned into a conflict zone between two hostile states. In the battle for the possession of El Auja, the Egyptians and Israelis alternately dropped bombs on it, knocking each other out of the city, then El Auja was taken by storm by the Israeli infantry, but then, under pressure from the UN, they left El Auja and entrenched around the city.

By and large, almost all of its inhabitants left the city, fleeing the war, and from 1948 to 1956 it already stood almost empty and destroyed. Right in front of us are Roman columns, and on the mountain are the ruins of a Turkish hospital.

Armored car as a monument to Israeli soldiers who died during the assault on El Auja.

You can climb the hill and walk along the ruins of the hospital -

From above, you can see the border area and the ruins of El Auja. Very little has been preserved, since in 1956 the city was deliberately destroyed by bulldozers in order to close the issue of the return of its inhabitants once and for all. Only at a distance one can see a small quarter, miraculously survived the turmoil -

On the left is the remains of El Auja, and on the right is an abandoned airfield -

Turkish water tower near the ruins of the station -

Traces of battles are visible to this day -

In our time, as already mentioned, there is no demilitarized zone in El Auja, this territory is under the control of Israel, and Kibbutz Nice has been created here. The border with Egypt passed a kilometer from the ruins of the city and looks like this -

This is Highway 10, which stretches like an arrow for more than 250 kilometers along the border and links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. On the right side of the fence, Egyptian watchtowers and a military unit are visible -

Border Guard -

There is also a border crossing "Nicena" through which goods pass, but not tourists -

On the Egyptian side of the border, a tiny village grew up with a couple of shops, a mosque and a frontier post -

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