Sunken cities and lost worlds have been electrifying travellers, scientists and explorers for years. These places were most often abandoned or destroyed thousands of years ago, and the history of some of them has not been researched yet. Discover the most interesting underwater metropolises in the world.
Qiandao Lake was created in 1959 as a result of flooding of the valley after completion of the construction of the hydroelectric power plant and the Xin'an dam on the river. The Chinese government did not hesitate to sink 27 cities and 1377 villages. Underwater were, among others, two ancient cities - He Cheng and Shi Cheng (Lion's City). The metropolises at the foot of Wu Shi (Five Lions Mountains) were built more than 1300 years ago. For 40 years nobody remembered them. It was not until 2001 that a local tourism official started to work with a group of divers from Beijing, who found submerged cities during underwater expeditions, in order to revitalise tourism in the region. By the way, traces of other ancient buildings were also found. The buildings and walls of the city were in surprisingly good condition, andthe sculptures and reliefs that decorated them looked great. Work is still underway to keep underwater cities intact for as long as possible. In Qiandao you can enjoy underwater tourism and visit these unique monuments in diving clothes.
Located in the southeast of Turkey, on the eastern shore of Euphrates, the city of Halefti has a history dating back to the 9th century BC. The Assyrians and Greeks lived here and the Arabs besieged them. However, the village in the valley has survived all invasions and over time has become famous for the cultivation of peanuts and a unique variety of black roses all over Turkey. Unfortunately, the Turkish Government has decided to devote this exceptional place at the expense of building a few dams around it. In 1999, Halfeti and the surrounding villages were flooded. Fortunately, thanks to the fact that nowadays it is partially underwater, it has become one of the biggest attractions of Turkey and attracts many tourists. So he is not in danger of being forgotten.
In 1985, during a tourist underwater expedition off the Okinawa coast, unusual structures were discovered. Yonaguni-Jima is an archaeological site consisting of a 150 by 40 metre stone pyramid that rises approximately 27 metres (from the seabed), a 7 metre column, a 10 metre wall and flat rock formations. The buildings are so mysterious that conspiracy theories began to circulate around them from the moment they were discovered. The construction of the structure was attributed to extraterrestrial beings or they were perceived as the mythical Atlanticide. Originally, the objects were covered with unknown documents and dated back to 10 thousand years BC. In his 2007 report, however, the President of the study, Professor Kimur, estimated that these were the remains of buildings dating back 2 to 3 thousand years. He is convinced that it is the ruins of the lost city of Mu.
The oldest submerged city in the world is probably located off the coast of Lakonia in the southern part of Peloponnese. Pavlopetri is at least 3,000 years old, and what you can see about 3-4 meters below the water surface is truly impressive - two-storey houses, streets, gardens and courtyards, as well as a complex drainage system that does not differ much from modern technical solutions. Pavlopetri was discovered in 1968 by scientists from Cambridge. It was the first submerged city to be digitally examined in three dimensions. In 2011, the BBC 2 released a documentary "City Beneath the Waves: Pavlopetri" showing the achievements of archaeologists. This unique attraction has also been included in the UNESCO list.
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[SOURCES]
https://m.onet.pl/wiedza-swiat/podroze/ciekawe,539kr
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halfeti