In the western part of the Israeli Negev Desert and literally a kilometer from the imposing border fence with Egypt, lies the Turkish city of El Auja, the existence of which few people know. Meanwhile, until 1956, about 5 thousand people lived here, there were several guest houses, a hospital, a colorful oriental bazaar, a station railway and even an airfield. 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 transferred to the Palestinian state, but was immediately occupied by Egypt, but already in 1949 the Israelis recaptured Al-Auja from the Egyptians. According to the ceasefire agreement, the town was declared a demilitarized zone under UN control, with the positions of the conflicting parties located almost in the town itself. Al-Auja was governed jointly 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, having concluded a peace treaty with Israel, recognized El-Auja Israeli city. What is the city like 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 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 they lost the war. More precisely, the result of the war was the division of Palestine, as a result of which the West Bank was captured by Jordan, the Gaza Strip was captured by Egypt, and the Galilee, the western Negev (excluding the “patch” of El Auja) and the lands west of Jerusalem by Israel. As for Al-Auja, it is marked in yellow near the Israeli border with Egypt -
The importance of the city lay in the fact that until the end of the fifties, the only paved road connecting Egypt and Palestine passed through it. During the Turkish era (before 1917), Al-Auja was the border between British Egypt and Turkish Palestine. The customs office was located here and cross-border trade flourished. Despite being an arid and bleak desert and remote from civilization, El Auja grew rapidly, its population tripling in just 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 had become one, and all traffic flowed through Al-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 stormed by Israeli infantry, but then, under pressure from the UN, they left El-Auja and entrenched themselves 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.
An armored car as a monument to Israeli soldiers who died during the assault on Al-Auja.
You can climb the hill and walk through the ruins of the hospital -
From the top there is a view of the border area and the ruins of El Auja. Very little remained, since in 1956 the city was deliberately bulldozed to once and for all close the issue of the return of its inhabitants. Only in the distance can one see a small quarter that miraculously survived the turmoil -
On the left are 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 the Nice kibbutz was created here. The border with Egypt passed a kilometer from the ruins of the city and looks like this -
This is highway number 10, stretching like an arrow for more than 250 kilometers along the border and connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. On the right side of the fence you can see Egyptian watchtowers and a military unit -
Border Guard -
This is also where border crossing"Nicena", through which cargo passes, but not tourists -
On the Egyptian side of the border, a tiny village has grown up with a couple of shops, a mosque and a border post -
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The legend of Atlantis tells of lost world, disappeared without a trace in sea depths. In the cultures of many nations, there are similar legends about cities that disappeared under water, in the sands of the desert or overgrown with forests. Let's look at five lost cities that were never found.
Percy Fawcett and the Lost City of Z
Since Europeans first arrived in New World, there are rumors of a golden city in the jungle, sometimes called Eldorado. Spanish conquistador Francisco Orellana was the first to venture along the Rio Negro in search of the legendary city.
In 1925, 58-year-old explorer Percy Fawcett went deep into the jungles of Brazil in order to find a mysterious lost city, which he called Z. Fostt's team and himself disappeared without a trace, and this story became the reason for numerous publications. Rescue operations failed and Fossett was not found.
In 1906, the Royal Geographical Society of England, which sponsors scientific expeditions, invited Fawcett to explore part of Brazil's border with Bolivia. He spent 18 months in the state of Mato Grosso, and during his expeditions Fawcett became obsessed with the idea of lost civilizations in this region.
In 1920, in the National Library of Rio de Janeiro, Fawcett came across a document called "Manuscript 512". It was written in 1753 by a Portuguese explorer. He claimed that in the Mato Grosso region, in tropical forests In the Amazon, he found a fortified city that resembles an ancient Greek one.
The manuscript described a lost city with multi-story buildings, towering stone arches, and wide streets leading to a lake where the explorer saw two white Indians in a canoe.
In 1921, Fawcett embarked on the first of his expeditions in search of the lost city of Z. His team suffered many difficulties in the jungle, surrounded by dangerous animals, people were exposed to serious illnesses.
One of Percy's routes
In April 1925, he tried to find Z for the last time. This time he prepared thoroughly and received more funding from newspapers and societies, including the Royal Geographical Society and the Rockefellers.
In the last letter home delivered by a member of his team, Fawcett wrote a message to his wife Nina: "We hope to get through this area in a few days... Don't be afraid of failure." This turned out to be his last message to his wife and the world.
Although Fawcett's Lost City of Z has not been found, ancient cities and traces of religious sites have been discovered in recent years in the jungles of Guatemala, Brazil, Bolivia and Honduras. New technologies for scanning areas give new hope that the city of Z will be found.
The Lost City of Aztlan - Home of the Aztecs
The Aztecs, a powerful empire of ancient America, lived on the territory of today's Mexico City. The lost island of Aztlan, where they created a civilization before their migration to the Valley of Mexico, is considered to be the epicenter of Aztec culture.
Skeptics consider the Aztlan hypothesis to be a myth, similar to Camelot. Thanks to legends, images of ancient cities live on, but it is unlikely that they will be found. Optimists dream of the joy of finding legendary cities. The search for Aztlan Island stretches from Western Mexico all the way to the deserts of Utah. However, these searches are fruitless, because the location of Aztlan remains a mystery.
An unusual map from 1704, drawn by Giovanni Francesco Gemelli Careri. First publicly published version of the legendary Aztec migration from Aztlan
According to Nahuatl legend, seven tribes lived in Chicomostoc, “the place of the seven caves.” These tribes represented seven Nahua groups: Acolhua, Chalca, Mexica, Tepaneca, Tlahuica, Tlaxcalan and Xochimilca (sources give variant names). Seven tribes with a similar language left the caves and settled together near Aztlan.
The word Aztlan means “land to the north; the land from which the Aztecs came." One theory is that the people of Aztlan became known as the Aztecs and later migrated from Aztlan to the Valley of Mexico.
The Aztec migration from Aztlan to Tenochtitlan is a turning point in Aztec history. It began on May 24, 1064, the first solar year of the Aztecs.
Seekers of the Aztec homeland, hoping to find the truth, undertook many expeditions. But ancient mexico is in no hurry to reveal the secrets of Aztlan.
The Lost Land of Lionesse - a city at the bottom of the sea
According to the legend of King Arthur, Lionesse is the birthplace of the main character in the story of Tristan and Isolde. This mythical land is now called the "lost land of Lionesse". It is believed that she sank into the sea. Although Lyonesse is mentioned in legends and myths, it is believed that it sank at sea many years ago. It is difficult to determine the line between fiction and reality of hypotheses and legends.
Lyonesse - Big City surrounded by one hundred and forty villages. He disappeared on November 11, 1099 (although some accounts give the year 1089, and some say the 6th century). Suddenly the land was flooded by the sea, people drowned.
Although the story of King Arthur is a legend, Lioness believes real place, adjacent to the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall (England). In those days, sea level was lower.
Scilly is the westernmost and southern point England, and also the southernmost point of Great Britain
Fishermen from the Isles of Scilly say that they got from their fishing nets pieces of buildings and other structures. Their words are not supported by evidence and are subject to criticism.
Stories about Tristan and Isolde, the final battle between Arthur and Mordred, the legend of the city that was swallowed up by the sea, stories about Lionesse encourage you to find a ghost town.
The search for Eldorado - the lost city of gold
For hundreds of years, treasure hunters and historians have searched for the lost city of gold, Eldorado. The idea of a city filled with gold and other riches tempted people from different countries.
The number of people who want to find the greatest treasure and ancient miracle does not decrease. Despite numerous expeditions across Latin America, the golden city remains a legend. No traces of his existence were found.
The origins of Eldorado originate in the stories of the Muisca tribe. After two migrations - one in 1270 BC. and another between 800 and 500. BC. - The Muisca tribe occupied the Cundinamarca and Boyaca regions of Colombia. According to the legend in El Carnero by Juan Rodríguez Fraile, the Muisca performed rituals for each new king using gold dust and other treasures.
The new king was brought to Lake Guatavita and covered naked with gold dust. The retinue, led by the king, went to the center of the lake on a raft with gold and precious stones. The king washed gold dust from his body, and his retinue threw pieces of gold and precious stones into the lake. The meaning of this ritual was to make a sacrifice to the Muisca god. For the Muisca, Eldorado is not a city, but a king, who was called “he who is gilded.”
Although the meaning of “el dorado” is originally different, the name has become synonymous with the lost city of gold.
In 1545, conquistadors Lazaro Fonte and Hernán Pérez de Quesada wanted to drain Lake Guatavita. Gold was found along the shores, which fueled suspicions among treasure hunters about the presence of treasures in the lake. They worked for three months. The workers passed water in buckets along the chain, but did not completely drain the lake. They didn't make it to the bottom.
In 1580, Antonio de Sepulveda made another attempt. And again gold items were found on the shores, but the treasures remained hidden in the depths of the lake. There were other searches at Lake Guatavita. The lake is estimated to contain $300 million worth of gold.
However, the search was stopped in 1965. The Colombian government has declared the lake a protected area. However, the search for Eldorado continues. The legends of the Muisca tribe and the ritual sacrifice of treasure eventually evolved into the current story of Eldorado, the lost city of gold.
Dubai's Lost Cities: A Buried History
Dubai maintains the image of an ultra-modern city with stunning architecture and effortless opulence. However, hidden in the deserts forgotten cities. History shows how the early inhabitants of the sands adapted and overcame dramatic climate change in the past.
The lost city is a legend of Arabia - medieval Julfar. Historians knew of its existence from written evidence, but could not find it. Home to the Arab sailor Ahmed ibn Majid and supposedly to the fictional Sinbad the Sailor, Julfar flourished for a thousand years before falling into ruin and disappearing from human memory for two centuries.
In the Middle Ages, Julfar was known as a prosperous port city - a center of trade in the southern part of the Persian Gulf. It was located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, north of Dubai, but its actual location was discovered by archaeologists in the 1960s. Traces found at this site date back to the 6th century. Residents of the port conducted regular trade with India and the Far East.
The 10th to 14th centuries marked a golden age for Julfar and long-distance Arab trade, with Arab sailors regularly sailing halfway around the world.
Arabs sailed into European waters long before Europeans managed to cross Indian Ocean and get into the Persian Gulf. Julfar played an important role in the maritime adventures of the Persian Gulf for more than a thousand years. Arab merchants considered the extremely difficult 18-month sea voyages to China commonplace. The range of goods will surprise modern traders.
Julfar attracted constant attention from competing powers. In the 16th century, the Portuguese took control of the port. There were already 70 thousand people living in Julfar.
A century later, the Persians captured the city, but lost it in 1750. It then fell into the hands of the Qawazim tribe from Sharjah, who had established themselves nearby in Ras al-Khaimah, which they continue to rule to this day. And old Julfar gradually fell into decay until its ruins, located among the coastal sand dunes, were forgotten.
Today, much of Julfar appears to still remain hidden beneath the sands north of Ras al-Khaimah.
Everyone remembers the legend about the city of Atlantis, which sank underwater. However, this city has a fellow sufferer. Ubar, or as it is also called Iram or Irem, is located in the sands of Arabia. He was buried alive in the sand. The catastrophe that happened to this city is still unknown to anyone, as is its history itself.
It is known that “Desert Atlantis” is the same age as Egyptian pyramids. Here, once there was a home of alchemists, astrologers and aesculapians. This city was mentioned by Ptolemy, Herodotus and other scientists, and Lawrence of Arabia himself simply dreamed of finding this mythical place.
Where is Ubar?
According to archaeologists, the location of this fabulous place is the Rub al-Khali desert, which is located in Oman on the Arabian Peninsula. Now there is nothing here except hot sand from the sun. 4000 square meters keep the secret of the past. After all, once upon a time in the middle of Rub al-Khali there was Ubar, behind the walls of which there were lush gardens, peace and order reigned, and people here enjoyed life. This city was born more than 5,000 years ago. According to legends, here alchemists performed rituals, experiments to revive people, could fly and knew the secret of eternal youth, and astrologers knew everything about the past, present and future.
Death of Ubar
The Adits, the descendants of Hell itself, lived here. This family originates from Noah. At first these people lived wonderfully and did not regret anything, but over time they began to worship other gods, which Allah did not like. He decided to teach them a lesson by sending drought and troubles to the city, but this did not stop the Adits, and they continued to perform rituals and worship other gods. After this, Allah was greatly offended by the inhabitants of this once prosperous town. He sent whirlwinds and hurricanes, accompanied by sandstorms, to Ubar. It was the sands that swallowed up this city once and for all, leaving only a lot of mysteries and secrets for descendants. This legend is described in the Koran, and is constantly studied by archaeologists and scientists. This led them to some discoveries.
Ubar today
Researchers tried for many years to find the remains, but it all ended before it even began, since none of the archaeologists could even imagine where to start the excavations of Ubar. But 20 years ago, a NASA satellite discovered straight lines that looked like walls in the Arabian Desert. They were in the middle of the sands, and created a picture of a full-fledged lost city. This is exactly what Ubar is.
After this, scientists from all over the world went to excavations. Here they were able to dig up part of the wall ancient city. Three rivers once flowed nearby, so residents chose the site for construction not by chance. This location was perfect. Later they were able to dig up towers, residential buildings, shops and the palace of the rulers here. However, excavations provide few answers to questions. “Who were the local people really?” – this is the main question today. Perhaps tablets and jewels are still kept here, and life is in full swing deep in the sands. But these questions are a matter of time.
The legend of Atlantis tells of a lost land that disappeared without a trace in the depths of the sea. In the cultures of many nations, there are similar legends about cities that disappeared under water, in the sands of the desert or overgrown with forests. Let's look at five lost cities that were never found. /epochtimes.ru/
Percy Fawcett and the Lost City of Z
Ever since Europeans first arrived in the New World, there have been rumors of a golden city in the jungle, sometimes called El Dorado. Spanish conquistador Francisco Orellana was the first to venture along the Rio Negro in search of the legendary city. In 1925, 58-year-old explorer Percy Fawcett went deep into the jungles of Brazil in order to find a mysterious lost city, which he called Z. Fostt's team and himself disappeared without a trace, and this story became the reason for numerous publications. Rescue operations failed - Fossett was not found.
In 1906, the Royal Geographical Society of England, which sponsors scientific expeditions, invited Fawcett to explore part of Brazil's border with Bolivia. He spent 18 months in the state of Mato Grosso, and during his expeditions Fawcett became obsessed with the idea of lost civilizations in the region.
In 1920, in the National Library of Rio de Janeiro, Fawcett came across a document called "Manuscript 512". It was written in 1753 by a Portuguese explorer. He claimed that in the Mato Grosso region, in the Amazon rainforest, he found a fortified city that resembles an ancient Greek one. The manuscript described a lost city with multi-story buildings, towering stone arches, and wide streets leading to a lake where the explorer saw two white Indians in a canoe.
In 1921, Fawcett embarked on the first of his expeditions in search of the lost city of Z. His team suffered many difficulties in the jungle, surrounded by dangerous animals, people were exposed to serious illnesses.
In April 1925, he tried to find Z for the last time. This time he prepared thoroughly and received more funding from newspapers and societies, including the Royal Geographical Society and the Rockefellers. In the last letter home delivered by a member of his team, Fawcett wrote a message to his wife Nina: "We hope to get through this area in a few days... Don't be afraid of failure." This turned out to be his last message to his wife and the world.
Although Fawcett's Lost City of Z has not been found, ancient cities and traces of religious sites have been discovered in recent years in the jungles of Guatemala, Brazil, Bolivia and Honduras. New technologies for scanning areas give new hope that the city of Z will be found.
The Lost City of Aztlan - Home of the Aztecs
The Aztecs, a powerful empire of ancient America, lived in what is now Mexico City. The lost island of Aztlan, where they created a civilization before their migration to the Valley of Mexico, is considered to be the epicenter of Aztec culture.
Skeptics consider the Aztlan hypothesis to be a myth, similar to Atlantis or Camelot. Thanks to legends, images of ancient cities live on, but it is unlikely that they will be found. Optimists dream of the joy of finding legendary cities. The search for Aztlan Island stretches from Western Mexico all the way to the deserts of Utah. However, these searches are fruitless, because the location of Aztlan remains a mystery.
According to Nahuatl legend, seven tribes lived in Chicomostoc, “the place of the seven caves.” These tribes represented seven Nahua groups: Acolhua, Chalca, Mexica, Tepaneca, Tlahuica, Tlaxcalan and Xochimilca (sources give variant names). Seven tribes with a similar language left the caves and settled together near Aztlan.
The word Aztlan means “land to the north; the land from which the Aztecs came." One theory is that the people of Aztlan became known as the Aztecs and later migrated from Aztlan to the Valley of Mexico. The Aztec migration from Aztlan to Tenochtitlan is a turning point in Aztec history. It began on May 24, 1064, the first solar year of the Aztecs.
Seekers of the Aztec homeland, hoping to find the truth, undertook many expeditions. But ancient Mexico is in no hurry to reveal the secrets of Aztlan.
The Lost Land of Lionesse - a city at the bottom of the sea
According to Arthurian legend, Lyonesse is the birthplace of the main character in the story of Tristan and Isolde. This mythical land is now called the "lost land of Lionesse". It is believed that she sank into the sea. Although Lyonesse is mentioned in legends and myths, it is believed that it sank at sea many years ago. It is difficult to determine the line between fiction and reality of hypotheses and legends.
Lyonesse is a large city surrounded by one hundred and forty villages. He disappeared on November 11, 1099 (although some accounts give the year 1089, and some say the 6th century). Suddenly the land was flooded by the sea, people drowned.
Although the story of King Arthur is a legend, Lyonesse is believed to be a real place adjacent to the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall, England. In those days, sea level was lower.
SEALY is the westernmost and southernmost point of England, as well as the southernmost point of Great Britain. Photo: NASA/wikipedia/Public Domain
Fishermen from the Isles of Scilly say they have pulled pieces of buildings and other structures from their fishing nets. Their words are not supported by evidence and are subject to criticism.
Stories about Tristan and Isolde, the final battle between Arthur and Mordred, the legend of the city that was swallowed up by the sea, stories about Lionesse encourage you to find a ghost town.
The search for Eldorado - the lost city of gold
For hundreds of years, treasure hunters and historians have searched for the lost city of gold, Eldorado. The idea of a city filled with gold and other riches tempted people from different countries. The number of people wishing to find the greatest treasure and ancient miracle is not decreasing. Despite numerous expeditions across Latin America, the golden city remains a legend. No traces of his existence were found.
El Dorado in the middle of the lake. Photo: Andrew Bertram/wikipedia/CC BY-SA 1.0
The origins of Eldorado originate in the stories of the Muisca tribe. After two migrations - one in 1270 BC. and another between 800 and 500. BC. - The Muisca tribe occupied the Cundinamarca and Boyaca regions of Colombia. According to the legend in El Carnero by Juan Rodríguez Fraile, the Muisca performed rituals for each new king using gold dust and other treasures.
The new king was brought to Lake Guatavita and covered naked with gold dust. The retinue, led by the king, went to the center of the lake on a raft with gold and precious stones. The king washed gold dust from his body, and his retinue threw pieces of gold and precious stones into the lake. The meaning of this ritual was to make a sacrifice to the Muisca god. For the Muisca, Eldorado is not a city, but a king, who was called “he who is gilded.”
Although the meaning of “el dorado” is originally different, the name has become synonymous with the lost city of gold.
In 1545, conquistadors Lazaro Fonte and Hernán Pérez de Quesada wanted to drain Lake Guatavita. Gold was found along the shores, which fueled suspicions among treasure hunters about the presence of treasures in the lake. They worked for three months. The workers passed water in buckets along the chain, but did not completely drain the lake. They didn't make it to the bottom.
In 1580, Antonio de Sepulveda made another attempt. And again gold items were found on the shores, but the treasures remained hidden in the depths of the lake. There were other searches at Lake Guatavita. The lake is estimated to contain $300 million worth of gold.
"Manoa, or Eldorado" on the shores of Lake Parime. Map of Hessel Gerrits (1625). El Dorado was charted near Parime from the time of Walter Raleigh (1595) to Alexander Humboldt (1804). Photo: Hessel Gerritsz/wikipedia/Public domain
However, the search was stopped in 1965. The Colombian government has declared the lake a protected area. However, the search for Eldorado continues. The Muisca legends and ritual sacrifice of treasure eventually evolved into the current story of El Dorado, the lost city of gold.
Dubai's Lost Cities: A Buried History
Dubai maintains the image of an ultra-modern city with stunning architecture and effortless opulence. However, hidden in the deserts are forgotten cities. History shows how the early inhabitants of the sands adapted and overcame dramatic climate change in the past.
The lost city is a legend of Arabia - medieval Julfar. Historians knew of its existence from written evidence, but could not find it. Home to the Arab sailor Ahmed ibn Majid and supposedly to the fictional Sinbad the Sailor, Julfar flourished for a thousand years before falling into ruin and disappearing from human memory for two centuries.
Ahmed ibn Majid is from Julfar. Photo: wikipedia/Public Domain
In the Middle Ages, Julfar was known as a prosperous port city - a center of trade in the southern part of the Persian Gulf. It was located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, north of Dubai, but its actual location was discovered by archaeologists in the 1960s. Traces found at this site date back to the 6th century. Residents of the port conducted regular trade with India and the Far East.
Simbad. Photo: René Bull/wikipedia/Public Domain
The 10th to 14th centuries marked a golden age for Julfar and long-distance Arab trade, with Arab sailors regularly sailing halfway around the world.
Arabs sailed into European waters long before Europeans managed to sail across the Indian Ocean and into the Persian Gulf. Julfar played an important role in the maritime adventures of the Persian Gulf for more than a thousand years. Arab merchants considered the extremely difficult 18-month sea voyages to China commonplace. The range of goods will surprise modern traders.
Julfar attracted constant attention from competing powers. In the 16th century, the Portuguese took control of the port. There were already 70 thousand people living in Julfar.
Exclaves of Oman and the UAE Oman Abu Dhabi (UAE) Dubai (UAE) Sharjah (UAE) Ajman (UAE) Umm al-Qaiwain (UAE) Ras al-Khaimah (UAE) Fujairah (UAE) Photo: Jolle and Nickpo/wikipedia/CC BY 3.0
A century later, the Persians captured the city, but lost it in 1750. It then fell into the hands of the Qawazim tribe from Sharjah, who had established themselves nearby in Ras al-Khaimah, which they continue to rule to this day. And old Julfar gradually fell into decay until its ruins, located among the coastal sand dunes, were forgotten.
Today, much of Julfar appears to still remain hidden beneath the sands north of Ras al-Khaimah.
