Summary

  • The lost city of Iram of the Pillars, also known as the Atlantis of the Sands, has never been found and no credible evidence of its existence has been found.
  • Lothal, a partially lost city in India, has only been partially excavated and the cause of its demise remains unknown.
  • The legendary lost city of El Dorado, known for its unimaginable wealth of gold, has inspired explorers for years, but no one has been able to find it yet.

Humans have been on the earth for quite a long time. During their existence, humans have evolved, procreated, fought, and achieved some great things. In the midst of all these happenings, they also built cities. While some were mighty and others were little, these cities served their purposes to help the people build their civilizations and further multiply on the earth. No one, however, thought some of these cities would become lost without a trace. But the world has sadly had to deal with the loss of many of these great cities.

Today, many of the lost cities have been found, and that’s worth celebrating, but there are still many lost cities never found there, and that may forever remain hidden in the eyes of the world. Some have been lost for so long that doubt has begun to set in. Perhaps these cities were legends and not real. No one knows. And the more they stay hidden, the more people conclude that they are legends and not based on truth. Eventually, a time might come when they will no longer be alive in human records or memories. Before then, however, the search continues, and those curious enough can join in on the search for these lost cities that have not been found to date.

Related: Discover This Lost Roman City In The Spanish Pyrenees

UPDATE: 2023/10/24 13:37 EST BY NOAH STAATS

There Are Still Many Lost Cities We'll Likely Never Uncover

This article has been updated with two new lost cities, as well as information on what could have happened to them. Throughout history, kingdoms have risen and fallen before modern technology could trace them, leading to the concept of a truly "lost" city. From the Arabian deserts to India, there is so much mystery in this world.

14 Iram Of The Pillars

The ancient archelogical site of Hegra in Saudi Arabia, KSA’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site
Shutterstock
The ancient archelogical site of Hegra in Saudi Arabia, KSA’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site

Another 'never-found' lost city is believed to be Iram Of The Pillars, also deemed the Atlantis of the Sands. The Nabataeans were one of the many nomadic Bedouin tribes who roamed the Arabian Desert, where this city apparently existed. From centuries ago, Iram Of The Pillars was said to have been a paradise, much like Atlantis, a modern utopia. Both the Qur'an and later sources mention a mysterious city called Iram of the Pillars, with scholars and religious people believing the city fell beneath the sand and has never been located. The Middle East continues to host many ancient places of worship and woe, so this could easily be a real place that actually existed thousands of years ago.

However, up to this year, there have not been any credible findings of the Iram Of The Pillars Lost City.

  • This lost city has also been called the Atlantis of the Sand.
  • No findings to confirm its authenticity have been recorded.

The Middle East hosts many lost cities, with some believed to be buried deep beneath the sand. Religion often ties into them, which gives the region a special advantage for lost city exploration. There have been remnants of "lost" kingdoms/people found throughout the years, although nothing for Iram Of The Pillars (yet).

13 Lothal

The Orchha Fort complex in India
Shutterstock
The Orchha Fort complex in India

The next lost city that has only been partially excavated is Lothal. Lothal was one of the southernmost sites of the ancient Indus Valley civilization, located in the Bhal region of the Indian state of Gujarat, and has been swarmed with interest and mysteries for decades. You may also recognize Lothal from Star Wars, which is where some of the confusion stems. This 'lost city' is in India and has only been partially located and studied. It's rumored to have been a powerful city where exports, farming, and capitalism raged on during a time when this wasn't ordinary.

The meaning of Lothal (a combination of Loth and (s) thal) in Gujarati is "the mound of the dead," also leading to the superstition of the area. Typically, lost cities, no matter their location, come with a bit of folklore, whether from religious books or local people. There isn't necessarily a sinister energy here, but it's known to be a city of ruin. The cause of Lothal's demise is unknown.

  • Lothal is a partially lost city in India.
  • People often confuse it with Lothal from Star Wars.

Related: This Forgotten City In India Is Home To Some Of The Most Dramatic Architecture In Asia

12 El Dorado

Peruvian Andes
Photo by Godot13, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
 
Peruvian Andes

Among the famous lost cities that have not been found, the legendary lost city of El Dorado has inspired explorers and treasure hunters from all over the world for many years. What makes it so inspiring is its attributes. This city is said to be a place of an unimaginable wealth of gold. This city was to have been lost shortly after some Spanish Conquistadors arrived in the Andes Mountains to search for the kingdom after hearing that its king occasionally covered himself with gold dust.

Over the years, several explorers, including Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, Gonzalo Pizarro, and Francisco de Orellana, have searched for this city but have not found it. No one knows for sure if this city is actually real, but perhaps being lost is the reason many people doubt its authenticity. In the search for the city, many other lost cities have been found, so the hope is still alive that one day this city will be found.

  • Paititi is another name used to refer to this lost city of gold, and its location is believed to be in the Peruvian Andes.
  • Across 14 countries throughout the world, there are 45 places named El Dorado!

Related: The Lost Inca Gold: Here’s What To Know About The 750-Ton Gold And Its Location

11 The Lost City Of Kalahari

Kalahari Desert
Photo by Chris Stenger on Unsplash
Kalahari Desert

There is speculation about whether an ancient desert city existed. The city is believed to have been lost in the sands of the semi-arid Kalahari Desert, which has an area of 350,000 square miles and encompasses Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. The search for this city all began in 1885 after an explorer named William Leonard claimed to have discovered remains of a lost civilization in the Kalahari Desert. Subsequent searches for this city have been carried out, and so far, nothing has been discovered. Unusual rock formations, however, were found in one of the searches, and this has led experts to question whether the originator of this legend perhaps saw these formations and mistook them for the walls of a city.

  • Temperatures reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) in the Kalahari Desert, and very little can survive in the vast arid area.
  • Nearly 30 explorations of Kalahari have happened. However, no one has yet been able to locate the mysterious city of Kalahari.

10 The Lost City of Thinis

Anceint Egypt
Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash
Anceint Egypt

There are so many lost cities in Egypt, but Thinis was highly important as it served as the capital of Egypt during the first dynasty of Ancient Egypt. According to historical records, the city fell after the capital was transferred to Memphis. To the Egyptians, the city was known as Tjenu, and its mentions by several authors have led many to believe the city indeed existed. This city was mentioned in the Egyptian Book of the Dead and in the writings of Manetho - an Egyptian priest. But despite such references, this city which is believed to have been located near Abydos has still not been found.

  • The archeological site of Thinis has never been located, but evidence of population in the Abydos-Thinis region dates from the fourth millennium BCE.
  • To the early Egyptians, the city was known as Tjenu.

9 Lyonesse

The  Isles Of Scilly from the air
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash 
The Isles Of Scilly from the air

The magical Isles of Scilly in England attract thousands of visitors each year, and according to a legend, a very prosperous land stretching from the western part of Cornwall to the Isles was lost after it was swallowed by the sea on a particular night. This land was known as Lyonesse, and it was said to have consisted of beautiful people, fertile land, and more than a hundred churches. According to the legend, the land only existed because it had a legendary purpose to fulfill. Stories of bells being heard by those on the West Coast of Cornwall have circulated ever since. The city has been mentioned in Celtic Mythology as well as the Arthurian Legend and the love story of Tristan and Iseult.

  • The kingdom of Lyonesse supposedly had 140 churches
  • A 2009–13 study carried out by the Historic Environment Projects concluded that the Isles of Scilly were once a single large island, which separated into smaller islands due to the rapid sea-level rise.

8 Atlantis

Atlantis Map
Athanasius Kircher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
 
Atlantis Map

Atlantis is perhaps the most popular of the mythical lost cities that has inspired many people around the world. The legend, as told by Plato over 2,000 years ago, tells that a mighty civilization whose founders were half god and half human was swallowed by the sea along with all its gold and inhabitants. This legend, although interesting, has been concluded by many to be a fictional work of Plato’s imagination and that no actual city of the sort ever existed. Still, the legend of Atlantis remains with the world and begs the question if the lost city could ever be found.

  • According to Plato, Atlantis' area would be the size of modern-day northern Africa and over half of Turkey.
  • Atlantis is named after Poseidon's son Atlas, who is also the namesake of the Atlantic Ocean.

Atlantis is one of the more widely-known and covered lost cities on this list. It has been speculated to be in various oceans, including the Atlantic Ocean: after its name. Of course, there has not been evidence proving it true or false, so there could still be discoveries made. Technological advances are widely to thank for any information we'll one day gather.

Related: Myth and Hypothesis: Could The Lost City Of Atlantis Be Found?

7 The Lost Desert City Of Ubar

Lost Desert City
Photo by Vista Wei on Unsplash
Lost Desert City

There is a legend that has circulated in Dubai for a long about a desert city buried in the sands of the Desert, never to be seen again. This city, known as Ubar, according to the legend, was destroyed by God, which makes it even more interesting. In recent times, it has been dubbed - the Atlantis of the Sands.

When the ruins of Shisr were discovered, it was believed to be the lost city of Ubar, but no one knows for sure if it really is or if a city known as Ubar ever even existed.

  • Some archeologists believe Ubar existed from about 2800 B.C. to about 300 A.D. as a region, not just a city.
  • The archeological importance of the site was highlighted by satellite imagery that revealed a network of trails, some of which passed underneath sand dunes 100 m (330 ft) tall, which converged on Shisr.

6 Thule

Thule Air Base Greenland
Photo by Air Force Weather, Wikimedia Commons
 
Thule Air Base Greenland

Thule was a mythical lost city first revealed to the public by the Greek explorer Pytheas. In his description, he claimed the sun does not set on this land during the summer months and that the sun does not rise during winter. Certainly, this description matched perfectly with the Nordic countries where polar night and midnight sun occur. At that time, the Mediterranean civilizations did not know about anything of such, which was why it inspired many Greek poets and philosophers. After much debate, many concluded that Pytheas was perhaps referring to Iceland or Greenland, and that should have been the end of the myth. However, many still believe that there is a land out there that fits perfectly with the description of the Greek Explorer.

  • Thule is the most northerly location mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman literature as well as cartography.
  • Thule lends its name to the 69th element in the periodic table, Thulium.

5 Aztlan

Aztec Pyramid
Photo by Jeremy Lishner on Unsplash
Aztec Pyramid 

Aztlan was the mythical hometown of the Aztecs, who have been dubbed one of the greatest Native American civilizations the world has ever known. There have been several descriptions of this city, but one common description was that the city was an Island where the land was filled with ducks and herons; the waters filled with beautiful fish, and the air was filled with beautiful red and yellow birds, which sang beautifully. The city was said to have been lost and forgotten after the people migrated to the place now known as the Valley of Mexico. The location for this city has been said to be in Western Mexico or perhaps some parts of Utah, but the ages-long search has yielded no result so far.

  • Aztlan, meaning “place of whiteness” or “place of herons,” is the mythical place of origin of the Aztecs.
  • Historians have speculated about the possible location of Aztlan and tend to place it either in northwestern Mexico or the Southwestern United States

Related: Why Everyone Should Visit The Giant Lost-City Temple Complex Angkor Wat

4 Lost City Of Z

Mato Grosso Brasil Forest
Photo by Filipefrazao, via Wikimedia Commons
Mato Grosso Brasil Forest

In 1920, explorer Col. Percy Fawcett came across a document in the National Library of Rio De Janeiro written by a Portuguese explorer in 1753, who claimed to have found a walled city deep in the Mato Grosso region of the Amazon rainforest, reminiscent of Ancient Greece. The manuscript described a lost, silver-laden city with multi-storied buildings, soaring stone arches, and wide streets. Fawcett called this the Lost City of Z.

In 1925, after multiple unsuccessful attempts, Percy Fawcett and his team headed into the most remote places in Brazil's thick jungles to find a mysterious lost city he called "Z." They vanished without a trace, and the story turned out to be one of the biggest news stories of the time. Despite multiple rescue missions, Fawcett was never found, nor any member of his team, and the Lost City of Z joined the ranks of famous lost cities of the world that were never found.

  • Percy Fawcett's last attempt to find the Lost City of Z was at the age of 58
  • In 2016, a film of the same name was released starring Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Sienna Miller.

3 Lost City Of Dilmun

Map Dilmun
Photo By Sémhur, via Wikimedia Commons
 
Map Dilmun

Dilmun was a major trading partner with Mesopotamia, in particular Meluhha (the Indus civilization) and Magan (Oman). It was known as a place with paradise-like qualities, especially noted for its sweet-smelling (fresh) waters and Eden-like gardens. The physical location of Dilmun, however, was disputed for many decades, although it was always assumed to be somewhere in the vicinity of the Arabian Gulf.

It is now known to have been centered around today's country of Bahrain, although it seems to extend to parts of Kuwait, eastern Saudi Arabia, and Qatar as well. As for its mythical garden and sweet-smelling waters, those have yet to be discovered.

  • In 1922, Eduard Glaser proposed that the Garden of Eden was located in Eastern Arabia within the Dilmun civilization.
  • As of 2022, archeologists have failed to find a site in existence during the time from 3300 BC to 556 BC, when Dilmun appears in texts.

2 Cahokia

Supposed Cahokia Site
Photo By Skubasteve834, via Wikimedia Commons
 
Supposed Cahokia Site

About four centuries before Columbus stumbled onto the western hemisphere, Cahokia was a prosperous pre-American city. Located in southern Illinois, eight miles from present-day St Louis, it was probably the largest North American city north of Mexico at that time. It had been built by the Mississippians, a group of Native Americans who occupied most of the modern-day south-eastern United States.

Cahokia was a sophisticated and cosmopolitan city for its time. Yet its history is virtually unknown by most Americans. The Native Americans at Cahokia farmed, traded, and hunted. They were also early urban planners who used astronomical alignments to lay out a low-scale metropolis of 10-20,000 people.

  • At its prime, Cahokia had a population equal to that of London.
  • Unlike London, Cahokia's fate was more like the fabled lost continent of Atlantis. Having become a major population center around AD1050, by 1350, it was largely abandoned by its people – and no one is sure why!

Related: Lost Cities Of Mexico: Discovering The Mysteries Of Its Popular Ancient Ruins

1 Roanoke’s Lost Colony

Roanoke Island
Photo by Ken Lund, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
 
Roanoke Island

In 1587, a group of English colonists set sail for Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina. When the supply ship returned to the island three years later from England, they found the settlement abandoned and the colonists gone. The only clue was the word “Croatoan” carved into a post. Theories about what could've happened to the Colonists have ranged from being killed by Native Americans to integrating with nearby tribes. There’s also a theory that they were taken captive by the Spanish or a group of pirates. However, the fate of the Roanoke colonists remains one of the great mysteries of American history.

  • Researchers uncovered a new lead in 2012; about 50 miles west of Roanoke Island, two dozen shards of English pottery were discovered at what’s been dubbed Site X.
  • Ground-penetrating radar revealed another possible dig site two miles away, and the search continued in December 2019 at what’s been dubbed Site Y, yielding many more fragments of ceramics.