![]() Unfortunately, a large part of the fort had collapsed into a sinkhole, therefore they were unable to excavate a significant area. The team discovered a well and nearby, a large octagonal fortress with tall towers and high walls. They began excavations where the tracks converged on the satellite image, which led to an interesting find. Clapp also had satellite images taken by NASA that revealed camel tracks leading to a place called Shisr. In addition, he looked at old maps, primarily one drawn by Ptolemy in 200AD. That city, called Iram of the Pillars, sounded very similar to Ubar. Thomas’ book inspired Nicholas Clapp, and consequently, his research led him to a city mentioned in the Qur’an. Thomas said that he had found traces of the lost city and well-worn tracks that had been used to get there. In his book, he described the people of the region and the place called Ubar. He left behind a book he wrote in 1932 called Arabia Felix. Thomas persisted in his explorations anyway, but he died before having had a chance to find it. ![]() Thomas was told by his guides that it was dangerous to attempt a search for Ubar because it had met its destruction as a result of wickedness. The climate was different at that time, the area was lusher and was referred to as “Arabia Felix” meaning “happy Arabia” or “fortunate Arabia.”īertram Thomas was one such explorer of southern Arabia who had heard great tales about the lost city from his Bedouin guides on various expeditions. Merchants used that route to transport fine spices and highly valuable resins and essential oils for sale. It was perfectly located in southern Arabia between India and the Mediterranean directly on the trade route. ![]() “Herodotus, Pliny the Elder, Strabo, and other ancient authors, though not specifically mentioning Ubar, gave brief accounts of cities in southern Arabia that marketed resins from frankincense and myrrh trees” ( ). The city may have been founded as early as 3000 BCE and may have perished between 300-100 CE. It is one of the most mysterious and intriguing legendary lost cities reputed to have once been a magnificent and prosperous trading post. Source: unknown Legendary Market of Spices and OilsĪtlantis of the Sands (a modern nickname of the fabled city) is also referred to as Ubar by Bedouins (people of the desert) and as Iram in the Qur’an. Whatever may have been the cause, after the city fell into distant memory it became covered with sand from a huge sandstorm that hid it from those searching for it.Lush desert palace. It was said that the city’s architecture was made from brass and that the city was destroyed by a natural disaster or an act of God. Known commonly as the “Atlantis of The Sands” and mentioned in both the Koran and “A Thousand and One Arabian Nights” Ubar appears as a city rich in the frankincense trade for thousands of years B.C. Lawrence, who went in search of Ubar, unsuccessfully, said of it as “a city of immeasurable wealth, destroyed by God for its arrogance, swallowed forever in the sands of the Rub al Khali desert“. Ubar is a tale of legend, a lost city of lore, buried somewhere in Arabia. Near the entrance to the archaeological area of Shisr was a sign saying “Welcome to Ubar, the Lost City of Bedouin Legend”. Following what looked like a simple rock wall the man started explaining the history of the place. It’s when traveling that historical adventures like this come up and are unplanned and spontaneous. Along the way, we stopped at a nondescript oasis called Shisr, and it’s there that the fabled lost city of Ubar, also known as the Atlantis of the Sands, was found in the past few decades. I was in Oman for 6 weeks and at this point was heading to the Rub al Khali (empty quarter) Desert. “Yes, come, come”, the man said excitedly. Really”, I replied, “Ok, can you show me?” “Look”, the man said proudly, “This is the lost city of Ubar!” “ The Atlantis of the Sands is the name given to the legendary lost city of Ubar, a place of lore that has captivated explorers for millennia until it was finally found in the late 20th century.
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