Secrets Beneath The Sand: 5 Unexplained Ancient Cities That Were Abandoned To The Desert

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The dry, arid sandscapes of planet Earth can preserve structures and artifacts far more effectively than humid environments. The Minaret of Jam exemplifies this.

Rooted in Arabic tradition, the term 'minaret' describes a tower designed to beckon the faithful to prayer. Standing defiant against the elements, the Minaret of Jam pierces the skyline, rising 214 feet above the Shahrak District in the rugged and hard-to-reach Province of Ghor, Afghanistan, where the Jam and Hari rivers meet.

Built out of baked bricks and clad in glazed tiles, the Minaret of Jam features some of the most intricate and impressive engravings of its time. An octagonal platform forms the base, supporting the round tower that rises above. The Minaret also boasts two wooden balconies and once held a lantern at its peak.

Amongst the many carvings on its surface are passages from the Quran, as well as other forms of ancient Arabic and Islamic calligraphy.

Historians believe that Sultan Ghiyath al-Din of the Ghurid Dynasty, a group of Persianates who governed much of present-day Afghanistan between the 8th and 13th centuries, commissioned the construction of the Minaret around the year 1190.

The surrounding area, now a canvas of crumbling ruins, once housed an illustrious city known as the Lost City of Turquoise Mountain – one of the greatest of its era. The remnants of a monastery or palace, a Jewish graveyard, and a pottery kiln that likely baked the bricks for the Minaret of Jam hint at the city’s past glory.

Under Ghurid rule, Jews, Christians, and Muslims coexisted peacefully until the Mongols usurped power. Following the onset of Mongol rule, historical references to the Minaret of Jam dwindled. It likely became overlooked and forgotten due to its remote location.

In 2002, UNESCO deemed the Minaret a protected site. Before this, the tower was at the mercy of time and the elements, suffering centuries of erosion.

Visitors are welcome at the tower, and it is still open for them to climb, provided they are willing to risk the journey to reach it through a region fraught with conflict, theft, and murder.

However, the future of the Minaret of Jam - the sole surviving Ghurid Dynasty monument - is uncertain. A 2014 BBC report warned that the precarious structure was at immediate risk of collapse...
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This is absolutely fascinating. I've never heard of any of these ruins. Thank you.

bryanhardie
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Your making some amazing content with this new channel. Providing so many rabbit holes to go down. Great stuff!

ngatihonky
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Thank you for this! Ive never heard of any of these places!😮 I can only imagine how many more cities are underneath all that sand.

northernsoutherngirl
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Makes me wonder other structures we havent discovered yet that remain hidden under the sands of our world

enikata
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I love this channel, short and fast info unknown to me ! I must watch everything again ... and send to friends.

robertbihn
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Maaaann.. im already hooked on the ancient mysteries channel and this is the first one I think I've seen. Keep it up man. Im totally engaged.

cooterwallace
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Thank you for this amazing video showing ancient places that I had not been aware of! Well done

phlebgrl
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The amount of detail on these tombs and other buildings proves a highly gifted society of stone masons and architects.I do believe there were societies far more advanced then previously believed.

cahg
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Lovely music to accompany each segment of this video. Fascinating places all of them. Can't wait to watch more in the future.

AbigailLucas-Payne
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My mother passed thankyou for thos it makes my brain tick ❤

slappedgoat
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American southwest please! Lots of weird there.
Stone walls in southern CA,
Chinese stone anchors in S. CA,
anglo-runic carvings and grave site near Tucson AZ,
the "castle" and natural well with farmland in the Verde Valley, AZ just to name a few.

nathanirick
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I think at least two of these were likely constructed during a time when there was more rainfall and less desert in their respective locations.

taitsmith
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"Infamous" silk road? Did you mean to say "famous", or did you mix it up with the _other_ silk road?

AlbatrossRevenue
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Great video describing fascinating ancient ruins that are not commonly talked about - probably because they are so remote and not able to be exploited as tourist destinations. Thanks for sharing.

davidc
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Ksar Dra monument was used in the movie Beau Geste with Gary Cooper

donaldfeger
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Make a video on the Sonoran desert please

iamarizonaball
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How about hot spots of pure evils... Suei-side forest of japan, haunted battlefields scaring soilders of the romans up untill ww2 an beyond. Transylvania, the dark underbelly of the vatican... Guiles de res land and castle( joan of arcs freind)... The hell pit in yemen... Also magic underground buildings or cities some that are mobile... Thats 5 i think. Cheers

DH-.
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The first one is a fantastic name for a musical group.

kbrock
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In depth study of the Malta cart tracks? (also in other places). Very important to note what type stone for processed stone reports. I wonder if that cart track area is a materials source site. Draft animal tracks?

danontherun
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Those bleached tree's are a sign that they where under salt water

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