Three amazing ancient ruins that you may not have heard of

The ruins of Petra in Jordan, Pompeii in Italy and Machu Picchu in Peru are well-known worldwide. These remains of famous ancient buildings and architecture are not only interesting but also give us a valuable insight into how people lived hundreds of years ago. But these ruins are not the only remnants of ancient times.

According to the BBC, Madain Saleh or Hajar in Saudi Arabia, Herculaneum in Italy and Ollantaytambo in Peru may not be as famous as their famous counterparts, but they have their own wonders.

The ruins of Petra in Jordan, Pompeii in Italy and Machu Picchu in Peru are well-known worldwide.

These remains of famous ancient buildings and architecture are not only interesting but also give us a valuable insight into how people lived hundreds of years ago.

But these ruins are not the only remnants of ancient times. Madain Saleh or Hajar in Arabia, Herculaneum in Italy and Ollantaytambo in Peru may not be as famous as their famous counterparts, but they have their own wonders.

In this article, these lesser-known but amazing historical places are introduced.

Hajar, Saudi Arabia

If you have seen the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you are familiar with the ancient ruins of Petra, the capital of the kingdom and rule of the Nabataeans, which is located in modern Jordan. Huge temples and amazing tombs that are built on the body of sandstone rocks and to reach them, you have to follow the narrow path of Siq Valley.

However, if we go south about 500 km, we will reach the place that is now the northwest of Saudi Arabia and we will reach the second largest and most famous city of the ancient Nabateans called Hajar, which is also called Madain Saleh. An important world trade passage between the Mediterranean region and the south of the Arabian Peninsula where the Nabataeans used to tax passing caravans in ancient times. All kinds of spices and incense were the main part of the merchandise of the caravans, among which the most important ones are frankincense and myrrh.

The wealthy Nabataeans were able to live in the dry climate and the grassless desert of Arabia thanks to the complex and intelligent water systems of which 130 wells have remained to this day.

What remains of the stone are more than 100 tombs and tombstones engraved on the sandstone rocks. These remains, which have remained well due to the hot and dry climate of the region, are estimated to be around the first century BC to the first century AD. In the case of some tombs, archaeologists can provide an accurate date because the head is engraved on the door. The eagle, sphinx or sphinx (a figure with the body of a lion and the head and chest of a human), snake and other mythological creatures are some of the characters that can be seen in these tombs.

The largest and most famous tomb of Madain Saleh is called “Qasr Al Farid” or “The Lonely Palace”. This historical monument is the tomb of “Lehian” son of “Koza”, which stands alone at a distance from the rest of the buildings and is about 22 meters high, and the influence of Greek and Roman architecture is evident in its design.

Most of the information we have about the Nabateans today is based on the writings of the Greeks and Romans who were closely familiar with this territory, because there are not many written works left by the Nabateans themselves. What historians and archaeologists have found about them is based on carvings and inscriptions on figures and tombs in Aramaic. These inscriptions contain some names (including the names of women), professions, relationships and family occasions and other details of the personal lives of the people who once lived in this magnificent city.

Hajar is the first place in Saudi Arabia that was registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008.

Part of the artistic tiling discovered in the House of Neptune and the Amphitrite at Herculaneum

Herculaneum, Italy

At noon on August 24, 79 AD, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius near Naples, Italy buried the famous city of Pompeii under several meters of volcanic ash. When they were able to recover the city in the 16th century, it seemed that time had stopped under the ashes because the volcanic ash had preserved the buildings and human remains.

Pompeii was not the only city that was damaged by the volcano. A few kilometers away was a city called Herculaneum, which had about 4,000 to 5,000 inhabitants. The city was named after Hercules, the Greek mythological hero, and was a popular resort port for the wealthy of the time, with magnificent and luxurious villas, the most luxurious of which (now known as the Villa Papyri) is believed to have belonged to Julius Caesar's father-in-law, Lucius Calpurnius Piso. Kaisoninus has been.

In some ways, the remains of Herculaneum are more preserved than the ruins of Pompeii. This city was buried under a pyroclastic flow (a flow of hot gas and rock at high speed) and after that, flowing mud to a height of more than 15 meters. Such a situation caused not only objects to remain permanent, but also some organic materials such as food, cloth and wood to maintain their quality and remain.

Herculaneum was accidentally discovered in 1783 during the construction activity of well diggers around the remains of the old theater. The archaeological excavations of Villa Papyri were carried out between 1750 and 1765 by order of the King of Naples, Charles VII, and the archaeological team was able to discover about 1,800 papyrus manuscripts in this place. It is believed to be the only surviving library from that time.

At first, the small number of unearthed remains led historians to believe that most of the inhabitants of Herculaneum, unlike Pompeii, managed to escape to Naples, but later discoveries of about 300 skeletons near the coast around 1980 indicated that the people were trying to escape by sea. But they have not succeeded.

Like Machu Picchu, terraces have been built on the hillsides of Ollantaytambo for agriculture.

Ollantaytambo, Peru

On the way to Machu Picchu, the 15th century temple and shrine of the Incas in Peru, you can visit Ollantaytambo's fortress and ceremonial center.

Built by Emperor Pachacuti in the 15th century, this building was used both as a temple and a sacred place and as a fortress for the Incas to control the local people. The castle is located at an altitude of 2800 meters above sea level and on top of a hill overlooking the holy valley. In its construction, huge pieces of stones were used, which were brought from a mine about six kilometers from the place where the castle was built. Transferring the stones to the top of such a slope required engineering skills, and it seems that the polished stones were not damaged during the transfer process.

One of the interesting aspects of the city of Ollantaytambo is the use of aqueducts that tapped into the region's underground water network and are still functional today. This water supply system supplies water to several decorative stone-carved fountains in the city, and streams flow through the city's passages.

The Inca ruler, Manco Inca, retreated to the city of Ollantaytambo after defeating the Spanish conquistadors (invaders). In 1536, under the command of Hernando Pizarro, he was able to stand against the Spaniards from the top of the castle, and by using the available water system, he was able to flood all the surrounding plains, and as a result, the Spaniards could not use their cavalry. However, the Spanish returned shortly after with reinforcements, and Ollantaytambo was eventually abandoned and ruined.