Mythical cities: try to find them. Sales! Top 10 mythical and legendary places in the world Shambhala is a sacred place

In the history of the world, there are many legends about various pseudo-existent once unusual cities, states or countries. Let's look at the most popular of them.

1. Eldorado - the city of gold.

The first mention of this legendary mythical country appeared in the times bordering the end of the Middle Ages, when America was discovered and the conquistadors - the conquerors of America - tried to develop its territory. There were many legends about golden countries, but Eldorado is the most popular and famous to this day. This word is well known among many Russian citizens due to the popularization of a network of equipment stores with the same name. But few people know that there was a legend about a city made entirely of gold. According to rumors circulating at the time, numerous treasures were brought from Peru to South America. Various expeditions searched for Eldorado all over the world: they explored Venezuela, searched in the Amazon River, studied the Dominican Republic and many other islands and territories. But the golden country was never found. Many researchers have spent their entire lives searching for a non-existent country. A lot of resources, not only human, but also material, were spent on these expeditions, but in the end it played a positive role only in the development of new territories, description of the life, culture of the people of these places, their languages.

The origin of tales about this golden country was the ritual of the Chibcha Indian tribe, when before the coronation of the king they were coated with clay and sprinkled with gold sand. After which he entered the river, thereby “gilding” it. The Chibcha tribe did have some gold reserves, and after the colonists captured this people, rumors that some of the treasure was hidden only grew. And the search continued for a very long time. As a result, the legendary Lake Guatavita was discovered, which can be considered the prototype of a golden country. According to legend, it was in this lake that the tribe hid their treasures.

2. Shambhala is a sacred place.

Another mysterious state is the Tibetan country of Shambhala. Many famous scientists, esotericists and mystics tried to find the Holy City. In Hitler's Germany there was even a special unit to solve this mystery, because... It was believed that the inhabitants of Shambhala have knowledge with which they can gain power over the whole world.

There is even a mention of this country in the ancient manuscript “The Wheel of Time” and the Mahabharata.

According to the Mahabharata, Shambhala existed on the territory of India devoid of caste prejudices. And society is ruled by brahmin priests. The myth about this country is directly related to the philosophical and religious Indian teachings.

According to the teachings of Kalachakra (“Wheel of Time”), this country is ruled by an amazing king named Suchadra, who acquired sacred knowledge in the south of India. After the usurpation by Islamic countries, Shambhala was hidden for people and to find it, you need to go a long way and cleanse your heart by learning the sacred secrets of Brahmanism.

Some esotericists believe that this country exists in nature. The controversial issue is in the material world or a parallel universe. But opinions agree on one thing: only a person who has achieved enlightenment can come to this city.

3. Atlantis - the underground secret of millennia.

There is a belief that approximately 9,000 years ago an entire continent sank overnight. An entire nation disappeared along with its high-tech infrastructure, orderly power structure and developed culture. According to the myth, these were intellectually developed and advanced people who died because of their own vanity and arrogance.

It is believed that the place where Atlantis sank is today's Atlantic Ocean. In the modern scientific world, there are two hypotheses about the reality of the existence of this civilization: some scientists consider it a myth, and some suggest that theoretically such a country could exist, but due to some global catastrophe, such as a volcanic eruption, earthquake or flood, it could disappear from existence land. According to the testimony of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, Atlantis existed in the area of ​​​​the Strait of Gibraltar, or the Pillars of Hercules (now Morocco).

Some scientists believe that Atlantis is modern Antarctica. The lithospheric shift that occurred over centuries of history could have shifted the location of Atlantis to the North Pole.

There is also a theory that Atlantis rests in the Bermuda Triangle area, which explains the huge number of mysterious disappearances in these parts.

There are countless works of scientists, a huge number of documentaries have been shot about this mysterious and mystical country. But was it really there? Whether the third nanotechnological millennium will be marked by the discovery of its main secret is a big question.

4. Avalon – city of the Celts.

Avalon is an ancient mythical city of the Celts, a symbol of pre-Christian culture. It is believed that King Arthur himself was buried in this place, and his famous sword Excalibur was forged. Probable location: Wales. In the 12th century, a tomb was discovered on St. Michael's Hill in Britain, the inscription on which said that the king and his wife were buried here. In addition, this place was considered the island of the blessed.

5. Elysium is a haven for immortals.

A country where, according to mythical beliefs, people who gained immortality received shelter. This is the country of the righteous. The god Kronos was considered the head and guardian of this kingdom. The spirits of the righteous wander along the Champs Elysees, have philosophical conversations and enjoy eternity. Here they find peace and tranquility, absolute peace.

Life proceeds according to the laws of divine justice. Elysium in ancient Greece is akin to Christian Paradise. And opposite in its sacred meaning to Elysium, Hades is the prototype of Christian Hell.

Presumably this country was located in the west, at the edge of the world.

6. Lyonesse is a lost country.

Lyonesse is a lost country that is often mentioned in English folklore. There is a legend according to which this place was located between the counties of Cornwall and Scilly. Popular beliefs claimed that this city sank like Atlantis, and residents of the surrounding areas often heard the ringing of bells. Ancient Roman maps show one large Isle of Scilly, although the site is now home to a network of small islets. Therefore, we can make the assumption that part of the island sank.

7. Lemuria – the abode of giants.

Some researchers claim that this sunken continent really existed and that the entire modern world originated from this cradle of civilization. And there is as little confirmation of its existence as there are refutations.

Presumably, the country sank 12 thousand years ago as a result of a global cataclysm - an earthquake. It is also assumed that the modern island of Madagascar was part of this continent.

It is described that this territory was inhabited by giants, which can be classified as an intermediate link between man and monkey. This assumption was expressed by Engels in his treatise “Dialectics of Nature”. Other scientists and esotericists suggest that these apes were the “indigenous” race of humanity.

Scientific evidence can be found in Indian mythology. They tell about sunken cities whose patrons were Shiva and Krishna.

But this question of the existence of the continent has been practically not studied. This may be due to the fact that there is no trace of a sunken continent in the Indian Ocean. Therefore, very few archaeological expeditions have been carried out, and it is not possible at the moment to find out whether such a race existed.

8. Agartha is the country of scientists.

This country is also mythical. According to legend, the best minds of humanity, rulers, cultural and scientific figures live in this place. They control the course of world history from underground. The location of this country is supposedly in Tibet or the Himalayas.

According to some sources, the island consisted of nectar and was surrounded on all sides by the sea. And it was possible to travel there only on a golden bird. There was also a fountain of immortality on the island. According to other legends, it was possible to get to Agartha through various underground passages.

9. Vinland – the country of the Vikings.

This country was supposedly rich in wheat, salmon, and cranberries.

Researchers are trying to find the place where Europeans first set foot in North America. The first Vikings, led by Leif Erikson, made a 2,000 km voyage towards America a thousand years ago. During his travels he discovered 3 countries. One of them was Vinland.

Up until the 60s. of the last century, no one could say with certainty whether this country exists. Many archaeologists have found traces of Vikings in some areas of North American lands. In 1959, a family of archaeologists set out in search of Vinland. In the north of the island of Newfoundland, a small settlement was found with some ruins, the outlines of which resembled ancient houses. And, although items of use of the Normans were found, this settlement does not fit the description of the Old Scandinavian legends about the country discovered by Erikson.

In the world of mythology, there are many fantastic magical ones that are said to have portals from our real world. Of course, it remains to be seen whether these places actually exist. But even if you can't find them, they are still very interesting for myth buffs.

8 PHOTOS

1. Mavreneri Waterfall, Greece.

This waterfall is located in the Peloponnese Mountains in Greece and is believed by many to be the ancient entrance to the River Styx. The infamous River Styx was considered by the ancient Greeks to be the entrance to the underworld, or the kingdom of Hades as they called it. The water that flowed in the Styx was poisonous and dangerous to any person who came into contact with it. Modern tests have shown high levels of a certain toxic chemical in the area of ​​the falls that many people are talking about.

Knockma Woods, in particular Knockma Hill, is believed to contain a secret entrance to the Kingdom of Fairy Connacht. Many have been searching for the exact location from where you can enter the Fairy Realm.

Also known as Shangri-La, this mythical place is located somewhere in Tibet. It is said to be a place where Buddhist values ​​and peace, as well as love, prevail. Many people also say that this is the home of the Great Warrior Geser, who will at some point lead his righteous army in battle against the evil doers on Earth. The problem here is that no one knows exactly where it is! Indeed, Hitler could not find this place, despite the numerous expeditions that the Nazis made there. Some say that it is not a physical place, but simply a state of mind that you can only achieve when you are truly enlightened.

This lost city is believed to be in South America and is definitely worth seeing if you can get there. First described in the 16th century, it was described as a fairytale place deep in the jungle. Although its existence as an actual city has not been officially confirmed, recent discoveries around the border with Bolivia and Brazil indicate that a huge ancient city once stood there. Some of the structures date back to the 13th century and it is estimated that around 600,000 people lived there. Could this be City Z?

This gate is based in the Voodoo tradition and is found in the city of New Orleans. They are said to have to be passed through to get to the afterlife, and these gates are the portals for that. It is believed that there are 7 gates in total, and when you die, your spirit must pass through each one to get to heaven, or you will return to Earth as a zombie. The exact location of the 7 Gates is closely guarded, but it is believed that they can be found in 7 different cemeteries in New Orleans. If you can find them, you should be careful when approaching them.

One of the great ancient civilizations was the Mayan Empire. They believed very much in the afterlife, and Xibalba was what they considered their final resting place when they died. The Mayans believed that to get there, their soul would have to overcome many challenges, such as crossing a river of deadly scorpions. A massive cave complex was recently discovered on the Yucatan Peninsula, and many believe it to be Xibalba itself.
8. Newgrange, Ireland.

This structure is actually a massive tomb that can be found in the Boyne Valley in Ireland. Built about 5,000 years ago, this place looks very impressive. This is also considered an entry into the Irish world! According to Irish folklore, the gods traveled through their world through structures such as Newgrange.

“People sometimes dream of blue cities: for some it’s Moscow, for others it’s Paris...” is sung in a popular Soviet song. But somewhere on earth, perhaps mysterious places shrouded in myths and legends are hidden from us.

No one has been there, but they talk a lot about them. No one has seen them, but a lot is known about what they look like... In someone's mind, it is these mysterious parallel worlds that appear through the haze of inexplicable dreams...

But in world archeology sometimes real sensations happen. So, a little more than 10 years ago, in the early 2000s, the mythical cities of Heraklion, Canopus and Menoutis, known only from ancient Greek tragedies and legends, were discovered at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea by an international group of archaeologists. By that time, scientists had been exploring the coastal region of Alexandria for three years. Who knows, perhaps very soon a solution to the mystery of the ancient Shangrila, the sunken Atlantis and Kitezh will be found, and the underground Agharti will be discovered.

Shambhala is a mythical country in Tibet.

Shambhala in Tibet (or other surrounding regions of Asia) is mentioned in several ancient treatises. According to some of them, the Hindu messiah Kalka was born here. The first mention of Shambhala is found in the Kalachakra Tantra (10th century. The text states that the city has been preserved since the time of the king of Shambhala, Suchandra. According to another legend, Shambhala was a kingdom in Central Asia. After the Muslim invasion of Central Asia in the 9th century, the kingdom of Shambhala has become invisible to human eyes, and only the pure in heart can find the way to it.

Tibetologist Bronislav Kuznetsov (1931-1985) and orientalist Lev Gumilyov (1912-1992), working on the issue, came to the conclusion that Shambhala is a real place. Moreover, it is depicted on an ancient Tibetan map published in the Tibetan-Shangshung dictionary. According to their interpretation, the author of the map reflected on it the era of domination of Syria, led by the Macedonian conquerors. Syria is called Sham in Persian, and the word "Bolo" means "top", "surface". Consequently, Shambhala is translated as “Dominion of Syria,” which corresponded to reality in the period of the 3rd - 2nd centuries BC. e.

In the works of Nicholas and Helena Roerich, the idea of ​​Shambhala is important. Nicholas Roerich, who traveled through Central Asia in the years 24-28 of the last century, stated that he personally heard countless stories about this place. On the basis of the religious and philosophical teachings of the Roerichs, a new movement “Agni Yoga” (living ethics) arose, which has the veneration of Shambhala as one of its most important foundations. In the novella “Lost Horizon” by science fiction writer James Hilton, the country of Shangri-La became the literary allegory of Shambhala.

Kitezh - Russian Atlantis.

At one time, the writer Pavel Melnikov - Pechersky, inspired by Lake Svetloyar, told its legend in the novel “In the Woods”, as well as in the story “Grisha”. The lake was visited by Maxim Gorky (essay "Bugrov"), Vladimir Korolenko (essay cycle "in desert places"), Mikhail Prishvin (essay "bright lake". Nikolai Rimsky - Korsakov wrote an opera about the mysterious city. "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh". Painted by artists Nikolai Romadin, Ilya Glazunov and many others, the poets Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva also mention the city in their works.

Today, more and more science fiction writers are interested in the legend of Kitezh. Among works of this kind, we can name, for example, the story “The Hammers of Kitezh” by Nik Perumov and “Red Shift” by Evgeny Gulakovsky. In the Soviet film "Sorcerers", which was based on the Strugatskys' novel "Monday Begins on Saturday", a worker at a musical instrument factory travels to the fairytale Kitezh.

Remember Atlantis, the continent that sank into the ocean: this is how the gods punished the local population for their sins. So, there is a similar story in Rus' - the legend of Kitezh. It has nothing to do with sins; on the contrary, the reasons for the flooding of the city should be sought in the spiritual purity of its inhabitants. And only the righteous and saints can see this city. Many Orthodox Christians gather for a pilgrimage to the lake, where they believe Kitezh is buried.

The only hints about its real existence are in the book "Kitezh Chronicler". According to scientists, this book was written at the end of the 17th century. Thus, according to her, the city was built by the great Russian prince Yuri Vsevolodovich of Vladimir at the end of the 12th century. Returning from a trip to Novgorod, along the way I stopped to rest near Lake Svetloyar. He was captivated by the beauty of those places and later ordered the construction of a large kitezh on the shore of the city.

The length of the built city was 200 fathoms (straight fathom - the distance between the ends of the fingers, arms outstretched in different directions, is approximately 1.6 meters), width - 100. Several churches were also built, and on the occasion the best masters began to “Paint the Image”. During the Mongol invasion - Tarar, in order not to be defeated, the island miraculously sank into the waters of the lake.

Lake Svetloyar is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region near the village of Vladimir Voskresensky district, in the basin of the Lunda, a tributary of the Vetluga River. Its length is 210 meters, width is 175 meters, and the total area is about 12 hectares. There is still no consensus on how the lake came into being. Some insist on the glacial theory of origin, others defend the karst hypothesis. There is a version that the lake appeared after a meteorite fell.

Underground country or agartha agarti.

The mystical center of sacred tradition, located in the East. The literal translation from Sanskrit is “Invulnerable”, “inaccessible”. The French mystic Alexandre Saint-Yves d'Alveidre first wrote about it in his book "India's Mission to Europe."

The second mention belongs to Ferdinand of Ossend, who in the book “And Beasts, and Men, and Gods”, from the words of Mongolian lamas, tells a legend about an underground country that controls the destinies of all mankind. In Ossendowski's story, some researchers find borrowings from Saint Yves d'Alveidre. A comparative analysis of both versions of the legend was carried out by the French scientist Rene Guenon in his work “King of the World,” in which he came to the conclusion that they have a common source.

The traditional location of Agartha is considered to be Tibet or the Himalayas. In Agartha live the highest initiates, guardians of tradition, true teachers and rulers of the world. It is impossible for the uninitiated to achieve agartha - it becomes accessible only to the chosen ones.

According to Puranic literature, Aghartha is an island located in the middle of a sea of ​​nectar. Travelers are transported there by a mystical golden bird. Chinese literature reported a tree and a fountain of immortality located in Agartha. Tibetan lamas depicted agartha in the center of an oasis, surrounded by rivers and high mountains.

There are legends about underground passages connecting Agartha with the outside world. F. Ossendowski and N. K. Roerich reported on special underground and aerial vehicles that served its inhabitants for rapid movement.

Ancient Greek cities discovered at the bottom of the sea.

At the beginning of the article, we talked about the sensational discovery of archaeologists at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea - the cities of Heraklion, Canopus and Menoutis, previously known only from ancient Greek legends. From the bottom, a basalt bust of a certain pharaoh, a bust of a deity according to serapis, and coins were raised, which made it possible to date the destruction of the ancient settlement to the 7th - 8th centuries. BC e. but, most importantly, three cities with preserved houses, towers, and piers were discovered.

Canopus got its name in honor of the helmsman under King Menelaus, who died from a snake bite (and was immediately deified), and Menoutis - in honor of his wife. Heraklion, according to legend, was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. It was in this city that King Menelaus and Helen the Beautiful stopped on their way from defeated Troy.

So, in any case, wrote the historian Herodotus, who visited Egypt in 450 BC. e. He also described a landmark of the city - the Tower of Hercules. It was a rich city, however, it lost its influence after the construction of Alexandria. Scientists suggest that Heraklion was flooded as a result of a strong earthquake. However, he, apparently, suffered almost no harm, but was only forever frozen in time at the bottom of the abyss.

Why did scientists (geophysicists from Stanford University who mapped the seabed using magnetic waves) make a guess about an earthquake? It's all about the nature of the arrangement of the columns and walls of the city, which lay in one direction. It is unknown whether visiting the "Maritime Museums" will ever be available. Nevertheless, it would be very profitable for the state and interesting for tourists.

"Chichaburg": an underground city in Siberia.

At the end of the 90s of the last century, while taking aerial photographs of the Novosibirsk region, researchers 5 km from the regional center of Zdvinsk, on the shore of Lake Chicha, discovered an unusual anomaly: clear outlines of buildings appeared in the image, although there was steppe and lakes all around.

Houses underground! Novosibirsk scientists, using special geophysical equipment provided by German colleagues, “enlightened” the mysterious place. The result exceeded all expectations: clear contours of streets, alleys, blocks, and powerful defensive structures appeared on the map. A real city is located on an area of ​​12-15 hectares.

During a study on the ground, on the outskirts of Chichaburg, something resembling slag was discovered - a dump, which usually remains from a developed metallurgical production. The class stratification of the ancient Siberian city also turned out to be “illuminated”: “elite” stone palaces were adjacent to the stone houses of common people. A fragment of some ancient - hitherto unknown - civilization was rising from the ground.

According to preliminary excavations, the age of the settlement is VII - VIII centuries BC. e. It turns out that the town on the banks of the Chicha is the same age as the Trojan War? It is not easy for scientists to believe this - after all, such a discovery overturns many established concepts in history, archeology, and ethnography.

“People sometimes dream of blue cities: some – Moscow, some – Paris...” is sung in a popular Soviet song. But somewhere on Earth, perhaps mysterious places shrouded in myths and legends are hidden from us.

No one has been there, but they talk a lot about them. No one has seen them, but a lot is known about what they look like... In someone’s mind, it is these mysterious parallel worlds that appear through the haze of inexplicable dreams...

But in world archeology sometimes real sensations happen. So, a little more than 10 years ago, in the early 2000s, the mythical cities of Heraklion, Canopus and Menoutis, known only from ancient Greek tragedies and legends, were discovered at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea by an international group of archaeologists. By that time, scientists had been exploring the coastal region of Alexandria for three years. Who knows, perhaps very soon a solution to the mystery of ancient Shangrila, the sunken Atlantis and Kitezh will be found, underground Agharti will be discovered...

Shambhala - a mythical country in Tibet

Shambhala in Tibet (or other surrounding regions of Asia) is mentioned in several ancient treatises. According to some of them, the Hindu messiah Kalka was born here. The first mention of Shambhala is found in the Kalachakra Tantra (10th century). The text states that the city has been preserved since the time of King Suchandra of Shambhala. According to another legend, Shambhala was a kingdom in Central Asia. After the Muslim invasion of Central Asia in the 9th century, the kingdom of Shambhala became invisible to human eyes, and only the pure in heart can find their way to it.

Tibetologist Bronislav Kuznetsov (1931-1985) and orientalist Lev Gumilev (1912-1992), working on the issue, came to the conclusion that Shambhala is a real place. Moreover, it is depicted on an ancient Tibetan map published in the Tibetan-Shangshung Dictionary. According to their interpretation, the author of the map reflected on it the era of domination of Syria, led by the Macedonian conquerors. Syria is called Sham in Persian, and the word “bolo” means “top”, “surface”. Consequently, Shambhala is translated as “the domination of Syria,” which corresponded to reality in the period of the 3rd-2nd centuries BC. e.

In the works of Nicholas and Helena Roerich, the idea of ​​Shambhala is important. Nicholas Roerich, who traveled through Central Asia in the years 24-28 of the last century, stated that he personally heard countless stories about this place. On the basis of the religious and philosophical teachings of the Roerichs, a new movement “Agni Yoga” (Living Ethics) arose, which has the veneration of Shambhala as one of its most important foundations. In science fiction writer James Hilton's novel “Lost Horizon,” the country of Shangri-La became a literary allegory of Shambhala.

Kitezh is the Russian Atlantis.

At one time, the writer Pavel Melnikov-Pechersky, inspired by Lake Svetloyar, told its legend in the novel “In the Woods”, as well as in the story “Grisha”. The lake was visited by Maxim Gorky (essay “Bugrov”), Vladimir Korolenko (essay cycle “In Desert Places”), Mikhail Prishvin (essay “Bright Lake”). Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the opera “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh” about the mysterious city. The lake was painted by artists Nikolai Romadin, Ilya Glazunov and many others. The poets Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva also mention the city in their works.

Today, more and more science fiction writers are interested in the legend of Kitezh. Among works of this kind, we can name, for example, the story “The Hammers of Kitezh” by Nik Perumov and “Red Shift” by Evgeny Gulyakovsky. In the Soviet film “Sorcerers,” which was based on the Strugatskys’ novel “Monday Begins on Saturday,” a worker from a musical instrument factory travels to the fabulous Kitezh.

Remember Atlantis, the continent that sank into the ocean: this is how the gods punished the local population for their sins. So, there is a similar story in Rus' - the legend of Kitezh... It has nothing to do with sins; on the contrary, the reasons for the flooding of the city should be sought in the spiritual purity of its inhabitants. And only the righteous and saints can see this city. Many Orthodox Christians gather for a pilgrimage to the lake, where they believe Kitezh is buried.

The only hints about its real existence are in the book “The Kitezh Chronicler”. According to scientists, this book was written at the end of the 17th century. According to her, the city was built by the great Russian Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich Vladimirsky at the end of the 12th century. Returning from a trip to Novgorod, along the way I stopped to rest near Lake Svetloyar. He was captivated by the beauty of those places and later ordered the construction of the city of Greater Kitezh on the shore.

The length of the built city was 200 fathoms (straight fathom is the distance between the ends of the fingers, arms outstretched in different directions, approximately 1.6 meters), the width was 100. Several churches were also built, and on the occasion the best craftsmen began to “paint images.” During the Mongol-Tarar invasion, in order not to be defeated, the island miraculously sank into the waters of the lake.

Lake Svetloyar is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region near the village of Vladimirsky Voskresensky district, in the Lunda basin, a tributary of the Vetluga River. Its length is 210 meters, width is 175 meters, and the total area is about 12 hectares. There is still no consensus on how the lake came into being. Some insist on the glacial theory of origin, others defend the karst hypothesis. There is a version that the lake appeared after a meteorite fell.

The underground country of Agharti or Agartha.

The mystical center of sacred tradition, located in the East. The literal translation from Sanskrit is “invulnerable”, “inaccessible”. The French mystic Alexandre Saint-Yves d'Alveidre first wrote about it in his book “India's Mission to Europe.”

The second mention belongs to Ferdinand Ossendowski, who in the book “Beasts, Men, and Gods,” from the words of Mongolian lamas, tells a legend about an underground country that controls the destinies of all mankind. In Ossendowski's story, some researchers find borrowings from Saint-Yves d'Alveidre. A comparative analysis of both versions of the legend was carried out by the French scientist Rene Guenon in his work “King of the World”, in which he came to the conclusion that they have a common source.

The traditional location of Agartha is considered to be Tibet or the Himalayas. In Agartha live the highest initiates, keepers of tradition, true teachers and rulers of the world. It is impossible for the uninitiated to achieve Agartha - only the elite become accessible to it.

According to Puranic literature, Agartha is an island located in the middle of a sea of ​​nectar. Travelers are transported there by a mystical golden bird. Chinese literature reported a tree and a fountain of immortality located in Agartha. Tibetan lamas depicted Aghartha in the center of an oasis, surrounded by rivers and high mountains.

There are legends about underground passages connecting Agartha with the outside world. F. Ossendovsky and N.K. Roerich reported on special underground and aerial vehicles that served its inhabitants for rapid movement.

Ancient Greek cities discovered at the bottom of the sea.

At the beginning of the article, we talked about the sensational discovery of archaeologists at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea - the cities of Heraklion, Canopus and Menoutis, previously known only from ancient Greek legends. From the bottom, a basalt bust of a certain pharaoh, a bust of a deity according to Serapis, and coins were raised, which made it possible to date the destruction of the ancient settlement to the 7th-8th centuries. BC. But, most importantly, three cities with preserved houses, towers, piers were discovered...

Canopus got its name in honor of the helmsman under King Menelaus, who died from a snake bite (and was immediately deified), and Menoutis - in honor of his wife. Heraklion, according to legend, was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. It was in this city that King Menelaus and Helen the Beautiful stopped on their way from the defeated Troy.

So, in any case, wrote the historian Herodotus, who visited Egypt in 450 BC. He also described the city’s landmark – the Tower of Hercules. It was a rich city, however, it lost its influence after the construction of Alexandria. Scientists suggest that Heraklion was flooded as a result of a strong earthquake. However, he, apparently, suffered almost no harm, but was only forever frozen in time at the bottom of the abyss.

Why did scientists (geophysicists from Stanford University who mapped the seabed using magnetic waves) make a guess about an earthquake? It's all about the nature of the arrangement of the columns and walls of the city, which lay in one direction. It is unknown whether visiting “maritime museums” will ever be available. Nevertheless, it would be very profitable for the state and interesting for tourists.

"Chichaburg": an underground city in Siberia.

At the end of the 90s of the last century, while taking aerial photographs of the Novosibirsk region, researchers 5 km from the regional center of Zdvinsk, on the shore of Lake Chicha, discovered an unusual anomaly: clear outlines of buildings appeared in the image, although there was steppe and lakes all around.

Houses underground?! Novosibirsk scientists, using special geophysical equipment provided by German colleagues, “enlightened” the mysterious place. The result exceeded all expectations: clear contours of streets, alleys, blocks, and powerful defensive structures appeared on the map. A real city is located on an area of ​​12-15 hectares.

During a study on Earth, on the outskirts of Chichaburg, something resembling a slag dump was discovered, which is usually left over from developed metallurgical production. The class stratification of the ancient Siberian city also turned out to be “illuminated”: “elite” stone palaces were adjacent to the stone houses of common people. A fragment of some ancient - hitherto unknown - civilization was rising from the ground...

According to preliminary excavations, the age of the settlement is VII-VIII centuries BC. It turns out that the town on the banks of the Chicha is the same age as the Trojan War? It is not easy for scientists to believe this - after all, such a discovery overturns many established concepts in history, archeology, and ethnography.

They say that many fantasy kingdoms that exist parallel to our world have secret gates in this reality. This means that you can, at a minimum, stand at the threshold of the unknown. About the entrances to mythical cities and worlds - in our story.

Fenugreek

Shambhala is the most famous fictional paradise in the Western world, which even inspired a science fiction writer to create Shangri-La. According to Buddhist tradition, Shambhala is a hidden kingdom, the basis of which is Buddhist traditions. The utopian kingdom also houses the great warrior Geser, who commands hordes of righteous people who will go to the human world to fight the demons. It is said that Shambhala can be entered through long-forgotten outposts established in Russia, Afghanistan, the ancient city of Balkh in the Himalayas, and the Sutlej Valley in India. Heinrich Himmler was convinced that Shambhala was the home of the Aryan race. The Nazis even wanted to recreate it and organized seven expeditions to find it. But the Dalai Lama argued that the entrance will not appear to you until you achieve a state of the same purity that reigns in the mystical city. Many believe that an entrance is not a physical place, but a state of mind, which means that all of the entrances listed above could be real.

Fairytale Kingdom

There are several legends associated with the Knockma Forest in the west of Ireland. They say that there, at the foot of the hill, the legendary warrior Queen Medb is buried, and the hill itself is the entrance to one of the fairy-tale kingdoms of Ireland. This kingdom is located in one of the stone circles that dot the hill, and is ruled by the fairy queen Finvarra. According to legend, Finvarra kidnapped the beautiful bride of an Irish lord, who ordered his men to dig up a hill to find her. But every night when people went to bed, the fairies restored the hill. To prevent them from continuing with the repairs, the lord scattered salt everywhere, and eventually dug a way into the kingdom to take his wife. Finvarra is also mentioned in 18th and 19th century legends as the protector of the nearby castle, keeper of the wine cellars, and a lucky charm at the races that brought victory to any horse. Nokkma is not just a legendary place: archaeologists have discovered a number of Neolithic sites and cairns here dating back to approximately 6000 - 7000 BC.

River Styx

The River Styx served as the main entrance to the underworld according to Greek mythology. The river is rumored to pass between two massive silver columns guarded by nymphs. According to legend, the water of the River Styx served as a lie detector for the gods - Zeus forced those who allegedly told lies to drink it. If they lied, they lost the ability to speak or move for a year. These symptoms are very similar to those experienced by Alexander the Great before his premature death due to a sudden unknown illness in 323 BC. The Greek commander experienced stabbing pain in the internal organs and joints, a severe fever and lost his voice, after which he fell into a coma. These symptoms are also very similar to those experienced by a person whose blood is exposed to calicheamicin, a toxin produced by bacteria found in limestone, which was found in high concentrations in the Mavroneri River.

Also known as the Black Water, the river flows from the Peloponnesian Mountains and has long been considered the real entrance to the River Styx. An ancient tradition claims that the water was as deadly as its mythical counterpart, so the only thing it could not dissolve was a boat made of horse hooves. If the speculation about Alexander the Great is true, it can be assumed that he did not die of malaria or typhoid fever, as previously thought, but was poisoned by someone who took water from the mythical River Styx.

Lost City Z

The Lost City of Z is a mythological city in the wilds of South America. Presumably, there was a large and highly developed civilization there. The writings of a 16th-century monk say it was settled by white natives and warrior women. Colonel Percy Fawcett disappeared into the Amazon jungle in 1925 while trying to follow a secret route. The details of his expedition and the disappearance of the group are shrouded in mystery. According to one version, the famous explorer went into the jungle not to find a lost city, but to found a new one, based on the worship of his little son, who accompanied him on the campaign.

Modern satellite imagery captured what Fawcett was looking for, not far from where he expected it to be. Fawcett believed that the entrance to the mythical city was somewhere in the Amazon basin between the tributaries of the Xingu and Tapajos rivers. More than 200 clay structures along the Brazilian border with Bolivia confirmed that this theory has a right to exist. Some structures date back to 200 AD, while others date back as recently as the 13th century. The entrance to the large, glittering city of Fawset appears to be a little further southwest from where it was last seen. Calculations show that the city was once home to about 60,000 people. It consisted not only of small buildings - some monuments were higher than the Egyptian pyramids.

Yomi No Kun

Yomi No Kun is part of Japanese mythology that predates the widespread belief in Buddhism. According to the myth, all creation was the product of a god named Izanagi and the goddess of his sister-wife Izanami. After Izanami died, creating a fire, her grief-stricken husband went to the underworld to get her. He discovered a dark and gloomy place where souls who retain their mortal bodies are doomed to rot for all eternity. Izanagi was forbidden to look at his wife until they reached the surface, but he caught a glimpse of her rotting, maggot-covered body. Because he dared to look at her in such a state, disgusting demons were sent in pursuit of Izanagi, who were supposed to pursue him back to the underworld. But he escaped and sealed the entrance to Yomi No Kun with a giant boulder. In response, Izanagi promised to send 1000 lives to the underworld every day, and Izanagi promised to create 1005 new ones. Today, visitors to the Matsue area of ​​Japan can see the boulder that Izanagi is said to have used to seal the entrance to the underworld. Yomotsu Hirasaka is the official name of the entrance supposedly located behind one of the boulders near Iya Srine. It is not yet clear which boulder hides the entrance. Izanami's grave is also nearby, as is a shrine.

Xibalba

At the height of its power, the Mayan empire stretched across Mexico and Central America, and its people's belief in the other world was very strong. Their resting place was Xibalba, which only the dead could enter and only after several trials: from crossing rivers of scorpions and pus to walking through a swarm of bats, following a dog that could see in the dark. There are several different entrances to Xibalba, but researchers recently discovered another one on the Yucatan Peninsula. The underground and partially underwater ruins of a massive labyrinth of caves contain some grim Mayan predictions. Archaeologists have discovered 11 different temples in the caves, along with signs of human sacrifice. There are a number of artifacts that were left as offerings to the dead, including pottery and stone figurines. Archaeologists excavating the cave also discovered massive stone columns and structures that were built underwater, indicating how much time, effort and faith it took to create such a shrine. Although it is not yet clear whether the myth of Xibalba is related to the cave or whether the caves support the myth, we can be sure that they are somehow connected.

Ghini Gate

According to Voodoo, souls pass through the Ghini Gate after death. Voodoo traditions differ from each other, and so do the descriptions of the gates. In New Orleans voodoo, ginis are spirits from the underworld that help transition from one form of life to another. The Gini Gates are portals to this underworld, consisting of seven gates. It takes seven days to pass through all the gates, and if the spirit fails, it can return to earth and become a zombie. Some voodoo priests believe that these seven gates are located in seven different cemeteries in New Orleans, although the exact location and numbering of the gates is a closely guarded secret. Signs to find the gate are scattered throughout the city and often take the form of sigils (magical symbols) so that those knowledgeable enough can decipher them. The gates are easier to find during the holidays of Mardi Gras and All Saints' Day, but simply finding them is not enough. You need to approach the gates and open them in the correct order, as well as please their guards. If done incorrectly, evil and dangerous spirits will enter our world.

Garden of the Hesperides

According to Greek mythology, Gaia gave Hera trees with golden apples that grew in the garden of the Hesperides as a wedding gift. Hercules had to steal one of the apples - this is his eleventh test that he had to pass in order to save the Earth. The gardens are said to be located in the Moroccan coastal city of Lixous. Now its old walls and buildings have been destroyed. The location of the gardens is mentioned in a maritime journal from Hellenistic Greece, but in other places, including in the city of Cyrene and on one of the islands off the coast of Libya.

Newgrange

Newgrange is a large burial ground that was built in Ireland in the Boyne Valley over 5,000 years ago. It became not only astronomical know-how, but also one of the entrances to the Celtic underworld. According to Celtic mythology, the gods traveled back and forth between the earth and their own worlds through special burial mounds such as Newgrange. Designed as the entrance to a banquet hall for the so-called Lords of Light, Newgrange is meant to lead to a world where no one ever dies. There is an endless supply of food and drink, as well as magical trees that constantly bear fruit. The oldest myth about Newgrange speaks of him as a personification of the River Boyne and a house with a well, which was the source of all wisdom in the world. The trees at the well dropped their nuts into the water, which created all the knowledge that exists in the human world. The next otherworldly inhabitant associated with Newgrange is the Dagda, one of the oldest Irish gods who personifies knowledge, the sun, and the sky. They say he protects her to this day.

Scholomance

Scholomance is a mythical school whose stories were reflected in Romanian folklore until Emily Gerard wrote about it. According to Gerard's story, 10 students who were taught by the devil himself entered Scholomance. They learned all of his spells and tricks, including communicating with animals and controlling the weather. After the training program ended, only nine students were released. The devil kept the latter for himself as payment, and sent him into an infinitely deep lake, where he lived until the devil needed to make a huge thunderstorm with lightning with his help. In this story, Scholomance is a little different from traditional Romanian. In Romanian folklore it is called Solomanari and is located in a world that exists parallel to ours. After reading Gerard's work, Bram Stoker used the idea of ​​Scholomance in Dracula to explain how Dracula's family gained their demonic powers. The lake where the Devil's assistant sleeps is located high in the Carpathians, where thunderstorms supposedly rage every day. Anyone looking for a lake will know they have found it when they see the mounds along the shore of the lake, which symbolize those who have been struck by the devil's lightning.

Land of lazy people

The Land of Lazy People, also known as Schlaraffenland, is a utopian mythological city. Those who go there can find whatever their heart desires. Especially when it comes to food. The walls are made of large pieces of bacon, the roofs are made of pies and pancakes, and the fences are made of sausages. Wine flows in all fountains, and in rivers there is milk instead of water. Pies with meat or fruit grow on trees. Even the weather has something to do with food: snow made from sugar, hail made from jelly beans. Plus, you can literally make money in your sleep. Unlike most other mythical places, those who were allowed into the Land of Lazy People were not those who were good and led a righteous life, but those who were very hungry. In order to get there, you need to go to North Gommelin, a city in northern France. The entrance is in a huge mountain of porridge. Anyone who wants to get to the city must make his way by eating porridge on his way, so to get there you need a huge appetite.