d e r o l p x e n u 21 places featuring the most mysterious
on ear th
The mystery of Easter Island The incredible rock houses and underground cities of Cappadocia Socotra: Yemen’s Legendary Island
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The place were everybody wears masks
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con 06 Hoia Baciu Forest, Romania. This forest is known as the “Bermuda Triangle” of Romania. Multiple people have gone missing in it, people have sighted UFOs, there has been unexplained electrical phenomena and more. —Sara Heddleston
08 The place where everybody wears masks
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The age old adage home is where the heart is finds its true meaning in Miyakejima, a small island located in southeast Japan. —Savannah Cox
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14 The Mystery of Easter Island New findings rekindle old debates about when the first people arrived and why their civilization collapsed —Whitney Dangerfield
20 The Incredible Rock Houses and Underground Cities of Cappadocia Cappadocia, a dreamy slice of central Turkey dotted with ‘fairy-chimneys’ (rock formations), has a history every bit as remarkable as its landscape. —April Holloway
26 Socotra: Yemen’s Legend Island
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Isolated Socotra, 220 miles from mainland Yemen, is home to a panoply of strange plants and animals uniquely adapted to the hot, harsh, windswept island. — Mel White
36 The spirits of Oradour-sur-Glane.
This is a small French village that was decimated by the Nazis in WWII. The entire city was burned and almost every inhabitant was executed. The remnants of the village still stand today. —Sara Heddleston
40 The Door to Hell in Turkmenistan. Once a gas field, but the Soviets set it on fire. Now, it has been burning for over 40 years. —Anna Fleet
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The Mystery o
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of Easter Island
New findings rekindle old debates about when the first people arrived and why their civilization collapsed. —Whitney Dangerfield
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Easter Island covers roughly 64 square miles in the South Pacific Ocean, and is located some 2,300 miles from Chile’s west coast and 2,500 miles east of Tahiti. Known as Rapa Nui to its earliest inhabitants, the island was christened Paaseiland, or Easter Island, by Dutch explorers in honor of the day of their arrival in 1722. It was annexed by Chile in the late 19th century and now maintains an economy based largely on tourism. Easter Island’s most dramatic claim to fame is an array of almost 900 giant stone figures that date back many centuries. The statues reveal their creators to be master craftsmen and engineers, and are distinctive among other stone sculptures found in Polynesian cultures. There has been much speculation about the exact purpose of the statues, the role they played in the ancient civilization of Easter Island and the way they may have been constructed and transported. 01
EARLY SETTLEMENT The first human inhabitants of Rapa Nui (the Polynesian name for Easter Island; its Spanish name is Isla de Pascua) are believed to have arrived in an organized party of emigrants around 300–400 A.D. Tradition holds that the first king of Rapa Nui was HotoMatua, a ruler from a Polynesian subgroup (possibly from the Marquesa Islands) whose ship traveled thousands of miles before landing at Anakena, one of the few sandy beaches on the island’s rocky coast. The greatest evidence for the rich culture developed by the original settlers of Rapa Nui and their descendants is the existence of nearly 900 giant stone statues that have been found in diverse locations
Between the early and middle periods, evidence has shown that many early statues were deliberately destroyed. around the island. Averaging 13 feet (4 meters) high, with a weight of 13 tons, these enormous stone busts—known as moai—were carved out of tuff (the light, porous rock formed by consolidated volcanic ash) and placed atop ceremonial stone platforms called ahus. It is still unknown precisely why these statues were constructed in such numbers and on such a scale, or how they were moved around the island.
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PHASES OF ISLAND CULTURE Archaeological excavations of Easter Island reveal three distinct cultural phases: the early period (700–850 A.D.), the middle
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EASTER ISLAND
LOCATION A Polynesian island positioned in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 3,510 km (2,180 mi) west of continental Chile. LANGUAGE The official language of Easter Island is Spanish, but most of the Rapanui speak Rapa Nui, a Polynesian language closely related to Tahitian. Basic English is spoken by most people working in the tourist industry. POPULATION The island population is currently about 6,000 people, about 50% of whom are Rapa Nui, i.e. of Polynesian descent, while the remainder are from mainland Chile, together with a handful of foreigners. A STRANGE FACT Ahu Akivi is a sanctuary and celestial observatory built about 1500 AD which was the subject of the first serious restoration accomplished on Easter Island by archaeologists William Mulloy and Gonzalo Figueroa, with excellent results. As in the case of many religious structures on Easter Island, it has been situated with astronomical precision: it’s seven statues look towards the point where the sun sets during the equinox. It is also aligned to the moon. Ahu Akivi is an unusual site in several respects. A low ahu supports 7 statues all very similar in height and
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style. The site is odd in that it is located far inland and
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the statues were erected to face the ocean. The only site where this was done. A STRANGE THEORY In discussing the Moai, Erich Von Daniken, a famous Swiss theorist about ancient civilizations, suggested that these great engineering feats could only be explained by the presence of extra-terrestrials years ago. Von Daniken suggested, “The men who could execute such perfect work must have possessed ultra-modern tools… A small group of intelligent beings was stranded on Easter Island owing to a ‘technical hitch.’ The stranded group had a great store of knowledge, very advanced weapons and a method of working stone unknown to us… Perhaps to leave the natives a lasting memory of their stay, but perhaps also as a sign to the friends who were looking for them, the strangers extracted a colossal statue from the volcanic stone. Then they made more stone giants which they set up on stone pedestals along the coast so that they were visible from afar… In the remote past there were intelligences with an advanced technology for whom the covering of vast distances in aircraft of the most varied kinds was no problem.” 02
01 Rema ins of Ea s ter Island’s fores t s, R ano Kao crater.
(Erich Von Daniken, Return to the Stars, 1972)
02 War r ior blowing in a shell dur ing Tapat i Fes t iva l.
0 3 Moa i at Ahu Tongar iki.
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“In the middle of the Great Ocean, in a region where no one ever passes, there is a mysterious and isolated island; there is no land in the vicinity and, for more than eight hundred leagues in all directions, empty and moving vastness surrounds it. It is planted with tall, monstrous statues, the work of some now vanished race, and its past remains an enigma.”
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—Pierre Loti
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The Incredible Rock Houses and Underground Cities of
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Cappadocia, a dreamy slice of central Turkey dotted with ‘fairy-chimneys’ (rock formations), has a history every bit as remarkable as its landscape. Volcanic eruptions created this surreal moonscape: the lava flows formed tuff rock, which wind and rain sculpted into sinuous valleys with curvy cliff faces and pointy fairy chimneys. Cappadocians chiseled homes in the soft rock, paving the way for cave-dwelling hippies and today’s boutique fairy-chimney hotels.
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—April Holloway
01 V iew Cave Hotel, Gรถreme town.
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The region of Cappadocia in central Turkey is home to one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world—deep valleys and soaring rock formations dotted with homes, chapels, tombs, temples and entire subterranean cities harmoniously carved into the natural landforms. Cities, empires and religions have risen and fallen around these unique underground havens, yet they remain occupied to this day. Through the ages, the Hittites, Persians, Alexander the Great, Rome, The Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire, and Turkey have all governed this spectacular region of Central Anatolia. Cappadocia covers the region between the cities of Nevsehir, Ürgüp and Avanos, the sites of Karain, Karlık, Yesilöz, Soganlı and the subterranean cities of Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu. One hundred square miles with more than 200 underground villages and tunnel towns complete with hidden passages, secret rooms and ancient temples and a remarkably storied history of each new civilization building on the work of the last, make Cappadocia one of the world’s most striking and largest cave-dwelling regions of the world. THE LANDSCAPE OF CAPPADOCIA Standing 1,000 meters above sea level, the Cappadocian relief is a high plateau, pierced by volcanic peaks that create a visually stunning landscape, which includes dramatic expanses of rock, shaped, into towers, cones, valleys, and caves. From a distance, Cappadocia appears like a deserted land, however, with closer examination, it is possible to spot the small, winding paths and beautifully-carved homes scattered within the unique land formations. The rock formations that make up Cappadocia were created by volcanic eruptions, erosion, and wind. Over three million years ago a volcanic eruption deposited a blanket of ash across the 1500 square mile landscape which formed into a soft rock. This rock, slowly eaten away by wind and time, has created some spectacular forms. Although the area has been extensively used and modified by man for centuries, the resulting landscape is one of harmony and consideration of the intrinsic values of the natural landforms. But nowhere else is the ingeniousness of the ancient architecture more visible than in the nearby subterranean cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli. Derinkuyu is eleven levels deep, has 600 entrances, many miles of tunnels connecting it to other underground cities, and can accommodate thousands of people. It is truly an underground city, with areas for sleeping, stables for livestock, wells, water tanks, pits for cooking, ventilation shafts, communal rooms, bathrooms, and tombs. And Derinkuyu is not alone. More than forty complete underground cities and 200 underground structures have been discovered in the Cappadocia, many of them connecting to each other via tunnel.
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Most people didn’t live in the underground cities full time. Underneath the cities was a vast network of tunnels, connecting each home in the area to the city. When the area came under attack, families would flee to their basements, rush through the dark tunnels, and gather in the underground city. Unwary soldiers could be caught in the many traps laid throughout the labyrinthine corridors, such as stones which could be rolled to block doorways, and holes in the ceiling through which spears could be dropped. Invaders were further outwitted by the Christian builders who made their tunnels narrow, forcing their enemies to fight, and be picked off, one by one.
More than forty complete underground cities and 200 underground structures have been discovered in Cappadocia, many of them connecting to each other via tunnel. THE 4 PLACES YOU MUST VISIT IN CAPPADOCIA 01 Göreme Open-Air Museum: In a relatively small area you will see a lifetime’s quota of cave churches and paintings. This is one of those places you must see once, but like a suspense movie it loses its allure once you know the ending. 02 Underground Cities: Derinkuyu, Kaymakli… There are many underground cities but these are the two most famous, most visited. Derinkuyu is the deepest (around 8 stories) and Kaymakli is the broadest. There is no signage in either so hiring a guide is recommended. If you go on your own, you will find a guide waiting after you enter the tunnels. You can negotiate a price. The entry fee is 15TL per person. You can book a day tour through your hotel (or a travel agent) that will go to Derenkuyu and Ihlara (among other places) for around 70TL per person which includes transportation, a guide, and lunch. You only need to see one of these. 03 Göreme: Fairy Chimneys, hotels, restaurants, carpet
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and antique shops and those who work in them is what you will find in the quaint town of Göreme, barely bigger than a village. The people are friendly and this is a good place to buy a carpet if you are looking for one. 04 01
Avanos: This river side town is the Mecca for pottery with master potters setting up shop on every corner. You should definitely visit one of the shops but be careful not to get ripped off. I would recommend the smaller shops as mentioned in this post. If you go to a big shop, only buy a piece made by the master as it will be the only unique item in the shop. Also, feel free to take advantage of the opportunity to get a free lesson and try to throw your own pot.
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01 Kaymakli underground cit y.
02 Göreme town.
0 3 Göreme Open-A ir Museum.
0 4 Avanos.
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Socotra:
Yemen’s Legendary Island
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Isolated Socotra, 220 miles from mainland Yemen, is home to a panoply of strange plants and animals uniquely adapted to the hot, harsh, windswept island.
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—Mel White It’s nearly midnight on the broad hill called Firmihin, where a dragon’s blood forest grows. The moon, a night past full, floods the jagged landscape with cool silver. Inside the rock wall of a shepherd’s compound, flames light the faces of four people sitting barefoot around a fire, sharing a pot of hot tea mixed with fresh goat’s milk.
small, paper-wrapped package. Would I like to buy some frankincense? Neehah takes a tiny piece and places it on a coal from the fire. Smoke rises and swirls, and we breathe the lush scent that perfumed the funerals of Egyptian pharaohs and the temples of Greek gods.
Neehah Maalha wears a saronglike garment called a fouta; his wife, Metagal, wears a long dress and matching head scarf in rich purple. They talk about their lives on the island of Socotra, in a language whose origins are lost in time—unchanged for centuries and understood today by fewer people than live in Ames, Iowa. Although the couple can’t read, they know that the new sign down the hill says that Firmihin has been declared a protected nature reserve. Foreigners come to their village, they say, to photograph the dragon’s blood trees and the desert rose plants and the mishhahir flowers. Scientists come and turn over rocks, claiming to be collecting insects and lizards. What are they really looking for? Two hundred twenty miles across the Arabian Sea from the rest of troubled Yemen, Socotra was once a legendary place at the edge of maps of the known world.
01 Socotra Sa lt Pans.
02 The Baobab tree.
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For sailors it was fearsome, with dangerous shoals, ferocious storms, and residents who were believed to control winds and turn ships toward shore for capture and plunder. Today Socotra’s rich biological diversity brings new explorers, who hope to learn its secrets before the modern world changes it forever. Suddenly the worry on Metagal’s face gives way to a bemused smile. She disappears into the darkness and returns to offer me a
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The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all tapped the treasures of Socotra’s natural world: aromatic resins such as frankincense, medicinal aloe extract, and the dark red sap of the dragon’s blood tree, used for healing and as an artist’s color. Adventurers came to harvest the island’s wealth, despite stories that it was guarded by giant snakes living in its caves. The Queen of Sheba, Alexander the Great, and Marco Polo were among those who coveted Socotra’s riches. The value of incense and dragon’s blood peaked during the time of the Roman Empire. Afterward, the island served mostly as a way station for traders, passing centuries in relative cultural isolation. Socotra’s residents lived generation after generation as their ancestors had: the mountain Bedouin minding their goats, the coastal residents fishing, and everyone harvesting dates. Island history was passed down through poetry, recited in the Socotri language. …
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Other than its strategic location off the Horn of Africa, there simply wasn’t anything about Socotra that interested the outside world. But that has changed. Research around the turn of the 20th century proved that this tropical island, despite its size of only 83 by 27 miles, ranks among the world’s most important centers of biodiversity, combining elements of Africa, Asia, and Europe in ways that still puzzle biologists. The number of endemic plant species (those found nowhere else) per square mile on Socotra and three small outlying islands is the fourth highest of any island group on Earth—after Seychelles, New Caledonia, and Hawaii. The Hajhir Mountains, the rugged granite peaks that rise to nearly 5,000 feet in the center of the island, are likely home to the highest density of endemic plants in southwest Asia. Every vista on Socotra, from the hot, dry lowlands to the mist-shrouded mountains, reveals wonders seen nowhere else.
One sweltering afternoon I took a walk near the dusty town of Hadibu with botanist Lisa Banfield, a Socotra specialist then on the staff of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. We climbed a rocky hillside and stopped beside a plant that would have been at home in a Salvador Dalí painting—a squat thing that looked as though a much taller tree had simply melted in the heat. Its fuchsia flowers inspired the common name desert rose, though it’s no more a rose than I am a porpoise. “This is a famous example of a strategy that Socotra plants have evolved to withstand the harsh drought conditions here,” Banfield said. “This is Adenium obesum sokotranum. It also grows on the Arabian and African mainlands, but there it’s much smaller than on Socotra. Its trunk stores water, and it grows in these weird and wonderful shapes to anchor itself into the rocks. Some people call it grotesque, but I actually think it’s a very attractive tree.” Spoken with the true
The Queen of Sheba, Alexander the Great, and Marco Polo were among those who coveted Socotra’s riches. soul of a scientist. One 19th-century visitor called the desert rose “the ugliest tree in creation.” We walked a few yards to a plant that would be the undisputed weirdness champion
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anywhere but Socotra—one that could also deserve the species name obesum. Its swollen trunk rose above our heads, topped by a floppy mop of leafy branches sprouting haphazardly like dreadlocks. “In its growth habit this is very similar to Adenium,” Banfield said, “but actually it’s Dendrosicyos socotrana—the cucumber tree.” Cucumber? “Yes, it’s the only tree species in Cucurbitaceae, a family that we’d expect to be growing as straggly climbers or vines. But here you can see some really big ones, with huge trunks. They look completely out of this world.” It is, however, another endemic tree, the dragon’s blood, that’s come to symbolize Socotra, its distinctive shape even depicted on Yemen’s 20-rial coin. A relative of the common houseplants of the genus Dracaena, it grows on the plateaus and mountains over much of the island. The most extensive dragon’s blood forests are found on Firmihin, where I would spent the evening with Neehah and
Metagal. The next day, under a relentless sun, Lisa Banfield and her Socotra colleague Ahmed Adeeb took me out for a hike around Firmihin.
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The landscape was a jumble of limestone rocks eroded into knife-edge shapes. The burnt brown harshness was interrupted here and there by the brilliant crimson flowers of the succulent mishhahir, as anomalous as a flag on the moon. All around us dragon’s blood trees lifted their branches skyward, looking, as many have remarked, like blown-out umbrellas. Even in a forest of dragon’s blood, the individual trees keep their distance, like shy people at a party. Hundreds and hundreds of dragon’s blood trees stretched in all directions, but Banfield pointed out a troubling fact: Almost no young trees sprouted from the rocks beneath the mature ones. Many plants here rely on mists for water. Some of Socotra’s rarest endemics grow on steep cliffs in the mountains and around
01 Socotra is home to some of the s tranges t-looking plant s.
02 An oa sis in Socotra, Yemen.
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Socotra, the most alien place on earth.
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DID YOU KNOW? The Socotran Dragon’s Blood tree faces a realistic risk of extinction on the island. An “endemic” species is one that is restricted in distribution. In other words, it can be found in only one place in the world and does not occur anywhere else. Socotra has many endemics. Socotra was once invaded by Portuguese, of which the 03
01 Socotra’s ter ra in is fa scinat ing and diver se.
remains of a fort are still present.
02 Dragon’s Blood tree.
0 3 Socotra is known for it s a lien-looking trees.
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