These artifacts and landmarks can disappear forever

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The history of mankind is long and multifaceted. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that many historical monuments and other attractions have survived on the planet. But time is relentless, and even the most unique objects sooner or later are destroyed, and very soon only photographs will remain of them.

Here are six famous landmarks that humanity is about to lose.

1. Dead Sea (Israel, Palestine, Jordan)

In a sense, the Dead Sea is a sacred place, because, according to legend, it appeared on the site of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were burned in the Old Testament. And it seemed that this reminder of a sinful place through and through would exist forever. However, history and climate change have clearly demonstrated that this is not the case.

Over the past half century, the area of the Dead Sea has decreased by more than a third, and this process, according to experts, is irreversible.

The main reason for the drying up of the reservoir, they say, is the continuous use by people of water from the Jordan, which is the main source of food for the Dead Sea. Therefore, biologists predict that the saltiest body of water in the world will disappear after a while, and only a salt marsh will remain after it.

2. Chan Chan, Peru

Chan Chan has for many years been the largest and most prosperous city in South America, which was built in the pre-Columbian era by the highly developed Chimu civilization.

The main material for the construction of the architectural complex was adobe - a mixture of clay and straw. During the period of its highest prosperity, the city was truly advanced: the builders provided for an irrigation system for water supply and irrigation and used non-trivial architectural structures.

However, at the end of the 15th century, the city began to come under attack by the Incas, who eventually conquered it. Since then, the period of decline of Chan-Chan began. The situation worsened after the Spanish conquistadors took possession of the city. And the earthquake completed the destruction of Chan-Chan: he was abandoned by people and began to slowly collapse.

To date, part of the Chan-Chan architectural complex, according to researchers, will soon be leveled to the ground. Still, the material made of clay and straw can hardly be called strong and monolithic. In addition, experts note that the process of destruction is also influenced by climatic changes on the planet - general warming only accelerates the destruction of a unique historical monument.

3. Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest ecosystem object on the planet, which is formed by living organisms. Its area is so large that it can be seen even from the Earth's orbit.

The stunning exterior and unique flora and fauna attract a huge number of tourists to the Australian sightseeing. But such a frantic demand leads to the fact that the Great Barrier Reef is increasingly threatened with extinction.

The huge flow of tourists will inevitably negatively affect the integrity of the facility. In addition, reefs are discolored by global warming conditions.

Another serious threat is the constant attacks of starfish: it turns out that they feed on corals. The Australian authorities are taking a number of measures to preserve the unique ecosystem - from many bans for tourists to funding the restoration of the reef - but whether they can save it, only time will tell.

4. Great Wall of China, China

The Great Wall of China is rightfully called one of the wonders of the world. Its history is more than two thousand years old, however, alas, it remains much less.

In recent decades, experts consider its condition so deplorable that, according to their estimates, the unique monument of antiquity will stand no more than several decades.

The main reasons for such a depressing situation are called both the influence of the environment, for example, soil erosion, and the human factor: in this case, the stream is about an uninterrupted flow of tourists and the development of agriculture.

Vandals paint the wall with graffiti, and the enterprising local population regularly "raids" the structure, simply disassembling it over the stones for their own needs.

Ultimately, this led to the fact that already the third part of the wall was destroyed, and this process is irreversible.

Interesting fact:it is believed that the Great Wall of China is so large that it can be seen from Earth's orbit. In fact, this statement is nothing more than a myth. It turns out that the monument of the ancient fortification merges with the surrounding landscape, and the astronauts did not manage to see it from space.

5. Uplistsikhe, Georgia

Uplistsikhe is a real cave city located on the territory of Georgia. Built in 1000 BC, the site remained inhabited until the 19th century. In the twentieth century, Uplistsikhe received the status of an open-air museum and, in combination, became a popular tourist attraction. However, at the end of the last century, the situation began to deteriorate rapidly.

Uplistsikhe suffered serious damage at first due to natural changes - erosion of sandstone. However, in 2000, another fatal event for the historical monument occurred - a powerful earthquake, which caused damage to many structures. Experts, assessing the state of the museum, concluded that Uplistsikhe did not have long to be completely destroyed.

6. Venice, Italy

A real gem of Italian architecture and one of the most visited tourist destinations on the planet, Venice, it would seem, will always delight humanity with its landscapes and gondola rides. But in reality, everything is not so rosy: a unique city can also disappear from the face of the earth, because it gradually goes under water. And it's not just the regular floods.

There are several reasons for such a threatening process.

First, the pillars in the historic center of the city, built several centuries ago, are simply not able to cope with the increasing load on them.

And secondly, it is the well-known human factor: the tourist flow in Venice can rightly be called inexhaustible, and it literally puts pressure on the city. In addition, the condition of the canals deteriorates: they dry out more and more, become overgrown with algae and exude a not very pleasant aroma.