Originally a British-owned merchant warehouse, this crumbling complex in Taiwan has been overtaken by nature—much to our visual delight. After the warehouse was vacated sometime in the 19th century, a nearby banyan tree forced its way through the building’s brick … Read More
Asia
Al Madam – United Arab Emirates
Closely resembling Namibia’s Kolmanskop, Al Madam is yet another sand-buried village, this one located in a desert about 40 miles southeast of Dubai. The village—which was most likely built in the 1970s and abandoned shortly after—is made up of two … Read More
Hashima Island – Nagasaki – Japan
Hashima Island was once the most densely populated island in the world; now it’s completely empty. People became interested in the island after finding an underwater coal deposit directly under it. As time went on, tightly packed apartment complexes were constructed for … Read More
Kangbashi – Ordos – China
Welcome to the most modern ghost town you’ll ever see. Located in the city of Ordos (a subdivision of Inner Mongolia), Kangbashi New Area was intended to be a 130-square-mile residential area built to accommodate some one million people. Construction … Read More
Houtouwan – Shengshan Island
Houtouwan—a former fishing village located about 87 miles southeast of Shanghai—has been uninhabited for several decades, but this is not your average ghost town. Instead of covered in dust and rubble, these buildings are almost entirely covered with creeping ivy … Read More
Gereja-Ayam – “Chicken-Church”
If you ever find yourself in the jungles of central Java, you might stumble upon a dilapidated church that’s equal parts awesome and confusing: Gereja Ayam, also known as the “Chicken Church.” The church (which the architect intended to be … Read More
Shibam – Yemen
Known as the “oldest skyscraper city” in the world, Shibam is the longest-surviving example of buildings over five stories high. Because these structures are made of mud bricks and are believed to be dated back as far as the 16th … Read More
The City of Petra (The Rose City) – Jordan
This massive archeological site is famous for being built by carving entire buildings out of a rock face. Sometimes called the “Rose City” for the natural color of the stone, Petra is receding because of a mixture of erosion and … Read More
The Door to Hell – Turkmenistan
n the depths of Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert, the Door to Hell was set alight in 1971 after engineers feared it was emitting poisonous gases. Over 40 years later the gaping inferno continues to rage, drawing in the small number of … Read More
The Sundarbans – India – Bangladesh
On the border of India and Bangladesh, the Sundarbans (or “beautiful forests”) is home to a wealth of threatened species, from the tree-climbing mudskipper fish to the world’s last population of mangrove-dwelling tigers. Today, this World Heritage Biosphere is under increasing threat from harmful … Read More
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