Portrait of a male author with glasses standing against a concrete wall, wearing a green shirt and jacket.

Edward C.

Varosha: The Mediterranean Resort Frozen Behind Barbed Wire for 50 Years

39,000 people fled Varosha in August 1974, expecting to return within days. Fifty years later, their hotels still stand behind barbed wire — and no one has gone home.

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Varosha: The Mediterranean Resort Frozen Behind Barbed Wire for 50 Years

Abandoned towns

Step into the silence of abandoned towns and ghost cities. From desert ruins to evacuated settlements, discover the communities that vanished and the structures left behind.

Uranium City: Canada's Atomic Ghost Town on the Edge of the World

Uranium City: Canada's Atomic Ghost Town on the Edge of the World

Canada built a model city in the subarctic to mine uranium for the Cold War. On December 3, 1981, a man in a corporate jet told 5,000 people it was over.

Portrait of a male author wearing a cap and backpack, smiling with a city skyline at sunset in the background.

Houtouwan: The Chinese Fishing Village Swallowed by the Sea of Green

A fishing village 64 km from Shanghai held 2,000 people in the 1980s. By 2002 it was empty. Then the vines arrived, and sealed every window, roof, and door shut.

Sewell: The Vertical Ghost Town Chile Built for American Copper

15,000 people lived on a 40-degree cliff with no streets and no cars. Chile emptied Sewell in the 1970s and nearly demolished it. Now it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Diego A.

Bokor Hill Station: Cambodia's Abandoned Colonial Resort

Tragedies & Disasters

Bokor Hill Station: Cambodia's Abandoned Colonial Resort

Nine hundred workers died building a French luxury resort on a sacred Cambodian mountain. Abandoned three times, it now hosts a billion-dollar casino — and a darker secret behind the hotel.

Edward C.

Tragedies & Disasters

Te Wairoa: New Zealand's Buried Village

A ghost war canoe appeared on the lake. Old priest said it meant death, but nobody listened. Eleven days later, Mount Tarawera buried his village alive.

Portrait of a female author smiling in warm evening light on a city street.

Old Town Al-Ula (Al-Deerah): Saudi Arabia's Abandoned Mudbrick Labyrinth

900 mudbrick houses abandoned in the 1980s — built on 3,000 years of forgotten kingdoms. Now Saudi Arabia is spending billions to rebuild what it emptied.

Pyramiden: The Soviet Utopia at the Edge of the World

Why does the world’s northernmost grand piano sit silent in the freezing High Arctic? Step inside Pyramiden, the abandoned Soviet "utopia" on Svalbard where time stopped in 1998.

Ocean Flower Island: China's $12 Billion Ghost Town

Ocean Flower Island cost $12 billion to build on dead coral reefs. Its founder is in prison. Its politicians convicted. Now it's China's most expensive ghost town.

Forest City, Malaysia: The Futuristic Ghost Town Rising from the Sea

Forest City was built for 700,000 people on destroyed seagrass in Malaysia. Only 9,000 live there. The $100B ghost town's full story.

Craco: The Medieval Ghost Town Sliding Off the Face of Southern Italy

Why does this 1,000-year-old fortress stand completely empty? Uncover the tragedy of Craco, Italy’s most famous ghost town and the backdrop for The Passion of the Christ.

Vozrozhdeniya Island (Aralsk-7): The Soviet Union's Secret Bioweapons Lab

Discover Aralsk-7, the secret Soviet lab that tested anthrax, plague, and smallpox on a vanishing Aral Sea island.

Portrait of a female author standing against a brick wall, wearing a green jacket and grey shirt.

Plymouth, Montserrat: The World’s Only Buried Capital City

Once the capital of Montserrat, Plymouth now lies buried beneath volcanic ash. Discover the tragic story of the Caribbean’s modern Pompeii.

Bodie, California: The Ghost Town of The Most Violent Gold Rush Site

Step back into 1880 at Bodie State Historic Park, the largest unrestored ghost town in the West. Wander through deserted streets and uncover the brutal history of the West's most lawless boomtown and the 'Bodie Curse' that ensures nothing ever leaves.

Ochate: The Abandoned Village of Witches and the Dark Secrets of the Basque Country

Uncover the dark secrets of Ochate, the abandoned Basque village known for witchcraft, devil pacts, and unexplained disappearances. Learn about the Spanish Inquisition’s witch trials, the eerie phenomena reported by visitors, and the fight to preserve its dark history.

Centralia, Pennsylvania: The Town Consumed by an Underground Fire

Explore the haunting story of Centralia, Pennsylvania, the town consumed by an underground fire that has burned for over 60 years. Learn about the origins of the fire, its devastating impact on the community, and the stories of the holdouts who refused to leave.

Edward C.