Clancy Tucker's Blog: CITIES

Showing posts with label CITIES. Show all posts

28 April 2022 - NUSHABAD UNDERGROUND CITY - IRAN

NUSHABAD

UNDERGROUND CITY

- IRAN -

G'day folks,

Welcome to a 1,500-year-old, 3-story subterranean city where ancient Persians took refuge in times of war.

Just north of Kashan, in the small town of Nushabad, Iran (also spelled Noosh Abad), lies a sprawling underground city. Despite its impressive scale, the ancient buried shelter was completely unknown until a decade ago, when an oblivious resident stumbled upon a tunnel while digging a sewage ditch in his home.

What was discovered was an extensive, 1,500-year-old underground city, set between 3 to 18 meters (10 to 60 feet) deep. The labyrinthine network was comprised of three stories of tunnels, chambers, air ducts, staircases, canals, and booby traps. It’s considered a marvel of ancient architecture and engineering.

Construction of this man-made subterranean city, called Ouee (or Ouyi), dates back to the Sasanian (or Neo-Persian) Empire that ruled from 224 to 651. Inhabitants would dig underground chambers as hideout spots for women, children, and the elderly in the event of an attack by foreign invaders.

Over the years, the individual chambers were amalgamated, and air ducts, water pipes, storage spaces, and toilets were all built—creating a sustainable underground city that was used as a refuge during times of war. Each family had their own room of sorts, with a tunnel running down the length of these rooms, similar to a hotel hallway.

Clancy's comment: What an extraordinary find.

I'm ...

27 January 2022 - THE GIGANTIC AMBOHIMANGA MAIN GATE

THE GIGANTIC

AMBOHIMANGA

MAIN GATE

G'day folks,

This giant disc-shaped gate took 20 men to close off this city in Madagascar.

In the 18th century, Ambohimanga was a town that needed to protect its royal family. Shielded naturally by forests, the town also erected a massive wall, and seven outer gates to protect its people. The main entrance of these seven gates guarding the town from attackers was known as Ambatomitsangana, the standing stone, and it proudly still waits in position to be used for protection.

The standing stone is exactly as it sounds, a massive stone disc weighing 12 tons. As with many walled cities of the Merina Kingdom in Madagascar at the time, the gates were created out of circular discs that were pushed into position by hordes of men every night. The stone disc guarding Ambohimanga took 20 men, and was over 130 feet in circumference. Each night, these guards would roll the stone into position, blocking off the main entrance to the town.

Today, the entire Ambohimanga area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is home to royal burial grounds, the queen’s pavilions and the gigantic standing stone.