(In Pics) Seven Lesser-Known Ruins of Asia

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Many of the ancient ruins which litter our landscape remain poorly understood. Often rendered inaccessible by geography, hidden away in the dense, impenetrable forests and jungles, such ruins are unfamiliar next to the famous tourist destinations.

So it is with Asis, the cradle of so many competing civilizations and cultures. Many of the ancient buildings, from the Taj Mahal of India to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, are rightfully considered wonders of the world.

However, Asia has many more secrets to offer, mysterious buildings and structures which defy belief. Here are seven of the strangest and least well known.

1. Por Bazhyn

*Por-Bazhyn* *(also Por-Bajin) are the ruins of a large walled structure found on an island in Lake Tere-Khol, in the Republic of Tuva in southern Siberia, Russia.* It is possible that Por-Bazhyn was a pilgrimage destination, some kind of holy site or important location to which the nomadic tribes would make a pilgrimage, but the lack of heating suggests this was not a permanent settlement (Por-Bajin Fortress Foundation / *CC BY 4.0*)

2. Whalebone Alley of Yttygran Island

*In the far east of* *Russia*, in the Bering Sea lies Yttygran Island. Otherwise deserted, on the northern shore of the small island a series of whale bones can be found. These skulls, ribs and vertebrae are carefully arranged into what appears to be a processional route, but whoever placed them there is long gone (National Ocean Service / *Public Domain*)

3. The Sanxingdui of China

*The* *Sanxingdui*, located in China and the source of nearly 13,000 artifacts which have been recovered to date, poses almost as many questions now as the day it was found. Believed to have existed in the eleventh and twelfth centuries BC in the Chinese *Bronze Age, we have found two enormous sacrificial pits containing thousands of votive offerings… and next to nothing else (Gary Todd /* *Public Domain*)

4. Ban Chiang

*Ban Chiang, easily dismissed as a few clay pots in the ground, is in fact one of the most important archaeological sites in all Asia. The mounds of* *Ban Chiang* *are closely linked with the early development of farming and animal rearing in the area: put simply, this is where farming was introduced to South East Asia (Steve from Bangkok, Thailand /* *CC BY-SA 2.0*)

5. Sigiriya

*Sigiriya, the rock fortress of* *Sri Lanka*, sits stop a huge volcanic plug. Said to have been built by the parricidal King Kashyapa I (477-95 AD) the rock on which the palace ruins lie is termed ‘Lion’s Rock’, and it towers over the jungle from all sides. The entrance to the fortress lies between two huge lion’s paws carved from the rock, and the summit contains storehouses, barracks and pleasure gardens (Prasanna tharaka / *CC BY-SA 4.0*)

6. The Minaret of Jam and the Turquoise Mountain

Built as a summer capital of the Ghurid Dynasty in the Ghor area of central Afghanistan, Firozkoh, known as the turquoise mountain, is considered by some to be a lost city. Others have identified an association with the *Minaret of Jam* *in the Ghor province of Afghanistan: could this UNESCO ruin by Firozkoh? (AhmadElhan /* *CC BY-SA 4.0*)

7. Shangri-La

*Bit harder to get to, this one. The* *Shangri-La* valley or the “Shambhala kingdom” has Indo Tibetan origins and strong associations as a sacred place of South Asian culture and spirituality, it is believed that the most accurate location of Shangri La is near the Indo Tibetan border of Arunachal Pradesh. Hidden amongst the mighty Himalayas, themselves hugely important in Indian and Tibetan spirituality, the original name of the valley is Shambhala. But if you are looking for a material place, the Hunza valley in Pakistan is where you should head (Hassanzealous / *CC BY-SA 4.0*)

Top Image: Wat Phou, a collection of Khmer Art and architecture in a mountain temple, is found in the far south of Laos. Source: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ / CC BY-SA 4.0.

By Joseph Green

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Joseph Green

Joseph Green is editor for Historic Mysteries, which combines his background in English Literature with a lifelong fascination for the strange and the unexplained. Read More