There are many places on the planet that cause delight and surprise. Calm and tranquility evokes admiring the beauty of natural landscapes. New knowledge and interest remain with us after visiting famous historical sites. But there are places that cause horror and rejection, and they exist in our real world. They became such by the will of nature or after the tragic events that took place there. Usually, there are many rumors, fictions, rumors and legends hovering around such terrible places. I will tell you about some of the creepy and terrible places on our planet.
Carthaginian Tophet, Tunisia
Tophet is a necropolis found by archaeologists in 1921. There is a cemetery near the village of Salammbô in Carthage. The burial area is about 2 hectares, according to scientists, more than 10,000 people are buried there. In Tophet, the graves of babies, or unborn children, and urns with their ashes were mainly found. Scientists have been arguing about this place for many years. Some believe that children died of natural causes, since no obvious traces of violence were found. Others claim that after so many centuries, no research will find any traces of suffocation or signs of drowning and insist on their version.
The word "Tophet" means a sacred place where human sacrifices were made as gifts to the gods. Therefore, most scientists are still inclined to the version that there was an occult sanctuary where newborn children were sacrificed to the gods in order to receive mercy and protection from them. The urns, with the ashes, are explained by the fact that not everyone wanted such a fate for their children and then unborn children, they were cut out directly from the womb and buried. Some of the urns can be seen in museums in Tunisia, and excavations are still ongoing.
Aokigahara, Honshu Island, Japan
Aokigahara Forest is also known as Jukai - "Sea of Trees". It stretches right at the foot of Mount Fujiyama. A long time ago, there was a strong volcanic eruption, a lava flow formed a plateau, on which, subsequently, this strange forest grew. It is very difficult for the roots of trees to break through the lava rock, and they, intricately intertwining, come out to the top. The forest is very dense, sunlight rarely breaks through the tree crowns. And the foot of the forest is all strewn with various kinks and many caves. Some of these caves stretch hundreds of meters underground.
Another name for Aokigahara is "Suicide Forest". It is estimated that over 500 people have committed suicide in the forest over the past 60 years. Throughout the forest, you can find the remains of their corpses, skulls, bones, hanging loops in the trees. Local authorities are very concerned about the current situation - shields with the inscriptions are placed throughout the forest:
… Every year, the government sends an entire squadron to clear the forest, but every year new bodies of suicides are found there again and again - 70 to 100 corpses.
Chauchilla, Peru
Chauchilla is an ancient cemetery located near the desert Nazca plateau. This place was discovered in the 20th century, the remains of which have been preserved in it are about 700 years old. In the course of research, it was found that the last burials were made in the 19th century. The main feature of the cemetery is in the method of burial - all bodies are buried in a “squatting” position.
Due to the peculiarities of the climate and the unusual ritual during the burial, the remains of the bodies were perfectly preserved. The main feature is that before burial, all bodies were covered with resin, and the clothes were only made of natural cotton. At the time of the study, many of the deceased had their hair and clothing in excellent condition. The dead were buried with personal belongings and jewelry, so many graves were destroyed and looted. Scientists are still studying the remains of the Chauchilla cemetery, which makes it possible to better know the Nazca culture and get closer to solving ancient legends.
Manchak, USA
The Manchak Marshes are located in Louisiana. Here people disappeared and continue to disappear without a trace. Manchak is also called the "Ghost Swamp". Legend has it that this place was cursed by a witch - a prisoner who was held here. There is not a single settlement around, even birds do not fly over this terrible place. Only the mighty moss-covered cypress trees with protruding roots hang menacingly over the muddy water. You can only cross the swamps by boat.
The stagnant surface of muddy water is only occasionally disturbed by corpses floating up from the muddy bottom of the swamps. There is only one creature that attracted Manchak - these are huge alligators that deftly camouflage themselves among the windbreak and do not leave any chance for the unfortunate victims. Oddly enough, but the swamps are of great interest to those who love everything extreme and mysterious. There are even those who come here at nightfall and set off on a small boat hoping to meet a creature from the legends and myths that are shrouded in the swamps. Would you take the risk, reader?
Capuchin Catacombs, Sicily Island, Italy
On the island of Sicily, in the city of Palermo, there is an ancient Capuchin monastery. More than five centuries ago, local residents used the monastery's underground for burial - this is how the "city of the dead" was formed. More than 2,000 people were found in the necropolis.
The oldest mummy in the Capuchin catacombs is over 4 centuries old. This is the monk Silvestro Subbio. The last burial was made 95 years ago - this is a little girl named Rosalina. Surprisingly, after so many years, the girl looks like she just fell asleep. The rest of the bodies of the deceased were much worse preserved.
The bodies are positioned in various positions throughout the tomb - some are housed in coffins, some are suspended from the walls. This depended on the wishes of the relatives of the deceased. The catacombs are divided into separate rooms - priests are buried in one, women in the other, children in the third. There is a separate room for the nobility, and there is a room where virgins are buried. There are several other similar crypts in Sicily.
Laguna Truk, Micronesia
Laguna Truk is an underwater cemetery of sunken Japanese warships and equipment. Airplanes, ships, tanks, a huge oil tanker, old tractors, bulldozers and cars have been lying on the seabed since 1944. Also, at the bottom of the lagoon, there are many military weapons, shells, dishes and other things.
Divers from all over the world rush to the lagoon in search of adventure. For several decades, all equipment has been overgrown with polyps and corals, turning this place into a coral reef, which has become a haven for many inhabitants of the underwater world. When diving into the lagoon, you need to be very careful - dangers lie in wait from all sides. These are old shells lying at the bottom, which, if any attempt is made to “disturb” them, can immediately explode. And sharks who are attracted by the rich and diverse world of coral reef dwellers. But if you follow all security measures when inspecting this place, which witnessed the tragic death of people and the keeper of the consequences of the war, you can get indescribable delight and a lot of impressions for a long time.
Danakil, Ethiopia
Danakil is an African desert that lies in the southwest of Eritrea. It was only opened in 1928. The desert is poisonous, cruel, and shockingly awful. In addition to the scorching sun (the temperature at noon here rises to + 63 degrees C), there are volcanoes, sulfur lakes and toxic gases all around here. The color scheme of the desert resembles a landscape from another planet.
One of the attractions of Danakil is the non-solidifying lava lake of Erta Ale volcano. The spectacle is truly mesmerizing.
There is also Lake Assal, which is considered the saltiest lake in the world. Like hundreds of years ago, camel caravans are drawn to him for salt, in order to then transport it to Sudan for sale. There is also a completely different volcano in the desert - Dallol. It is not high, and boiling sulfuric acid and gases made it extraordinary, painting it in all shades of yellow and red. In Danakil, you can find lakes of poisonous green and blue. But, despite all the horrors and dangers of this place, there are always enough tourists here.
