Incredible Ruins

Cayo las Brujas, Cuba

S.S. San Pasqual Shipwreck

Former WWI oil tanker played a variety of roles in history, its tantalizing rum-flavored scent being the only constant

In 1920, The S.S. San Pasqual was launched by the Pacific Marine Construction Company in San Diego as one of the oil tanker ships of the World War I Emergency Fleet. In 1921, she was damaged by a... »

Watery Wonders, Incredible Ruins | Edited by katiebaker4, Rachel and others

Haqqulobod, Uzbekistan

Tash Rabat

Extremely isolated Silk Road caravanserai in the middle of nowhere

Today, we picture the caravans traveling along the Silk Road from China to the Middle East as a rather romantic image. This romanticized portrayal conceals the real dangers that the journey... »

Cultures and Civilizations , Architectural Oddities, Incredible Ruins | Edited by Tawsam and Rachel

Razzaqabad

Chaukhandi Tombs

Reputedly haunted sandstone necropolis with exquisite stone carvings

If you're going to bury someone above ground, the container should probably be both secure and reverent. This knowledge seems to be almost instinctive, as ornate tombs and mausoleums can be found... »

Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Incredible Ruins | Edited by Tawsam, Mark_Casey and others

Hotel Alcyon, France

Cala Longa's Resort Ruins

A resort destroyed by a mysterious bombing offers visitors only its remains and the riddle behind it's demise.

About a decade ago, an Italian real estate promoter built a large resort on the shore of Corsica’s Cala Longa beach. It ran for two years before a sudden bombing destroyed the property.... »

Crime and Punishment, Disaster Areas, Odd Accommodations, Incredible Ruins | Edited by katiebaker4

BahÄwalpur, Pakistan

Derawar Fort

Massive fortress bastions in the desert of Cholistan

There was once a time when not just anyone could step into the massive stone fortresses whose ruins now dot the countryside mostly as tourist attractions. They weren't historical landmarks for... »

Architectural Oddities, Incredible Ruins | Edited by Tawsam, Mark_Casey and others

Bonifacio, France

Amnesia Nightclub Ruins

What was once the hottest nightclub in France, Amnesia now lies in ruins after a 2000 bombing

Amnesia was founded by André Boudou, who is the father-in-law of famed French singer, Johnny Halliday. Opening in 1995, it hosted famous guest stars and DJ's such as Carl Cox and Paul Johnson. The... »

Architectural Oddities, Incredible Ruins | Edited by katiebaker4 and Rachel

Inisheer, Ireland

MV Plassey

A steam trawler with a whiskey-soaked history driven ashore in 1960 resides rusty but still standing on the shoreline

Winds howling at 60 mph, the inhabitants of remote Inis Oirr struggled against blinding sand and slick, seaweed covered terrain to rescue the men of the distressed MV Plassey. The steam trawler... »

Watery Wonders, Incredible Ruins | Edited by Rachel

BÄmÄ«Än, Afghanistan

Site of the Bamiyan Buddhas

Once an impressive link to Afghanistan’s Buddhist past, now a sad reminder of intolerance towards other cultures

Few man-made destructions of cultural heritage have been blatant as the bombing of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in 2001. Prior to the destruction, the Giant Buddhas had already been worn... »

Lost Tribes, Curious Places of Worship, Incredible Ruins, Giant Buddhas | Edited by Tawsam and Rachel

Takht-e Rostman, Afghanistan

Stupa of Takht-e Rostam

Highly unusual subterranean stupa and adjacent cave monastery

There are places in the world so strongly devoted to a particular religion that it is incredibly hard to believe that they have been shaped by any other faith. Afghanistan is one of those places,... »

Unusual Monuments, Cultures and Civilizations , Lost Tribes, Architectural Oddities, Curious Places of Worship, Incredible Ruins, Subterranean Sites | Edited by Tawsam and Rachel