Closely resembling Namibia’s Kolmanskop, Al Madam is yet another sand-buried village, this one located in a desert about 40 miles southeast of Dubai. The village—which was most likely built in the 1970s and abandoned shortly after—is made up of two … Read More
Abandoned Places
Nicosia International Airport – Cyprus
Nicosia International Airport was a busy, successful airport from the time it opened in the 1930 until it was abandoned in 1974, due to—you guessed it—the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. In the past 40+ years, planes have turned to rust … Read More
SS Ayrfield Shipwreck – Sydney
The area of Homebush Bay was once an industrial crossroads of Sydney, filled with ships transporting coal and oil during the early 20th century. Unfortunately, the waters soon became contaminated and toxic (probably because of all that coal and oil), a … Read More
Hashima Island – Nagasaki – Japan
Hashima Island was once the most densely populated island in the world; now it’s completely empty. People became interested in the island after finding an underwater coal deposit directly under it. As time went on, tightly packed apartment complexes were constructed for … Read More
Power Plant IM – Charleroi – Belgium
Originally built in 1921, the Power Plant IM used to be one of the largest coal burning power plants in Belgium—its massive cooling tower (pictured) was able to cool down 480,000 gallons of water per minute in its heyday. But … Read More
Kangbashi – Ordos – China
Welcome to the most modern ghost town you’ll ever see. Located in the city of Ordos (a subdivision of Inner Mongolia), Kangbashi New Area was intended to be a 130-square-mile residential area built to accommodate some one million people. Construction … Read More
El Hotel del Salto – Colombia
During the Roaring Twenties, this structure was built as an architect’s mansion—one that would make Gatsby gawk. Since then, the cliffside structure has has a few major makeovers. It became the 18-story Hotel del Salto in the 1950s, but was … Read More
Kennecott – Alaska
Nearly $200 million worth of copper was processed in Kennecott (located in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park) from 1911 to 1938, a self-contained mining town with its own hospital, skating rink, tennis court, and dairy. But most of the buildings have now … Read More
Haludovo Palace Hotel – Krk – Croatia
Haludovo Palace Hotel is clearly not of our time, but it’s hard to tell exactly when it is from. The design and modular shapes feel futuristic, but the state of decay places it firmly in the past. In reality, the hotel complex … Read More
Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital – Germany
If this old German hospital looks disturbing, well, it is. Just check out its chilling resume: Between 1898 and 1930, the Beelitz-Heilstätten complex served as a tuberculosis sanatorium. It also housed mustard gas and machine gun victims during World War I, including … Read More