A lost city is an urban settlement that fell into terminal decline and became extensively or completely uninhabited, with the consequence that the site's former significance was no longer known to the wider world. The locations of many lost cities have been forgotten, but some have been rediscovered and studied extensively by scientists. Recently abandoned cities or cities whose location was never in question might be referred to as ruins or ghost towns. Smaller settlements may be referred to as abandoned villages. The search for such lost cities by European explorers and adventurers in Africa, the Americas, and Southeast Asia from the 15th century onward eventually led to the development of archaeology.
Olinda is a historic city in Pernambuco, Brazil, in the Northeast Region. It is located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, the state capital. It has a population of 349.976 people, covers 41.681 square kilometres (16.093 sq mi), and has a population density of 9,437 inhabitants per square kilometre (24,440/sq mi). It is noted as one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Brazil and has been inhabited since 1535.
Poreč is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, west Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Safranbolu is a town in Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Safranbolu District. Its population is 52,999 (2022). It is about 9 km north of the city of Karabük, 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Ankara and about 100 km south of the Black Sea coast. The town's historic names in Greek were Theodoroupolis and later Saphrampolis (Σαφράμπολις). Its former names in Turkish were Zalifre and Taraklıborlu. It was part of Kastamonu Province until 1923 and Zonguldak Province between 1923 and 1995. The town lies at an elevation of 508 m (1,667 ft).
Úbeda is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Jaén, Andalusia. The town lies on the southern ridge of the so-called Loma de Úbeda, a table sandwiched in between the Guadalquivir and the Guadalimar river beds.
Stari Grad is a town on the northern side of the island of Hvar in Dalmatia, Croatia. One of the oldest towns in Europe, its position at the end of a long, protected bay and next to prime agricultural land has long made it attractive for human settlement. Stari Grad is also a municipality within the Split-Dalmatia County.
Rogatica is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,723 inhabitants, while the town of Rogatica has a population of 6,855 inhabitants.
Stari Grad is an urban neighborhood and the city center of Novi Sad, Serbia. In the Serbian language, the name "Stari Grad" means "Old Town".
Shahbaz Garhi, or Shahbazgarhi, is a village and historic site located in Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is at an altitude of 293 metres.
Vrboska is a settlement on the north coast of the island of Hvar in Dalmatia, Croatia, in the Municipality of Jelsa. Founded in the 15th century as a fishing harbour, the town's fortress Church of Sv. Marija was built as a refuge for its inhabitants during the 16th century. Vrboska has a population of 548 at the 2011 census.
The architecture of Montenegro is a mixture of many influences, from Roman and Venetian to Ottoman and modern times.
Dayan, commonly called the Old Town of Lijiang is the historical center of Lijiang City, in Yunnan, China. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The historic centre of Florence is part of quartiere 1 of the Italian city of Florence. This quarter was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.
The Stari Grad Plain, near the town of Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, Croatia, is an agricultural landscape that was set up by the ancient Greek colonists in the 4th century BC, and remains in use. The plain is the largest agricultural area on any of the Adriatic islands, and is remarkably fertile due to Ice Age loess deposition. This landscape is almost entirely preserved from its original form. The ancient layout has been preserved by careful maintenance of the stone walls over 24 centuries, along with the stone shelters, and the water collection system. The same crops, mainly grapes and olives, are still grown in the fields, and the site is also a natural reserve. The site is a valuable example of the ancient Greek system of agriculture, and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.
Walled town of Počitelj is a medieval fortified nucleus of Počitelj historic village, in the municipality of Čapljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to its significant architectural and urbanistic historical value, it is considered an open-air museum. The Walled town is nested in a natural karst amphitheater along the left bank of the Neretva river, on the main road Mostar-Metković. The walled nucleus is protected as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The architectural ensemble of Počitelj is also proposed as such for inscription into the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. The bid for inscription is currently placed on the UNESCO Tentative list.
