The Road to Ubar : Finding the Atlantis of the Sands

No one thought that Ubar, the most fabled city of ancient Arabia, would ever be found-if it even existed. Buried in the desert without a trace, it had become known as "the Altantis of the Sands." Many had searched for Ubar, including Lawrence of Arabia. Then in the 1980s, Nicholas Clapp, a documentary filmmaker and amateur archaeologist, stumbled on the legend of the lost city while poring over historical manuscripts. Filled with overwhelming curiosity, he led two expeditions to Arabia with a team that included space scientists and geologists. The discovery of Ubar was front-page news across the world and was heralded by Time as one of three major scientific events of the year. The most fabled city in ancient Arabia was Ubar, described in the Koran as "the many-columned city whose like has not been built in the whole land." But like Sodom and Gomorrah, Ubar was destroyed by God for the sins of its people. Buried in the desert without a trace, it became the "Atlantis of the Sands." The story of its destruction was retold in The Arabian Nights Entertainments (first published in the New World in 1797 as The Oriental Moralist by an ancestor of Nicholas Clapp's). Over the centuries, many people searched unsuccessfully for the lost city, including the flamboyant Harry St. John Philby, and skepticism grew that there had ever been a real place called Ubar. Then in the 1980s Nicholas Clapp stumbled on the legend. Poring over medieval manuscripts, he discovered that a slip of the pen in A.D. 1460 had misled generations of explorers. In satellite images he found evidence of ancient caravan routes that were invisible on the ground. Finally he organized two expeditions to Arabia with a team of archaeologists, geologists, space scientists, and adventurers. After many false starts, dead ends, and weeks of digging, they uncovered the remains of a remarkable walled city with eight towers, thirty-foot walls, and artifacts dating back 4,000 years - they had found Ubar.

The most fabled city in ancient Arabia was Ubar, described in the Koran as the many-columned city whose like has not been built in the entire land. But like Sodom and Gomorrah, Ubar was destroyed by God for the sins of its people. Buried in the desert without a trace, it became known as the Atlantis of the Sands. Over the centuries, many searched for it unsuccessfully, including Lawrence of Arabia, and skepticism grew that there had ever been a real place called Ubar. Then in the 1980s Nicholas Clapp stumbled on the legend. Poring over ancient manuscripts, he discovered that a slip of the pen in a.d. 1460 had misled generations of explorers. In satellite images he found evidence of ancient caravan routes that were invisible from the ground. Finally he organized two expeditions to Arabia with a team of archaeologists, geologists, space scientists, and adventurers. After many false starts, dead ends, and weeks of digging, they uncovered a remarkable walled city with eight towers, thi

The author recounts his discovery of a lost Arabian city in this “captivating story of [a] stupendous archeological achievement” (Kirkus).No one thought that Ubar, the most fabled city of ancient Arabia, would ever be found, if it even existed. According to the Koran, the ancient trading outpost was sunk into the desert as punishment for the sins of its people. Over the centuries, many searched for the legendary “Atlantis of the Sands”—including Lawrence of Arabia—yet the city remained lost. Until now.Documentary filmmaker and amateur archaeologist Nicholas Clapp first stumbled on the legend of Ubar in the 1980s while poring over historical manuscripts. Filled with overwhelming curiosity, Clapp led two expeditions to Arabia with a team that included space scientists and geologists. In The Road to Ubar, he chronicles the grand adventure that led to a historic discovery. No one thought that Ubar, the most fabled city of ancient Arabia, would ever be found-if it even existed. Buried in the desert without a trace, it had become known as "the Atlantis of the Sands." Many had searched for Ubar, including Lawrence of Arabia. Then in the 1980s, Nicholas Clapp, a documentary filmmaker and amateur archaeologist, stumbled on the legend of the lost city while poring over historical manuscripts. Filled with overwhelming curiosity, he led two expeditions to Arabia with a team that included space scientists and geologists. The discovery of Ubar was front-page news across the world and was heralded by Time as one of three major scientific events of the year. Om amerikanske arkæologers opsporing og udgravning af oldtidsbyen Ubar, som lå begravet i sandet på den arabiske halvø Over Iran, December 1980 . . . The small cargo plane flew on into a starry but moonless night.