This planet is home to countless gorgeous spots that tend to attract millions of visitors each year. However, from one corner of the globe to another, there are also off-the-beaten paths that many people never knew existed. Want to be among the few who are in the know? Then check out the most mysterious places on earth:
1. Ship Rock, New MexicoShiprock is a monadnock rising nearly 1,583 feet (482.5 m) above the high-desert plain on the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, USA. It has a peak elevation of 7,177 feet (2,187.5 m) above sea level. It lies about 10.75 miles (17.30 km) southwest of the town of Shiprock, which is named for the peak. Shiprock is composed of fractured volcanic breccia and black dikes of igneous rock called "minette".
2. Eye of Africa, MauritaniaThe 'Eye of Africa' (also known as the Eye of the Sahara) lies within the large east-African country of Mauritania, out in the Sahara Desert. Properly known as the Richat Structure, it is easy to see where its nickname comes from. Looking at it from above, it looks a lot like a big blue eye staring out of the ground.
3. The Skeleton Lake of Roopkund, Uttarakhand, IndiaRoopkund is a high altitude glacial lake in Uttarakhand state of India, lies in the lap of Trishul massif and famous due to hundreds of human skeletons found at the edge of the lake.
The lake, known as 'Skeleton lake', is situated at an altitude of 5,029 meters, in the Himalayas.Every year, when the snow melts, one can see hundreds of scattered skulls. The skeletons were first found by a British forest guard in 1942. Initially, it was believed that the skeletons were those of Japanese soldiers who had died while crossing that route during World War II. But scientists have now found out that the skeletons were of pilgrims and locals as the bodies dated to around 850 AD.
The lake, known as 'Skeleton lake', is situated at an altitude of 5,029 meters, in the Himalayas.Every year, when the snow melts, one can see hundreds of scattered skulls. The skeletons were first found by a British forest guard in 1942. Initially, it was believed that the skeletons were those of Japanese soldiers who had died while crossing that route during World War II. But scientists have now found out that the skeletons were of pilgrims and locals as the bodies dated to around 850 AD.
4. Iron pillar of Delhi, IndiaAn ancient iron pillar in Delhi which seems to be rust proof.The Iron Pillar located in Delhi, India, is a 7 m (23 ft) column in the Qutub complex, notable for the rust-resistant composition of the metals used in its construction. The pillar has attracted the attention of archaeologists and metallurgists as it has withstood corrosion for the last 1600 years, despite harsh weather and has been called "a testament to the skill of ancient Indian blacksmiths" because of its high resistance to corrosion. The iron pillar is one of the world's foremost metallurgical curiosities. The pillar, almost seven metres high and weighing more than six tonnes, was erected by Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375–414 CE).
The pillar bears an inscription which states that it was erected as a flagstaff in honour of the Hindu god, Vishnu, and in the memory of the Gupta King Chandragupta II (375–413). Made up of 98% wrought iron of pure quality, it is 23 feet 8 inches (7.21 m) high and has a diameter of 16 inches (0.41 m). Also, it was confirmed that the temperatures required to form such kind of pillars cannot be achieved by combustion of coal. The pillar is a testament to the high level of skill achieved by ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron.
The pillar bears an inscription which states that it was erected as a flagstaff in honour of the Hindu god, Vishnu, and in the memory of the Gupta King Chandragupta II (375–413). Made up of 98% wrought iron of pure quality, it is 23 feet 8 inches (7.21 m) high and has a diameter of 16 inches (0.41 m). Also, it was confirmed that the temperatures required to form such kind of pillars cannot be achieved by combustion of coal. The pillar is a testament to the high level of skill achieved by ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron.
5. Mummy Of Sangha Tenzin, Himachal Pradesh, IndiaA MUMMY of a Tibetan Buddhist monk, believed to be about 500 years old, has been found in India's northern Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh.The mummy, identified as that of monk Sangha Tenzin, was found inside a tomb at Ghuen village in the cold and remote Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, about 6000 metres above sea level.
In 1975 an earthquake in northern India opened an old tomb containing the mummified body of monk Sangha Tenzin. In 2004, the local police excavated the tomb and removed the mummy. The mummy is remarkably well preserved, with skin intact and hair on his head. He died in the seated position, with a rope around the neck and thighs (an esoteric practice recorded in few Buddhist documents). Victor Mair, a consulting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, was quoted as saying the mummy was at least 500 years old. According to the report, the mummy is remarkably well preserved for its age. Its skin is unbroken and there is hair on the head.
The mummy of Sangha Tenzin is now on display in a temple in Gue, two miles from where he was excavated, in the Himachal Pradesh region of India, bordering Tibet. Controlled by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and isolated in the Himalayas, the town is very difficult to reach. The temple where the mummy rests is open to the public.
In 1975 an earthquake in northern India opened an old tomb containing the mummified body of monk Sangha Tenzin. In 2004, the local police excavated the tomb and removed the mummy. The mummy is remarkably well preserved, with skin intact and hair on his head. He died in the seated position, with a rope around the neck and thighs (an esoteric practice recorded in few Buddhist documents). Victor Mair, a consulting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, was quoted as saying the mummy was at least 500 years old. According to the report, the mummy is remarkably well preserved for its age. Its skin is unbroken and there is hair on the head.
The mummy of Sangha Tenzin is now on display in a temple in Gue, two miles from where he was excavated, in the Himachal Pradesh region of India, bordering Tibet. Controlled by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and isolated in the Himalayas, the town is very difficult to reach. The temple where the mummy rests is open to the public.
6. Yonaguni Monument, Underwater Ruins, JapanThe Monument consists of medium to very fine sandstones and mudstones of the Lower Miocene Yaeyama Group believed to have been deposited about 20 million years ago. Most of the formations are connected to the underlying rock mass. The Yonaguni Monument is a massive underwater rock formation off the coast of Yonaguni, the southernmost of the Ryukyu Islands, in Japan. A local diver first noticed the Yonaguni formations in 1986. There is a debate about whether the site is completely natural, is a natural site that has been modified, or is a human-made artifact. For these reasons, the site is also known in Japanese as the "Yonaguni (Island) Submarine Ruins".
7. Stone Spheres of Costa RicaThe Stone Spheres of Costa Rica are a collection of over 300 almost perfect spherical orbs first discovered in the Diquis Delta in the 1930's. They vary in size from a few centimeter to several meters, the larger stones weigh nearly 16 tonnes. Most are sculpted from granodiorite, an igneous rock similar to granite. They are believed to have been created between 200 BC and 1600 BC. The stones are often grouped together in geometrical patterns, often pointing to magnetic north. Local people call those spheres 'Las Bolas' and they can be found in many parts of Costa Rica.
8. Sailing Stones of death valley, CaliforniaSailing stones, sliding rocks, and moving rocks all refer to a geological phenomenon where rocks move in long tracks along a smooth valley floor without human or animal intervention. They have been recorded and studied in a number of places around Racetrack Playa, Death Valley, where the number and length of travel grooves are notable. The force behind their movement is not confirmed and is the subject of research.Some stones make linear turns others make oval turns while others create a wavy shape on their tracks. No one has ever seen them move and nobody knows the speed they move with. The mysterious sailing stones of Death Valley turn while they are sliding through the flat leveled valley and this leaves different tracks behind them. Some stones move further than others over two to five years.
9. Nazca Lines, PeruThe Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. Etched in the surface of the desert pampa sand about 300 hundred figures made of straight lines, geometric shapes and pictures of animals and birds and their patterns are only clearly visible from the air. To comprehend the Nasca lines, created by the removal of desert rock to reveal the pale pink sand beneath, visitors have proposed every imaginable explanation - from runways for spaceships to tracks for Olympic athletes, from op art to pop art, to astronomical observatories. They were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
