Incredible and Inexplicable: 15 Most Mysterious Places on Earth

Right from Newton’s quest to understand the falling of apple to that of a team of scientists who are working with the Large Hadron Collider to find the unknown, mankind has always strived to understand the workings of the world around us.

We have succeeded to a certain extent; however, despite all our advancements, there is a lot which is beyond the reach of our rational minds.

Even today, a lot of mystery surrounds a few places around the world. Let’s take a look at 15 most mysterious places on the planet.

1. Rapa Nui

Easter Island, indigenously known as Rapa Nui, is known for its 887 mysterious stone carvings called moai. These structures were carved out of stone between the years 1250 and 1500 CE by the early inhabitants of Chilean Polynesian island. Scholars are unaware about the purpose of these monumental structures and how such huge structures were transported into their positions, while many believe these structures may have religious significance.

2. The Great Pyramids of Giza

The sheer size of the world’s ancient wonder is enough to strike you with all the awe in the world. The pyramid keeps throwing new mysteries ever since it was built around 2580–2560 BC such as how it was built, its secret tunnels, its connection to earth’s and sun’s mass and constellation etc. You can’t help but wonder how the ancient technology enabled the ancient Egyptians create this mega-structure. Egyptologists are trying to find the answers to all these mysteries.

3. Bermuda Triangle

What is more mysterious than a region where planes and ships go missing without any rational explanation? Bermuda Triangle is one such loosely defined area in Atlantic Ocean spread across an area of roughly 1,300,000 square kilometers with its three vertices at Miami, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico and the island of Bermuda.

Due to its dark reputation, it is often called “Devil’s Triangle”. The waters in this region have close to 300 shipwrecks on the floor to date. Hundreds of yachts and planes have gone missing in this region in last. Many theories have been devised to explain the missing ships and planes from Methane Hydrates emissions to an extremely varied geographical terrain.

4. Stonehenge

These massive rocks laid out to form rings and horseshoe shapes dating 4000 to 5000 years form what is inarguably one of the most mysterious places in the world. The scholars are yet to find out how and why these structures were created in today’s Wiltshire, England. The people who created the Stonehenge left no written records. Its mysterious appearance has given rise to a number of speculations surrounding its purpose.

5. Area 51

Area 51 is a top-secret American military base and weapon testing facility located in the desert of Nevada. This is controlled by the US Air Force. What makes this facility so mysterious is the fact that the US government has long denied the existence of this facility. To fuel the speculation engines, an engineer went on air on national television to say that he had worked on an alien spacecraft in Area 51.

6. Door to Hell

The crater in Derweze, Turkmenistan may seem to have been a result of an alien attack on earth; however, this spectacular fire bowl is actually a natural gas field. The crater wasn’t formed by an alien attack or meteor collision but it was formed when the gas field collapsed into an underground cavern. The geologists lit fire on it to prevent the hazardous methane from spreading into the environment, but thanks to the huge natural gas deposits, the Door to Hell has been continuously lit up since 1971.

7. Lake Anjikuni

In 1930, when the 2000 inhabitants of an Eskimo village on the shores of Lake Anjikuni in Nunavut, Canada suddenly went missing leaving behind no traces, the Canadian fur trapper Joe Labelle who happened to visit the village was left flabbergasted. He knew something was not right when he saw half cooked dishes and guns left home. Ever since he sent a telegram to the Canadian Mountain Police to report what he had discovered, this case has remained an unresolved disappearance mystery.

8. Overtoun Bridge

Overtoun Bridge located in Milton, Scotland built over Overtoun Burn, seems to have a peculiar effect on dogs that makes them leap to death on the rocks below. Researchers are trying to put the puzzle pieces together on the basis of dogs’ senses to find a plausible explanation for the suicidal tendencies that the Victorian structure seems to be bringing about to the mind of man’s best friend.

9. Saksaywaman, Cusco, Peru

Saksaywaman (also spelled Sacsayhuaman) is a walled complex or citadel located at Cusco, the capital of Inca Empire. The major reason of attraction to this fortified structure is the fact that the large stone boulders which form the famed walls are cut with clinical precision to fit with each other, without the use of mortar, so perfectly that not even a piece of paper can pass through it. The Inca expanded on this structure in 13^th century. The largest boulders used in the construction weigh upto 125 tonnes. What makes these structures to our list is the mystery about how the ancient Inca moved these boulders to fit them together so perfectly without mortar.

10. Teotihuacan

The ancient Mesoamerican pyramid city of Teotihuacan has long been one of the most mysterious places on the planet. The people who build these awe-inspiring structures left no written history. It is unclear who ruled it, built it and even its real name is not known. This UNESCO World Heritage Site located near the modern day Mexico City has long been associated with the pyramids of Egypt due to similarities in their layout based on Orion’s Belt.

11. Plain of Jars

Plain of Jars, located in Laos, is a mysterious megalithic archaeological site which consists of thousands of stone jars scattered around Xiangkhoang Plateau region. These stones have been found to be dating 2500 years going back to the stone age. Researchers have found human remains in this region which indicates that these sites may have been used as a burial site whereas others believe these jars were used to store water or food.

On the other hand, many believe these could be a gift to the king. Out of all these stone jars only one has artistic embellishments located at Site 1, otherwise none other has any decorations etc.

12. Skeleton Lake

Skeleton Lake, also known as Roopkund is a mysterious lake located in Uttrakhand, India. The mystery is that in 1942 a British guard found skeletons in the lake. Earlier it was believed that the 200 skeletons were of Japanese soldiers who died passing through this region during the World War II.

However, research by scientists indicates that these skeletons belonged to the 9th century Indian tribesmen, who perhaps could have died due to a fatal blow on the back of their heads during a heavy hail storm. Some researchers also claim that it was a case of a ritualistic suicide. It is interesting to note that folk songs in this area have been giving a glimpse into this incident for hundreds or years. Tourists have been taking the bones which is why now only a few of them are left.

13. Yonaguni Pyramid

Unlike, pyramid of Giza and Teotihuacan, Yonaguni Pyramid of Japan is the underwater pyramid. These ruins are around 10,000 years old. It is not clear who built the structure and when it was built. At the same time, it is argued whether it is a natural or man-made formation.

14. Nazca Lines

Nazca Lines are hundreds of vast, ancient ground drawings near Lima, Peru. The largest drawings among them measure up to 200 meters. The purpose of these lines is not known. The drawings depict animals like fish, monkey, lizards, hummingbird and spiders. Many believe that the ancient men had drawn these lines so that their god could see these drawings.

15. Loch Ness

The Loch Ness is equally well-known for its beauty as well as the infamous Loch Ness monster. Legend has it that 1400 years ago St. Columba commanded the beast to retreat. However, in more recent times many tourists have reportedly experienced the presence of the beast. Back in 1934, a surgeon Robert Kenneth Wilson claimed to have captured a photograph of the monster however it was revealed that it was a fake.

Many of these places have various theories attempting to explain the mysteries associated with these places. However, these mysteries still continue to rule our imaginations making them the most mysterious and inexplicable places on earth.