July 23, 2021

A Fairy Tale Ghost Town Halfway between Istanbul Istanbul and Ankara, in one of the most historic and beautiful parts of northwest Turkey, is a deep valley covered in dense pine forests and blessed with thermal springs. And in this valley is something that seems right out of a Disney movie: row upon row of identical, castle-like, turreted chateaus. It’s a dreamy scene, but when you look a little closer, something seems off. The roads between them are unfinished. Construction debris litters the ground. And there’s not a soul in sight. It’s a fairy tale ghost town, an ambitious, luxurious development project that fell victim to mismanagement and global financial currents.  READ MORE → FROM THE ARCHIVES The Heraean Games When ancient Greece banned women from the Olympics, they started their own version of the Olympic Games. The Heraean Games, a separate festival honoring the Greek goddess Hera, demonstrated the athleticism of young, unmarried women. Scholars are unsure of when the Heraean Games began, some estimating that it could be as old as the first Olympic Games, which traces back to 776 B.C. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES Mindful Mixology No- and low-alcohol cocktails are part of a growing trend, but they have a deep history in the U.S. that can be traced back to the temperance movement. In this three-part mindful mixology workshop, author, cocktail expert, and mindful drinker Derek Brown will delve into this history and explore how to make great no- and low-alcohol cocktails at home that are delicious and flavorful. LEARN MORE → HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND Preserved Victorian Wedding Cake Baked in 1898 and still almost flawless, this floral masterpiece is considered the world's oldest complete wedding cake. The cake bears the scars of time—in 1940, during the Second World War, the town center was hit by a bomb, causing a great deal of damage. Yet the seemingly fragile wedding cake, already approaching half a century old at the time, sustained but a single crack. Now that’s a hardy confection for you. READ MORE → TURKEY Pinara A veil of mystery surrounds the ancient settlement of Pinara. There are rare mentions of this location in recorded history, and what is special about Pinara is its remoteness. Climbing up the hill and following a dirt road, Pinara presents itself as a set of tombs carved into a round rocky cliff. Climb up closer to the cliff to find another level of ruins, including another acropolis, an agora, some temples, and the public baths. READ MORE → THE ATLAS OBSCURA PODCAST Beale Treasure Grab your pickaxes, shovels, and code-breaking supercomputers, because we’re going on a treasure hunt. Specifically Beale’s Treasure, which has been one of the longest, costliest treasure hunts in America’s history. Spies, codebreakers, and the craftiest treasure hunters have tried to crack the code, but to no avail. Can you solve it? LISTEN ON OUR SITE →    LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS →    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY →    LISTEN ON STITCHER → FROM THE ARCHIVES Rare and Deadly Wallpaper Shadows from the Walls of Death, printed in 1874 and measuring about 22 by 30 inches, is a noteworthy book for two reasons: its rarity, and the fact that, if you touch it, it might kill you. It contains just under a hundred wallpaper samples, each of which is saturated with potentially dangerous levels of arsenic. READ MORE → BRITTANY, FRANCE Kouign-Amann The French village of Locronan houses a bakeshop called Le Guillou. Here, five generations of pastry chefs have crafted kouign-amann, a regional specialty that features croissant dough laminated in salted butter and rolled in sugar. Some Bretons claim that this signature treat (which is pronounced “queen ah-MAHN”), made by artisans across the region, is the fattiest pastry in the world. READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA TRIPS A Culinary Adventure From the colorful dragon boats that glide across the Perfume River to the sparkling skyscrapers that tower over Saigon, Vietnam is home to a breathtaking assortment of architectural and natural wonders. But what you see is only half the story—there’s a world of history, culture, and tradition that’s best experienced through taste. On this nine-day journey, we’ll explore the country through its unique cuisine, tasting our way across north, central, and south Vietnam and meeting with artists, authors, veterans, and friends to learn about the history of these different regions. LEARN MORE →