Nan Madol is one of those wonders of the world for which there are always more questions than answers. The maximum that scientists have is guesses and assumptions based on visual inspection.
What is the Pacific Venice aka Nan Madol? These are 92 man-made islands built from basalt columns on a coral reef. The total area of the building is 130 hectares. The length of individual islands reaches 100 meters, and the weight of individual basalt parts is up to 10 tons. The islands are not made entirely of basalt. The walls of the islets are laid out of the columns, or, rather, beams, and the inner cavity is filled to the brim with coral rubble.
The atoll on which Nan Madol is built is called Temwen Island and is one of the smallest patches of the Karolinska archipelago. The size of Temven is comparable to the Vatican - 0.44 kilometers, and almost all of its area is covered by the ruins of the ancient city. From the ruins that have come down to us, scientists single out the main building with terraces, a sanctuary, a prison and several secondary buildings.
And from this very place questions, riddles and theories begin. Who, why and when built Nan Madol? Ancient Micronesians eager to take glory away from the Egyptian pyramids and megaliths of America? Perhaps, if they knew about their existence, possessed the necessary knowledge base, modern technology and a clear plan for such a grandiose construction. If only, if …
The presumptive dating of the fundamental construction also inspires skepticism. According to the quite official opinion of many scientists, Nan Madol was built between 1285 and 1485. And I want to draw your attention - AD, that is, they built some kind of Nan Madol - insignificant by the standards of history - 500 years ago. Such a "specific" statement was made on the basis of an analysis of a piece of charcoal found under one of the basalt slabs, and it inspires understandable doubts.
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WHERE IS WEALTH FROM?
Further - a subject no less interesting and much more relevant in a crisis: platinum! During the Japanese occupation (1919-1939), Caroline's main export items were not pearls, copra and vanillin, but pure platinum, piles of which were found on the seabed near the main island of Ponape.
The precious metal, moreover, in a finished, neatly cast form, stumbled upon Japanese swimmers equipped with scuba diving devices. Where did this wealth come from? Great question. Especially when you consider that there was not even a hint of a metal deposit anywhere nearby.
But long before Japan got this chic bonus, the legends about the countless treasures of the Carolyn were thrilling the minds of many. Coral hunters told stories of underwater roads, stone arches and monoliths they saw at the bottom of the sea.
The writer, author of the book "The Vast Ocean" Herbert Rittlinger, who explored the southern regions of the Pacific Ocean, came to the conclusion that many millennia ago the Carolina Archipelago was the center of a highly developed civilization. A civilization that has experienced something much more terrible than the fall in world oil prices …
FEDERATIVE BANANA STATES
Officially, the first white man to set foot on the Caroline Islands, and Temven Island in particular, was originally from Portugal. Pedro Fernandez de Quiros arrived here in full sail in 1595. During its short modern history, this land has known numerous missionaries, it had to endure more than a dozen uprisings and it is almost used to changing hands. For 400 years, the archipelago has alternately belonged to Spanish, German, Japanese and, finally, American benefactors.
We flew to the Carolina Archipelago in March 2012. One glance at the island's capital airport was enough to get an idea of the infrastructure and living standards of the entire country. The next look - at the local residents - made it clear another thing: the stone city of basalt was obviously not built by their ancestors. The first impression of what he saw is disappointment, the first state is malaise from 35-degree heat.
The deluxe room in the hotel delighted with a TV, shower and refrigerator, carefully packed with cola and beer. An evening stroll around the main island forms the final impression, and the only supposed joy - seductive natives in loincloths - turns out to be nothing more than a fairy tale.
All Micronesians are wearing jeans and are very far from perfect … Therefore, we put the camera in a case and, to my great joy, we get to know the Czechs who arrived five days ago from Prague. The evening is spent drinking Guinness, chatting and waiting for a trip to Temven.
New acquaintances came here for diving and fishing, but managed to inherit near the main attractions: on Chuuk Island, famous for its underwater museum, and Lelu, where there is a tunnel complex that was used by the Japanese during World War II. Of course, there is a special story about Nan Madol, from which I can hardly understand half of the words. What to do - impressions, emotions, beer …
IN THE MIST OF MYSTERIES
But in the morning we are already sitting in a duralumin vessel with a motor and in full steam rush towards our goal. Our "captain" is a native of 40 years old, according to the manner of boat control, it is quite consistent with the definition of "scumbag". The motorboat flies along the narrow canals between the islands of the archipelago no worse than our minibus, and soon we find ourselves in front of Temuen. The island on which Nan Madol was erected differs from neighboring pieces of land only in the presence of ruins.
But it is precisely these ruins - mysterious, alluring - that instantly catch the eye. Carved and hewn boulders rise upward. And anyone who sees this, a completely natural question arises in his head: how did these basalt hulks end up on this island, and even in such quantities?
The nearest quarry, from which, apparently, the raw materials were taken, is located at Ponap, 30 kilometers from Nan Madol. Needless to say, carving and then dragging at least 450 thousand stone pillars over such a distance is a rather difficult mission. Only a 50-thousand-strong army of workers can handle it. And then on condition that you work here for about 20 years.
The assumption that Nan Madol is the work of the natives is simply absurd due to the small population and the lack of the necessary technology. To build a 10-meter wall of 5-ton stones, you need to have more than bamboo spears …
Who were these unknown builders? Here's a curious fact: in the 70s of the last century, among the ruins of Nan Madol, American archaeologists were well-manned, who discovered remains similar to human ones, but twice as large as usual! Found, looked and without thinking twice buried it back …
Legendary Atlanteans? Or maybe aliens? The famous alien lover Erich von Däniken extensively covers the topic of Nan Madol in his book "The Gold of the Gods", and it seems to me that in many ways his guesses are correct. It seems that many thousands of years ago there was indeed a continent in the Pacific Ocean that was sunk by some kind of catastrophe. His remains - the last tops - continue to smoothly go under the water. It is called differently: Micronesis, Pacifida, the mysterious continent of Mu …
Can the riddles left to us be solved? In front of the facade of the main building of Nan Madol there is another interesting thing - a well leading, according to the legends of the natives, to another world, to where the tombs of the giants are. It is said that this well serves as the entrance to the tunnel, from which you can enter the underground labyrinth under the island.
I do not want to approach the gaping hole, but curiosity takes its toll. One glance into the blackening mouth - and you involuntarily move away. To guess what hides the well is too late: the water has risen too high to go down and get to the truth.
The use of robotics could help, but this requires significant funds and desire. Even before the crisis, there was not enough desire for scientists. Serious researchers seem to ignore Nan Madol. Meanwhile, the ruins of an ancient city and stone idols on Easter Island are the last silent witnesses of a mysterious civilization …
CONCLUSION
Inspection of Nan Madol takes us several hours. The native guide, pouting his lips, silently works off his money and transports us from island to island. Ruins are buried in greenery, and my friend and I are equally vivid impressions. Sun, ocean, coconut trees and … no crisis. I already understood why my economically developed friend suggested coming here: here it becomes clear that all this financial collapse was created and invented by people.
Nan Madol is no longer the center of a highly developed empire, but it still stands, despite typhoons and tropical downpours. The distant human world will shudder more than once from various cataclysms, and the ancient stone city, albeit in the form of ruins, will live, and palm trees will continue to grow in it and birds of paradise sing …
Late in the evening, sitting at the bar, we share our impressions and enjoy the peace and tranquility. The Federated States of Micronesia has enough problems, but instead of talking about the dollar rate and unemployment, the locals eat bananas and discuss "The Seven Lives of Will Smith."
There is no work here anyway, and the crisis only means a reduction in tests at American proving grounds. It is partly sad that none of them thinks about the construction of stone cities, or about going out to sea on pies and balsa rafts … But then again my friend takes the floor: “Why do they need to load this? They are happy, and the main thing for us to remember is that a minus for a minus always gives a plus …"
Andrey Rukhlov
The magazine "All the riddles of the world" №2 2016