Customer Reviews

The Road To Ubar: Finding The Atlantis Of The Sands

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wonderful book. Read it all in a couple of days. Great read to get away from the everyday. A thorough enjoyment!

It wouldn't surprise me if a hollywood producer (Steven Spielberg perhaps?) decided to make a movie of this fantastic book--it's got adventure, mystery, discovery, a lost city, and interesting characters. And to top it off, it's absolutely true! This real-life "Indiana Jones" adventure will draw you in and not let go until the very last page. It's amazing that, a mere 10 years ago, a rather eclectic bunch consisting of an archaeologist, a geologist, and adventurer, and a documentary filmaker (the author and "hero" of the story) set off to find a lost city, one that, up until then, existed only in myth and legend. Through the use of NASA radar imagery, Nicholas Clapp was able to find the road to Ubar--a long, trampled path that snaked around the sand dunes of modern day Saudia Arabia and Oman, once used by thousands of camel caravans carrying precious incense from Ubar. Clapp and crew eventually do find the lost city, buried deep beneath the sands. It's a reminder to us all how quickly history can disappear beneath the sands of time.

The book is an exciting read, and never drags. You will be captivated by their story and amazed that it's all completely true! And it all started with one man who dared to take a second look at an ancient myth, and found out it wasn't really a myth at all.

Hollywood couldn't have written a better script!

...this is a must read book. The author's handling of how the ancient city was found and the subsequent discoveries should give anyone with interest in history reason to spend a few hours with this book. As someone who has spend considerable time in North Africa and the Middle East (since 1982) I was astonished by his understanding of the peoples of the Arabian pennisula. For once, somebody actually portrayed these mischaracterized peoples for who they are and not what the stateside pundits think they should be. Well done and congratulations.

Arab legends, and the Koran itself, speak of an ancient city of great wealth and great wickedness. This city was Ubar, the "many-columned city." In punishment for its idolatry and wickedness, Allah destroyed Ubar. Legends further tell that a number of people, lost in the great Arabian desert, have seen the ruins of the great city and told of the wealth that it still contains. In the 1980s, Nicholas Clapp, a noted filmmaker, became absorbed with the legend of Ubar. Searching ancient manuscripts, and using ultramodern techniques, Clapp set out to uncover this "Atlantis of the Sands." This is the story of that search.

I found myself really enjoying this book, much more than I had ever expected. It is well-written, dramatic, and succeeds in keeping you in suspense. When I first picked the book up, I was interested in the subject, but the author succeeded in making me very interested indeed.

Fascinating story, alternating between the ancient past and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, using satellite photos to find the route to an ancient, lost trade center in the Empty Quarter of Arabia. I've read this book several times; it is still interesting.

one page after another discovering the sinkhole where Ubar lost their life under centuries'sand in the Empty Quarter desert.Oh I wish I would be there.Congratulations to N.Clapp and his friends.

I had the opportunity to meet Mr.Clapp, as well as read this excellent book. He is truly amazing, and he is very dedicated to his work. A must-read!

This book has it all - the lost city of legend, the adventure of trying to find it, and fascinating information about both the legends and the site itself. This books shows the true power of careful research - simply by examining the ancient records in university libraries, an amateur was able to more or less crack a centuries-old mystery. Bravo, say I. There's some kernal of truth in many an ancient tale. The author's enthusiasm is contagious. Readers of this may also enjoy "Gods, Graves and Scholars" by C.W. Ceram.

This is the remarkable story of a documentary fillmaker who decided to play amateur archeologist and discover an ancient lost city. The book is most interesting where it talks about the author's travels in Oman, the country where the lost city was located. I now have a strong desire to visit Oman and see the remarkable sights for myself. Many readers are likely to feel the same desire after reading this worthwhile book.

This is one of the best books I read in 1998. The story is fascinating. The author beginning the story with how he gained interest in the subject sets the stage & reels you in. the details capture your attention. He reviews a 500 year map drawn by a monk & discovers the latitude/longitude numbers were switched. Therefore this map & all other maps copied off it to modern times are wrong...the city is in a different location. the part of the book dealing with being in the middle east & the dig, brings archaeology to life. I enjoyed reading an account of a person who isn't a scientist. It was like taking part in an Indiana Jones movie.