lost cities of the world

• Palenque: Mexico, at foot of Chiapas mountains in SWMexico, an archaeologist's treasure trove, existed @ least 100 years BC, 50 yrs later became a major population centre of Classic Mayan civilisation, complete wiht myth & legend: child kings, invasions, decapitations, court intrigue & finally the abandonent of the city. the city's rich history is recorded in the hieroglyphs which adorn temple walls
• Babylon, Iraq: settled around 2500 bc became a great centre of the mesopotamian world 500 years later, when Hammurabi, the 1st king of the Babylonian empire, made it his capital. it ws destroyed in the 6th century BC by the Assyrians & then left to fall into ruins in the 2nd cent BC, following the death of Alexander the great. the ruins of Babylon conjure images of a biblical past: the great tower of Babel, the beautiful hanging gardens..
• Taxila, Pakistan, 30 km NW of Islamabad, founded 7th century BC, a tale of 3 lost cities