Customer Reviews

The Road to Ubar: Finding the Atlantis of the Sands

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

...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.

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.

Nick Clapp put together myth, archeology, technical locating devices, and theological research to compose a fascinating story of desert intrigue, history, religion, and archeology. Mr. Clapp knew that in every myth or oral tradition was a kernal of truth. He carried us along on his invetigative adventure and helped us find those kernals, in the process, he weaved an exciting tale. I couldn't put his book down and I want more of Mr. Clapp's Middle East investigations put into books. I love this book!

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!

Applause for Clapp. This book is a wonderful adventure of mythic bedtimes stories that are now being Archaeologically confirmed by NASA from space. Slight undulations at eye level are revealed as busy routes during biblical times. Shards of pottery confirm their ancient lineage. In many ways Clapp's enthralling book reminds me of the equally myth-breaking and wonderful "THE Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years" by Richard G. Patton. In both books, icons are reinvested with present day relevance through driving passion rather than detached erudition. That is not to say that they are not validated by twentieth century 'science'. In both cases archaeological evidence is coming to the surface almost daily to support their, previously assumed, wild allegations. Ubar is also where Paul is said to have spent most of his two years after his experience on the road to Damascus - prior to coming forward to create "Christianity". Being the heart of the Incense Route, both these books compliment each other as though different hues of the same color. A wonderful and exciting read.

Far south in the remote Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia, lay a legendary city that had grown wealthy through the frankincense trade. The Sodom and Gomorrah of the Koran, it was destoyed by an earthquake one day in punishment for its wicked ways. Did the city ever exist? This book tells the story of how an amateur with a passion for discovery assembled an expert team that ultimately found the city and excavated it.

The book includes descriptions of historical attempts to find the city, the search for new clues, the steady assembly of a set of believers with the skills to act on them, time on the ground in Saudi Arabia and Oman searching the desert dunes and mountains for evidence, and then the final piecing together of evidence that the legendary city had been hiding in plain sight for centuries.

Sounds exciting, no? Well, despite clean prose and good efforts to build and sustain suspense throughout, this reader found just enough of interest to warrant a solid article in the Smithsonian magazine. Lots of puttering about and personal meanderings about bad meals in a stinking, bad place; little to sink your teeth into. All in all, a pleasant beach read that takes you along as a naive but determined amateur pursues his passion. And, in fairness, makes a significant archeological find. But almost no detail about that find and its implications for the history of the Middle East.

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

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.

A brilliantly written book - puts you right back into the days of yester-year Arabia and what life may have been like. Much historical digging has been done in order to find Ubar. The tale of it all is well told. Highly recommended.