Getting Some Answers About the Mysterious Prehistoric City That Has Left Scientists Baffled for Years

Nestled in an expansive bed of coral reefs is one of the world’s oldest archaeological sites – the ancient city of Nan Madol. Over the years, everything about the existence of the ruins has given rise to more questions with few answers.

One of the shocking aspects of the ruins is their strange location. Nan Madol can be found in the mysterious depths off the southeastern coast of the Micronesian island, Pohnpei. It is the pride of the Pacific Ocean as one of the world’s rarest megalithic sites.

The stones and columns used for the meticulous construction of Nan Madol are hefty, weighing more than 90 tonnes. As an integral part of the Federation States of Micronesia, this region became a powerful religious and administrative complex from where a dynasty of tyrannical monarchs ruled over the Island of Pohnpei until 1500 AD.

The technology of those times has been a puzzling factor for the scientists who are still unable to wrap their heads around the mystery of the ruins. Even though the walls and platforms have no apparent carvings or art of any form, their rustic elegance remains unmatched. Who on earth could have accomplished such a feat during prehistoric times?

The ruins of the ancient city, constructed entirely on giant basalt columns and slabs, have an impressive scale, with the walls as tall as 25 feet and as thick as 17 feet in certain places. When you look at the gorgeous tapestry of the artificial islets that are intricately intertwined to form a network of canals, you will understand where its nickname, “Venice of the Pacific,” comes from.

Not surprisingly, Nan Madol gets its beautiful name from the intricate web of waterways and tidal canals that crisscross the ruins. The words translate to “the spaces in between” or “within the intervals,” which is an apt representation of the place.

Even though some genuinely believe the ancient city to be largely uninhabited and consider it a giant machine, the radiocarbon dating of the ruins has thrown some light on its early inhabitants. Some speculation has been that the earliest human settlement on the Pohnpei Islands was in 1 AD, but human activity started only around 80-200 AD.

The prehistoric city of Nan Madol as we know it has been constructed with naturally occurring basalt boulders, coral fills, and prismatic basalt columns. These structures, some light enough for anyone to carry but most too heavy for human lifting, have been carefully transported from a volcanic plug on the opposite side of the lagoon in Pohnpei.

Modern archaeologists had concluded that the construction of the megalithic architecture began around 1180 AD to 1200 AD, the ancient period when the technology was too primitive to have been able to transport such massive boulders from one end of the island to another.

The sheer scale and the superiority of the stone architecture have the archaeologists stunned and stumped at the efforts of the Pohnpeian builders. No doubt that the construction of this magnificent megalithic structure rivals that of the Pyramids of Egypt.

As we mentioned earlier, there are enough and more theories floating around about Nan Madol; let’s uncover them one by one. An early theory claimed the builders of the Leluh archaeological site at Kosrae, one of the critical states of the Federated States of Micronesia, had later migrated to Nan Madol.

As old as time, mythology successfully enters the zone when science fails to offer a reasonable explanation. Pohnepian legend has it that Nan Madol owes its existence to the ingenuity of twin brothers – Olisihpa and Olosohpa, who hailed from the mythical regions of Western Katau, also known as Kanamwayso.

Initially, the sole purpose of the siblings was to build a place of worship for Nahnisohn Sahpw, the God of agriculture. Ironically, Nan Madol, without ready access to food or water, wasn’t cultivable. After several unsuccessful attempts, they finally built an altar off the coast of Temwen Island.

Can sorcery be left behind when science makes way for myths, magic, and mysteries? Apparently, not! The mysterious siblings Olisihpa and Olosohpa quickly earned a reputation for their sorcery, making the construction of the iconic Nan Madol a reality.

With their arrival, the brothers established their dominance over the population of Nan Madol. After the demise of Olisihpa, his brother Olosohpa became the first Saudeleur to rule as the founder of the Saudeleur dynasty, which continued to reign until about 1628 AD.

Under the reign of the Saudeleur dynasty, Nan Madol became the ruler’s political seat of power. The local royalty resided in the city to oversee the activities and maintain their dominance over the subjects. With no possible way to grow crops inlands or source water from the reefs, the responsibility of bringing water and food fell on the Pohnpeians.

The ultimate invasion of Isokelekel led to the Saudeleur dynasty’s downfall, which had ruled for over 500 years. According to the legend, he was a semi-mythical warrior who came from Kosrae to conquer the ruling dynasty of the Pohnpei Islands sometime during the 16th century.

While Isokelekel proved to be a dedicated leader who ruled over the Pohnpei islands for a long time, the generations that followed him soon abandoned the site to explore other regions. This was mainly due to the logistical issues surrounding the constant search and sourcing of water and food; they soon grew tired of it.

The man-made islets, consisting primarily of basalt columns, slabs, and boulders, were used in many ways to serve the inhabitants. Most islets were used mainly for residential purposes, with the largest dwellings assigned to the ruling elite. Yet, this wasn’t the most fascinating of purposes.

One of the most architecturally impressive islets at Nan Madol is the Nandowas islet. Together, the 92 artificial islets came to be the heart of the ruling dynasty and were divided into two – Madol Pah, the lower city which acted as the administrative center, and Madol Powe, the higher city that was the ceremonial center of the complex.

During German rule in the early 20th century, Governor Victor Berg entered the sealed chambers of a tomb in Nan Madol and excavated the skeletons that looked like they belonged to giants seven to ten feet tall. The discovery perpetuated the theory that these towering giants were the ones to transport the basalt edifices from across the ocean and build those impressive walls.

The ancient city is steeped in legends and myths that have cast an eerie spell around the ruins of Nan Madol. Its spookiness is probably why many are terrified of visiting the site, which has, over the years, also been referred to as the Ghost City.

Speaking of spooky old cities, the myths and the mysteries surrounding the Ghost City inspired horror writer H.P. Lovecraft’s fictional sunken city of R’lyeh, that primarily appears in the short story ‘Call of Cthulhu’ of his Cthulhu Mythos.

Ones who have been fortunate enough to visit the ruins of Nan Madol deem it at par with megalithic wonders such as Machu Picchu and the Pyramids of Egypt. The ancient city is considered one of the rarest megalithic sites in the Pacific, if not in the world.

Sadly, Nan Madol jumped straight from the honor of being recognized as a World Heritage site to the World Heritage in Danger list. It happened mainly due to the extensive water siltation that has undermined the existing man-made structures and the uncontrolled growth of mangroves.