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Where did all the good Arabs go? Ghost towns in and around the Middle East

Published December 8th, 2014 - 07:15 GMT

Centuries of political Monopoly have certainly made for some pretty wild reshifting in the Middle East. Whether chased away by modern wars, or inexplicably disappeared long ago, residents of these MENA ghost towns are nowhere to be found.

Check out these locales around the region to get a glimpse of past — and present — Middle East.

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Once a bustling fishing hub in the Gulf, the village of Al-Arish lies just off Qatar’s northern coast. It was abandoned in the 1970s as inhabitants packed up in search of more prolific urban areas, leaving crumbling infrastructure you can still check out today.

Once a bustling fishing hub in the Gulf, the village of Al-Arish lies just off Qatar’s northern coast. It was abandoned in the 1970s as inhabitants packed up in search of more prolific urban areas, leaving crumbling infrastructure you can still check out today.

Al-Ula is a sprawling grid of 800 stone dwellings in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, some over 2,000 years old. It’s said to have hosted the Prophet (Pbuh) en route to battle in 630 AD, and then an economic hub during the 1200s. Now it’s juxtaposed by a modern city center and has been uninhabited since the last family left in 1983.

Al-Ula is a sprawling grid of 800 stone dwellings in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, some over 2,000 years old. It’s said to have hosted the Prophet (Pbuh) en route to battle in 630 AD, and then an economic hub during the 1200s. Now it’s juxtaposed by a modern city center and has been uninhabited since the last family left in 1983.

Inhabitants of the Golan Heights city of Quneitra began clearing out after the Six Day War in 1967 and had emptied out completely following the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Today, a stroll through the town reveals original billboards, empty streets and bombed-out buildings still frozen in time.

Inhabitants of the Golan Heights city of Quneitra began clearing out after the Six Day War in 1967 and had emptied out completely following the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Today, a stroll through the town reveals original billboards, empty streets and bombed-out buildings still frozen in time.

Oman’s Sap Bani Khamis is an empty village scattered along the massive ledge of Oman's "Grand Canyon." The boxy cliff dwellings and impressive orchards were home to fifteen families until the 1970s, when Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s new leadership changed the country drastically and forced them to relocate.

Oman’s Sap Bani Khamis is an empty village scattered along the massive ledge of Oman's "Grand Canyon." The boxy cliff dwellings and impressive orchards were home to fifteen families until the 1970s, when Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s new leadership changed the country drastically and forced them to relocate.

First glance might suggest Turkey’s Kayakok was abandoned long ago in an epic, centuries-old battle, but it’s actually only been empty since the 1920s. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, fierce clashes between the Greek Orthodox community in newly-etched Turkey, and Muslim Turks in Greece ended in a population exchange and an empty Kayakok.

First glance might suggest Turkey’s Kayakok was abandoned long ago in an epic, centuries-old battle, but it’s actually only been empty since the 1920s. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, fierce clashes between the Greek Orthodox community in newly-etched Turkey, and Muslim Turks in Greece ended in a population exchange and an empty Kayakok.

Located in the once-restive Idlib district, residents of Syria's northwestern town of Kfar Lata were pouring out by the thousands a year into the Syrian conflict in 2012. Once home to 10,000 Syrians, a TIME photographer spent the day with what appeared to be the very last family inhabiting the dilapidated village in 2013.

Located in the once-restive Idlib district, residents of Syria's northwestern town of Kfar Lata were pouring out by the thousands a year into the Syrian conflict in 2012. Once home to 10,000 Syrians, a TIME photographer spent the day with what appeared to be the very last family inhabiting the dilapidated village in 2013.

Fierce clashes between Jewish settlers and Palestinians have left many areas of Hebron's Old City completely deserted. Between violent killings of settlers by Palestinians, and IDF shootouts with Palestinian teens, areas like the old souk are eerily void of activity.

Fierce clashes between Jewish settlers and Palestinians have left many areas of Hebron's Old City completely deserted. Between violent killings of settlers by Palestinians, and IDF shootouts with Palestinian teens, areas like the old souk are eerily void of activity.

Once a bustling fishing hub in the Gulf, the village of Al-Arish lies just off Qatar’s northern coast. It was abandoned in the 1970s as inhabitants packed up in search of more prolific urban areas, leaving crumbling infrastructure you can still check out today.
Al-Ula is a sprawling grid of 800 stone dwellings in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, some over 2,000 years old. It’s said to have hosted the Prophet (Pbuh) en route to battle in 630 AD, and then an economic hub during the 1200s. Now it’s juxtaposed by a modern city center and has been uninhabited since the last family left in 1983.
Inhabitants of the Golan Heights city of Quneitra began clearing out after the Six Day War in 1967 and had emptied out completely following the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Today, a stroll through the town reveals original billboards, empty streets and bombed-out buildings still frozen in time.
Oman’s Sap Bani Khamis is an empty village scattered along the massive ledge of Oman's "Grand Canyon." The boxy cliff dwellings and impressive orchards were home to fifteen families until the 1970s, when Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s new leadership changed the country drastically and forced them to relocate.
First glance might suggest Turkey’s Kayakok was abandoned long ago in an epic, centuries-old battle, but it’s actually only been empty since the 1920s. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, fierce clashes between the Greek Orthodox community in newly-etched Turkey, and Muslim Turks in Greece ended in a population exchange and an empty Kayakok.
Located in the once-restive Idlib district, residents of Syria's northwestern town of Kfar Lata were pouring out by the thousands a year into the Syrian conflict in 2012. Once home to 10,000 Syrians, a TIME photographer spent the day with what appeared to be the very last family inhabiting the dilapidated village in 2013.
Fierce clashes between Jewish settlers and Palestinians have left many areas of Hebron's Old City completely deserted. Between violent killings of settlers by Palestinians, and IDF shootouts with Palestinian teens, areas like the old souk are eerily void of activity.
Once a bustling fishing hub in the Gulf, the village of Al-Arish lies just off Qatar’s northern coast. It was abandoned in the 1970s as inhabitants packed up in search of more prolific urban areas, leaving crumbling infrastructure you can still check out today.
Once a bustling fishing hub in the Gulf, the village of Al-Arish lies just off Qatar’s northern coast. It was abandoned in the 1970s as inhabitants packed up in search of more prolific urban areas, leaving crumbling infrastructure you can still check out today.
Al-Ula is a sprawling grid of 800 stone dwellings in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, some over 2,000 years old. It’s said to have hosted the Prophet (Pbuh) en route to battle in 630 AD, and then an economic hub during the 1200s. Now it’s juxtaposed by a modern city center and has been uninhabited since the last family left in 1983.
Al-Ula is a sprawling grid of 800 stone dwellings in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, some over 2,000 years old. It’s said to have hosted the Prophet (Pbuh) en route to battle in 630 AD, and then an economic hub during the 1200s. Now it’s juxtaposed by a modern city center and has been uninhabited since the last family left in 1983.
Inhabitants of the Golan Heights city of Quneitra began clearing out after the Six Day War in 1967 and had emptied out completely following the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Today, a stroll through the town reveals original billboards, empty streets and bombed-out buildings still frozen in time.
Inhabitants of the Golan Heights city of Quneitra began clearing out after the Six Day War in 1967 and had emptied out completely following the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Today, a stroll through the town reveals original billboards, empty streets and bombed-out buildings still frozen in time.
Oman’s Sap Bani Khamis is an empty village scattered along the massive ledge of Oman's "Grand Canyon." The boxy cliff dwellings and impressive orchards were home to fifteen families until the 1970s, when Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s new leadership changed the country drastically and forced them to relocate.
Oman’s Sap Bani Khamis is an empty village scattered along the massive ledge of Oman's "Grand Canyon." The boxy cliff dwellings and impressive orchards were home to fifteen families until the 1970s, when Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s new leadership changed the country drastically and forced them to relocate.
First glance might suggest Turkey’s Kayakok was abandoned long ago in an epic, centuries-old battle, but it’s actually only been empty since the 1920s. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, fierce clashes between the Greek Orthodox community in newly-etched Turkey, and Muslim Turks in Greece ended in a population exchange and an empty Kayakok.
First glance might suggest Turkey’s Kayakok was abandoned long ago in an epic, centuries-old battle, but it’s actually only been empty since the 1920s. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, fierce clashes between the Greek Orthodox community in newly-etched Turkey, and Muslim Turks in Greece ended in a population exchange and an empty Kayakok.
Located in the once-restive Idlib district, residents of Syria's northwestern town of Kfar Lata were pouring out by the thousands a year into the Syrian conflict in 2012. Once home to 10,000 Syrians, a TIME photographer spent the day with what appeared to be the very last family inhabiting the dilapidated village in 2013.
Located in the once-restive Idlib district, residents of Syria's northwestern town of Kfar Lata were pouring out by the thousands a year into the Syrian conflict in 2012. Once home to 10,000 Syrians, a TIME photographer spent the day with what appeared to be the very last family inhabiting the dilapidated village in 2013.
Fierce clashes between Jewish settlers and Palestinians have left many areas of Hebron's Old City completely deserted. Between violent killings of settlers by Palestinians, and IDF shootouts with Palestinian teens, areas like the old souk are eerily void of activity.
Fierce clashes between Jewish settlers and Palestinians have left many areas of Hebron's Old City completely deserted. Between violent killings of settlers by Palestinians, and IDF shootouts with Palestinian teens, areas like the old souk are eerily void of activity.

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