6 incredible ancient ruins reimagined before your eyes

A new lease of life

From ancient cities to crumbling fortresses, there are over a thousand officially designated World Heritage Sites across the globe. With some ruins centuries old, many are at risk from both human and natural threats and UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger highlights those facing uncertainty.

So, with the help of Budget Direct and NeoMam Studios, we’ve re-imagined what six of these incredible endangered places would look like today and discovered a little more about their history too. 

Click or scroll on to see these ancient ruins rebuilt before your eyes...

Before: Hatra, Iraq

Likely founded in the third or second century BC, Hatra was a fortified city which rose to fame as the capital of the first Arab Kingdom. With its prime location along caravan trade routes in modern-day northern Iraq, Hatra thrived as an important trading station and religious centre.

In recent years, the city has been under threat from looting, invasions and vandalism and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and added to the in-danger list in 2015.

After: Hatra, Iraq

Thanks to its strong inner and outer walls reinforced by towers, the city survived Roman invasions in AD 116 and 198. Within its walls, Hatra’s biggest draw is its grand temples which feature Roman, Hellenistic and Eastern traits.

The largest and most impressive is the Great Temple, a vaulted structure with columns soaring to a mighty 100 feet (30m).

Before: Leptis Magna, Libya

Sat on the Mediterranean coast in present-day western Libya, Leptis Magna is an ancient seaside town dating back to the 7th century BC.

With its striking public monuments, a grand harbour, marketplace and residential districts, it was thought to be one of the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire and became UNESCO-listed in 1982. 

After: Leptis Magna, Libya

Traces of the city’s former glory can still be seen in its fine Roman ruins including the grand amphitheatre (re-imagined here), its theatre from the first century financed by rich aristocrats and the hippodrome (or circus), a roughly 1,500-foot-long (460m) racecourse built in the second century.

In the heart of Leptis Magna is the remains of its market, the most recent structure built during the rule of emperor Septimius Severus (193-211 BC) who was born in the city and one of its biggest patrons. 

Before: Portobelo San Lorenzo Fortifications, Panama

Nestled on the Caribbean coast of Panama, these impressive forts were built by the Spanish Crown to protect transatlantic trade routes that moved goods such as silver and gold.

UNESCO-listed since 1980, the old forts are known for being stunning examples of 17th- and 18th-century military architecture.

After: Portobelo San Lorenzo Fortifications, Panama

The earlier fortifications were built in a medieval style by the prominent Italian engineer Bautista Antonelli, while the late 18th-century additions were created in a Neoclassical style.

These later features which are said to replicate European military designs, can still be seen in some of the forts including Santiago, San Jeronimo and San Fernando. The forts were added to UNESCO's in-danger list in 2012. 

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Before: Nan Madol, Federated States of Micronesia

Nicknamed the ‘Venice of the Pacific’, Nan Madol is a series of over 100 man-made stone islets just off the coast of Pohnpei in Micronesia. Built on top of a coral reef between around AD 1200 and 1500, the ancient islets are filled with temples, stone palaces, tombs, public baths and houses.

The ruins are believed to symbolise Nan Madol’s importance as a ceremonial centre during the Saudeleur dynasty (a foreign tribe that came to Pohnpei and became the island’s rulers). Nan Madol made the UNESCO danger list in 2016 because of the uncontrolled plantlife in its waterways threatening the islets. 

After: Nan Madol, Federated States of Micronesia

The main site is approximately one mile (1.5km) long and like the famous Italian city, it’s surrounded by narrow stretches of water. The huge scale and detail of its ruined buildings and the mystery of why it was built, make Nan Madol one of the most important archaeological sites in Micronesia.

Standing tall, surrounded by two sets of 25-foot (7.6m) high walls was Nan Madol’s largest and most intricate structure, the royal temple known as Nandauwas.

Before: Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, Israel

With ties to Christianity, Judaism and Islam, the Old City of Jerusalem is one of the most famous holy sites in the world. Encompassing an area of just 0.3 square miles (0.9km), the city’s impressive walls span across centuries, however, what you can see today is from the 16th century, after the walls were rebuilt by the Ottoman Empire.

With Jerusalem’s rapid expansion over the years, not much of the Old City from ancient times has survived.

After: Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, Israel

Alongside its walls, the city was once home to some incredible religious buildings. One of the most famous was the Second Temple of Jerusalem, a sacred site for Jewish people. In around 20 BC, Herod the Great (the King of the Judea) planned to expand the old temple, and it’s thought that construction took around 46 years.

In AD 70 the Romans destroyed most of the temple, and today, only its Western Wall remains. Visitors from across the globe still flock to the Old City and it continues to be an important place for worship.

Before: Palmyra, Syria

Founded near a natural oasis northeast of Damascus in Syria, Palmyra is home to the magnificent ruins of one of the most significant cultural centres of the ancient world. Likely founded as early as the third millennium BC, Palmyra became an important centre for trade during the first century AD when it fell under the control of the Roman Empire.

The city’s stunning art and architecture are thought to reflect various civilisations and cultures across centuries, combining Greco-Roman styles with Persian and Arabian influences. 

After: Palmyra, Syria

Although large sections of the city were destroyed by conflict in 2015, some of its remarkable ruins remain. One of Palmyra’s most notable buildings is the Temple of Bel, thought to have been constructed between 32 BC and the second century AD. 

Originally it would have stood on a podium and featured a number of columns but today just a small portion of its portico and walls remain, with emergency works ongoing to preserve as much of the site as possible. 

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Now see what the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World would look like today