Time did us a favour and listed their top nine “most spectacular” lost cities in the world. Each and every one of them is a marvel, with either rich histories or disaster as accompaniments.

These are our top three:

The Gedi Ruins in Kenya – On the coast of the Indian Ocean, this city was once a highly developed, bustling place. There’s evidence of flushing toilets and water systems, as well as remains of vases from the Ming dynasty, indicating international trade.

Chernobyl’s Ghost Cities in Ukraine – We all know the story, and the images will always continue to fascinate me. When the Chernobyl Nuclear Station exploded in 1986, the nearest town, Pripyat, was evacuated, and left to stand empty. Almost 30 years on, all it has now is a few extra trees.

All clocks are frozen at 11:55, the moment the electricity was cut.

The Lost City of Heracleion in Egypt – 2300 years ago this city controlled all the trade into Egypt. Weirdly, no one knew where it was until 2000, when it was discovered some 6km off the coast of Alexandria, completely under water. They found 64 ships, 700 anchors, a treasure trove of gold coins, statues standing at 16 feet and an assortment of other things.

Click through to Time for the rest.