Case file · Cosmic event
Wabar craters: the lost city that was a meteorite
Seeking the legendary city of Ubar, destroyed for its king's arrogance, explorer Harry St John Philby reached the Wabar site in the Empty Quarter in 1932 and found craters and black glass instead.
1932 CE · 21.50, 50.47 · status: explained
The account
Bedouin said the black glass and iron pieces were remains of the city. Philby recognised meteorite craters; a 2,200 kg iron mass, the 'Camel's Hump', was recovered in 1965.
The sceptical view
The craters are a few centuries old at most, not the remains of a city.
Connections in the atlas
- Ubar found at Shisr?
- The Black Stone sent from heaven