SPINALONGA, CRETE, GREECE

Officially known as Kadylon, this used to be a leper colony. Arab raiders, Venetian explorers and ottoman Turks fought over the city for centuries. The last inhabitant of Spinalonga was a priest, which left the island in 1962. The abandoned lazaretto and the fortress make of this location a popular tourist attraction nowadays. It also appeared in many movies and TV series.

Abandoned town of Tawergh, Libya

Tawergha was actually cleared of its population by militias, being the site of very intense fighting scenes during the Libyan civil war of 2011-2012. Its name derives from the Berber language, meaning “the green island”. It’s definitely not so green right now.

Hashima Island or Battleship Island in Japan

Hashima Island or Battleship Island in Japan was once a thriving coal mining city of over 13,000 residents. The entire island housed 3x what it should have, and managed it by putting them in obscenely crowded apartments like this. Now, the entire island is abandoned, and is restricted to the public. These derelict sky-scraping ghettos fall without an ear to hear them. An island of the past.

Image Credits [1][2][3][4]