Let's Talk Religion

Atlantis of the Sands - The Legend of the Lost City of Arabia

April 5, 2026·29 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Was the legendary “Atlantis of the Sands” real? In this video, we explore the mystery of Iram of the Pillars, the lost city often linked to the ancient people of ʿĀd mentioned in the Qurʾān. We explore whether it was originally a city or the name of a people, and all the legends surrouding it until this very day.Music by Filip HolmFind me and my music here:https://linktr.ee/filipholmSupport Let's Talk Religion on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkreligion Or through a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/talkreligiondonateSources/Recommended Reading:Al-Jallad, A.الجلادأ. (2025). The Epigraphy of the Tribe of ʿĀd [النقوش القديمة التي تذكر عاد]. Athīrat: Journal of Ancient Arabia, 1(1-2), 281-289. https://doi.org/10.1163/30504880-12340015Clapp, Nicholas (1999). “The Road to Ubar: Finding the Atlantis of the Sands”. Houghton Mifflin Company.Elmaz, Orhan (2018). “A Paradise in the Desert: Iram at the Intersection of One Thousand and One Nights, Quranic Exegesis, and Arabian History”. In “To the Madbar and Back Again: Studies in the Languages, Archaeology, and Cultures of Arabia, Dedicated to Michael C.A. Macdonald”. Edited by Laïla Nehmé &Ahmad Al-Jallad. Brill.Thomas, Bertram (1932). “Arabia Felix: Across the Empty Quarter of Arabia”. Jonathan Cape.Thomas, Bertram (1933). “Ubar—the Atlantis of the sands of Rub’ Al Khali”. Journal of The Royal Central Asian Society, 20(2), 259–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/03068379308725252Webb, P. A. (2019). Iram. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas, & E.Rowson (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam 3 (pp. 117-121). Brill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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