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European adventurers in the last century made a vocation of entering the desert to try to scout out the location of this ' Atlantis of the sands', including Bertram Thomas and later his friend, Thomas Edward Lawrence (of Arabia). Success eluded them both. Some years later, an American archeologist, Wendell PhillipsWendell Phillips ( 29 November 1811 2 February 1884), born in Boston, Massachusetts, was an American abolitionist and orator. After graduating from Harvard in 1831, he went on to attend its law school from which he graduated in 1833. In 1834, Phillips was, searched along present-day camel caravan routes in the Rub al Khali desert, but also met with failure.

Then, in the early 1980sMillennia: 1st millennium 2nd millennium 3rd millennium Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s Years: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 Events and trends, archaeological enthusiast Nicholas Clapp used ancient maps, literature, and records to arrive at a general location for Ubar in southern OmanThe Sultanate of Oman is a country in the southwestern part of Asia, on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates in the northwest, Saudi Arabia in the west, and Yemen in the southwest. The coast is formed by the Ar. Clapp contacted Dr. Ronald Blom of NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA (established 1958) is the government agency responsible for the United States of America's space program and long-term general aerospace research. A civilian organization, it conducts (or oversees) re's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for help. Images taken from the Space Shuttle ChallengerShuttle Orbiter Challenger ( NASA Designation: OV-99) was a Space Shuttle orbiter. Challenger was the second shuttle orbiter to be placed into service (after Columbia and was constructed using a body frame (STA-099) that had initially been produced for us in OctoberOctober is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days. From the Latin octo for " eight" (it was originally the eighth month of the year, before January and February were inserted). Holidays Halloween Thanksgiving Day in Canada on 19851985 is a common year starting on Tuesday. Events January events January 1 Creation of the Internet's Domain Name System. January 17 British Telecom annouces they are going to abolish the famous red telephone boxes. January 23 A debate in the House of Lor showed distinct tracks through the desert, identified as old caravan routes, converging at Ash Shisr . Two expeditions to Oman were mounted in 1990Events January January 3 Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces. January 7 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns. January 9 Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello The man who led the coup aginst Dr Apo and 1991. The expedition team included Clapp, Blom, archaeologist Dr. Juris Zarins , and British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who had been on previous Ubar searches. The team investigated the area around Ash Shisr, and began excavation.

The excavations uncovered a large octagonal fortress with thick walls ten feet high and eight tall towers at the corners. The archaeologists also found Greek, Roman, and Syrian pottery, the oldest of which was identified as more than 4,000 years old (predating the 21st century BC). The discovery of these types of artifacts – including pottery that showed influence of the Parthians of Iran and other faraway places – indicated that this was indeed a major center for trade, and likely the fabled Ubar. Crystallized frankincense was also found at the site.

One startling result of the excavation was that it appears that Ubar did meet with a catastrophic end as the legends describe. The excavation revealed a giant limestone cavern beneath the fortress. It is believed that Ubar may have been destroyed when a large portion of it collapsed into the cavern.