the history of the middle east
dates back to ancient times and many
major religions have their origins there
including judaism christianity and islam
and with so much history and cultural
background it's no surprise that it's
littered with tales of jinns
ghosts and other supernatural beings so
here we look at five locations in the
middle east
with particularly mysterious and creepy
backgrounds
hit those lights sit back and enjoy
bala oman bala is an ancient town
about a half hour outside of nizwa in
oman
it's known around arabia as the
birthplace of jinn and black magic
and it predates islam stories about
balor's past
involve people being turned into cows or
goats and people vanishing
when they leaned against certain posts
in the area
it all started over 1400 years ago when
a man was stoned to death by the
villagers of bala
for practicing wizardry and to prevent
his followers from turning his burial
site into a shrine
a fort was built on it but his spirit
soon began to appear
in the back alleyways of the village and
rumors circulated
that he had returned and was teaching
others black magic
from beyond the grave legend has it that
if you died a violent death imbala
you will come back as a jinn and haunt
the place
today the fort forms part of the ancient
world city of bala
known as the city of magic it's among
the oldest and largest forts of oman
and is such an important part of
medieval islamic history
that in 1987 it was granted unesco
world heritage site status in recent
years
it's been restored and is now open to
the public
a task that took 25 years to complete
with rumors of constant disruption by an
unknown force
most of the reconstructed fort is
relatively modern
but those who have visited the original
parts of it claims there is a noticeable
change in temperature
and an eerie aura surrounding it that
many perceive
as proof that magic is still practicing
there
another legend of bala involves a tree
thought to be a frankincense tree
that if touched by an outsider would
doom them to great misfortune or death
as it grew the tree branches niled up
and twisted
then one day as the locals tried to cut
it down believing it to be evil
it spontaneously burned into flames
outside the fortified walls of the town
is an ancient cemetery
filled with unmarked graves and what
remains of old suffi mosques
it said that three of the graves
belonged to suffie mystics
who visited the town to practice their
unorthodox sect of islam
which included saint worship it said
that these three strangers had tapped
into the parallel world of the jinn
and use their power to fly a fully
intact mosque from rustac to the
position
the now crumbling ruin is today however
despite all the myths and legends
surrounding bala
it seems those that live near it are
reluctant to talk about it
and have no desire to visit the area and
frown upon those that do
the haunted house of jeddah the infamous
haunted house of jeddah is a derelict
building
located close to the seafront on the
north cornish in saudi arabia
it has the reputation of being the most
haunted house in jeddah
and is said to be riddled with
paranormal activity and sinister spirits
its reputation has made it a magnet to
the young people of the area
who are drawn to the building egging
each other on
to see who dares to go inside only to be
driven away by the strange aura that
emanates from it
it's rumored that 16 brave people who
have entered the house
were never seen again such is the
house's authority
that even local taxi drivers will not go
near the place
and despite several complaints by
residents about the dilapidated building
authorities seem reluctant to make the
building safe or demolish it
possibly fearing what they will unleash
the more it deteriorates the more creepy
and mysterious it appears
not helped by the fact that it is now
home to hundreds of black crows
who line its crumbling roof as if
guarding the mysteries inside
there are a few brave people who have
got close enough to spray the place with
graffiti
only adding to the eeriness those who
have seen the house
claim that even in daylight it's a
spooky place
but at night it takes on another level
of creepiness
a few years ago reporters from arab news
decided to spend the night in the house
to try and bury the myth once and for
all so equipped with cameras torches and
recording equipment
they entered the house and settled in
for the night
they didn't report anything major but
claimed they heard occasional whispers
and an intermittent hum there were no
ghosts
just an uneasy feeling they did however
witnessed firsthand
the fear that the building evokes the
question is
is the house really haunted or has it
become just the subject of hearsay
that over the years has escalated to
such an extent
that people believe it is if any of you
have ever visited the house
or live near it i'd love to hear from
you
jim elhiri wheel of spirits in israel
now this one isn't so much haunted as
dan wright creepy and mysterious
it's an ancient monument located in the
middle of a field
that was first noticed by scholars in
1968
a year after israel captured the golan
heights from syria
the monument consists of concentric
stone circles with a small tumulus in
the center
and from the ground it's barely
noticeable but from above
it's a clear landmark despite its
intriguing nature
it attracts few visitors and most people
are unaware of its existence
its syrian name rujim al-hiri translated
means
stone heap of the wild cat and in arabic
rujin refers to a tamilas a mound of
stones
underneath which human burial space is
located
in hebrew the name means wheel of spirit
or wheel of ghosts
the stone circle measures 160 meters in
diameter
and is estimated to have been created
around 3000 years bc
a comparable date to the equally
mysterious stonehenge in england
and it's often referred to as the
israeli stonehenge
but who built it and what its purpose is
is unknown
although there are suggestions that it's
some kind of ancient astronomical
calendar
however there are far few more
unsettling theories about what it might
be
despite no human remains ever being
found most agree that it's a tomb
and due to its size it's been suggested
it's the grave of the biblical giant
known as ogg
king of the bastion but a more recent
theory
links the structure to an ancient method
of disposing of the dead
i may have served the residents of the
excavated villages nearby
that were part of the agrarian
civilizations that existed in the holy
land between 4500 and 3500 bc
this was backed up in 2007 where a
self-proclaimed expert in supernatural
energy fields
visited the site and claimed it had high
levels of energy
and vibration which he suggested was the
reason the ancient community
chose the location it's worth
remembering that the people of the holy
land buried their dead in osceraries
small boxes used to house bones but the
use of osceraris
required that the flesh from the body
was removed first
which was usually achieved by burying
corpses in temporary tombs
until he had decomposed leaving just the
bones
however archaeologists have found no
evidence at the site
of this practice suggesting it could
have been used for a different
more grim method of disposing of flesh a
method known as excarnation
or sky burial the removal of flesh from
bodies
using vultures and other birds the
winged scavengers would perch on the
circular walls
then swoop down after the bodies are
left within the structure
and pick the carcasses clean in a matter
of hours
the design and layout of ruja malhiri
has led some archaeologists to believe
the site was an exclamation facility
however if that is the case it would be
the first such claim that excarnation
was practiced in the holy land
in that era and could have been linked
to a cult of the dead
it was also considered an appealing fate
wished only on one's worst enemies
possibly making ruja mahiri the site of
such misery and anguish
and one of the creepiest and most
mysterious places on this list
gin cave in libya the libyan desert is a
formidable place
it forms the northern and eastern part
of the sahara desert
and lies within the present-day state of
libya and is where the ancient desert
city of guard is located
it also houses a notorious gin cave the
cave is carved into the mountain
and is reportedly one of the most
haunted places in the world
nearby residents deter visitors from
going near the cave
for fear they will never return living
in the cave is a deer
but it's not a normal deer it's believed
to be a jinn taking the form of the
animal
many have tried and failed to catch the
creature
there are reports of mysterious voices
coming from the cave
possibly of the tortured souls who went
in and never came out
the local culture in the area still
maintains the belief
that a sword or knife must be worn at
special occasions
such as weddings and ceremonies this is
in the belief
that it will protect them from the jinn
as they have a fear of iron
those who have tried to climb to the
cave have failed
finding it impossible to negotiate the
treacherous mountain terrain
but it seems outsiders are far more
concerned with the mysteries of the cave
than the locals
for them the gin is part of their
heritage and the jinn in the cave
does not concern them and they are at
pains to stop visitors disturbing it
in case it gets unleashed and takes
revenge on the community
the alcosimi palace united arab emirates
you don't seek the way to the palace it
will find you in time
is the local legend surrounding this
palace however this doesn't quite ring
true
as al qasimi palace located in ross
alhima
in the united arab emirates is hard to
miss
and stands out against the baron
landscape
it was built over 25 years ago at the
cost of 500 million arab emirates dina
but apart from one night it has never
been lived in
locals say the occupants were driven out
after just one night
after they were tormented by strange
paranormal happenings
such as furniture being turned around
and faces appearing at windows
the luxurious palace has been left empty
ever since
those who have gone near the place have
reported feeling irrational fear
sounds of wailing persons bizarre
sightings and children peeping out of
the partially broken stained glass
windows
crying out for help now this place is
not open to the public
and has a permanent security guard
watching over the place
but it's said after a little persuading
the watchman sometimes allows people in
although he will never enter the place
himself those who have managed to get in
are met by the sort of luxury most of us
won't see in our lifetimes
it's full of amazing artwork expensive
furniture and beautifully designed rooms
with large dust covered chandeliers and
unused household items
the walls and floors are decorated with
ceramic tiles
painted by moroccan artists who
allegedly cast charms of black magic
perhaps one of the clues that all is not
as it seems
is the wall covered in blurred red paint
with the words go
written across it or the painting of a
woman
whose eyes seem to follow you around the
room
also puzzling are the padlocked doors
that are hiding things behind them
this is not your normal haunted house
it's not some years old derelict
perched on a hill with a history of
tragedy and murder
this is a three-story home decorated
with no expense spared
that has been completely abandoned for
many years and it makes you wonder
what was so terrifying that the owners
would leave this luxurious palace
and its furniture and decoration to just
gather dust
and rot if you or anyone you know has
been in this place
i would love to hear about the
experience so that's five of the most
haunted places in the middle east
i hope we've enjoyed episode three of
our most haunted places in the world
series
and i'll see you tomorrow for another
creepy video