Welcome to a whirlwind tour of 10 world 8217’s most off‑the‑wall communities. The planet is riddled with oddities hidden behind ordinary fences, and we’re about to pull back the curtain on ten of the strangest places you can actually visit, ranging from a trash‑laden Egyptian district to a women‑only Brazilian hamlet.
10 World 8217: A Quick Overview
10 Manshiyat Naser, Egypt Garbage City
In many Western suburbs, diligent residents scour curbside collections for discarded furniture and other valuables they can flip for profit. Sanitation crews, after years of honing their eye, refer to the salvageable treasures they pull from the waste as “mongo.” Yet nowhere on Earth does garbage dominate the local economy quite like Manshiyat Naser, a ward of Cairo affectionately dubbed “Garbage City.”
The inhabitants of Manshiyat Naser eke out a living by processing the refuse of Cairo’s ten‑million‑strong population. Life there is brutally austere: there is no running water, no sewage system, and no reliable electricity, while every spare inch of ground is choked with towering piles of rubbish. The few pigs that survived the 2009 swine‑flu outbreak now rummage through the filth, searching for scraps.
Living in stark poverty, families in “Garbage City” each specialize in a particular waste stream—some focus on recyclable bottles, others on scrap metal, while still others burn whatever they can to stay warm. The entire community is a patchwork of micro‑enterprises, each clinging to a niche within the endless sea of trash.
9 Thames Town, China Abandoned England
China’s appetite for construction is so voracious that entire ghost towns have sprouted across its landscape, with vacancy rates for new homes hovering around 20 %. One particularly eerie example is Thames Town, situated roughly 32 km (20 mi) from Shanghai. Conceived to mimic a picture‑perfect English market town, the development boasts row houses, cobblestone lanes, a traditional pub, and even a fish‑and‑chips shop.
Completed in 2006, Thames Town now sits largely empty, exuding a permanent Twilight Zone ambience. Its primary claim to fame is as a backdrop for wedding photography; newlyweds flock here for the novelty of posing before faux‑English façades.
Thames Town isn’t alone in this genre; other Chinese projects such as Tianducheng replicate Paris, complete with a scaled‑down Eiffel Tower, underscoring the country’s penchant for building replica cities that remain largely uninhabited.
8 Gibsonton, Florida Where The Freaks Wintered
Seasonal circuses and traveling carnivals have long needed a warm refuge during the harsh Northern winter, and Florida’s Gibsonton—affectionately nicknamed “Gibtown”—served that purpose. The town embraced its unconventional residents by tweaking zoning laws to allow exotic animals and even carnival rides on private property, while the local post office famously lowered its counter for dwarf performers.
Among its most famous inhabitants were the extraordinary couple Al and Jeanie Tomaini. Al, a pituitary giant, and Jeanie, born without legs and a quarter his height, lived together in a unique partnership: Al would carry Jeanie like a child as they ran a lodge and fishing camp for the community.
Another notable resident was Grady Stiles, known as “Lobster Boy” due to ectrodactyly, a condition that gave his hands and feet a claw‑like appearance. Stiles’ life was marred by violence; he was accused of murdering a prospective son‑in‑law and was himself slain in 1992 by a hired assassin commissioned by his wife. Today, most of the circus‑folk who once animated Gibsonton have passed away, leaving the town to resemble any other small Florida community—though the lingering ghosts of its flamboyant past remain palpable.
7 Zarechny, Russia Closed City
In the aftermath of World War II, the Soviet Union accelerated its industrial and scientific capabilities, creating a network of “closed” cities—settlements omitted from maps and heavily restricted in terms of resident movement. Though many of these cities have since opened, Zarechny remains sealed off, home to just over 60,000 people in western Russia.
According to its official website, Zarechny is classified as a “closed administrative‑territorial formation,” primarily because it houses facilities that manufacture components for nuclear weapons. The city’s chief employer is Rosatom, the state‑run corporation overseeing nuclear technology in Russia.
Entry into Zarechny is tightly controlled; the city is fenced and guarded with barbed wire, and only a few outsiders receive special permission to visit. Residents, however, benefit from higher wages and better social benefits, reflecting the strategic importance of their work.
6 Rennes‑le‑Chateau, France Church Conspiracy
Nestled in the French Pyrenees, Rennes‑le‑Chateau is a tiny Catholic hamlet that once housed around 300 souls. In 1885, the village caught the eye of a modest priest named François Berenger Saunière, whose sudden acquisition of immense wealth sparked widespread intrigue. He lavishly restored the local 11th‑century church dedicated to Mary Magdalene and installed a striking statue of the devil clutching a holy‑water font.
The church’s entrance bears the inscription “Terribilis Est Locus Iste” (“This Place Is Terrible”). Saunière also erected a grand villa beside the church, further fueling speculation about the source of his riches.
Conspiracy theories swirled, suggesting Saunière had uncovered Crusader treasure, possessed secret Vatican connections, or even held forbidden knowledge about Christ’s life. Dan Brown later mined these rumors for his bestseller “The Da Vinci Code,” which ignited a tourism boom as treasure hunters flocked to the area, even prompting the exhumation and reburial of Saunière’s corpse in a concrete sarcophagus in 2004.
While some argue that Saunière’s wealth stemmed from outright fraud—selling prayers and masses he never performed—others remain convinced of a deeper mystery, keeping the village’s allure alive for generations of curious visitors.
5 Chess City, Elista, Kalmykia A Madman’s Fantasy
Amid the stark steppes of Kalmykia, a republic within Russia, lies an astonishing sight: Chess City. This glass‑domed complex, surrounded by a Californian‑style suburb, was the brainchild of former Kalmykian president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, an avid chess enthusiast who also headed the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
The neighborhood is dotted with towering chess‑themed sculptures, and the Chess Palace once hosted major championship matches. However, the extravagant project proved more vanity than practicality; today the palace sits largely empty while the surrounding residential area slowly succumbs to decay.
Ilyumzhinov’s eccentricity extended beyond architecture. He claimed to have communicated with extraterrestrials and to have been guided by the blind Bulgarian psychic Baba Vanga, who allegedly foretold his rise to both Kalmykian leadership and FIDE presidency. Funding for the $30‑$50 million venture remains a mystery, especially given Kalmykia’s chronic poverty.
According to Ilyumzhinov, alien forces will one day retrieve the residents, “packing us all into their spaceships and taking us away from this place.” Whether prophecy or publicity stunt, the city remains a testament to an outlandish vision that never fully materialized.
4 Noiva Do Cordeiro, Brazil All‑Woman Town
In Brazil’s southeastern region lies Noiva Do Cordeiro—literally “Bride of the Lamb”—a settlement founded in 1891 by Senhorinha de Lima after she was expelled from her original community for adultery. Today, roughly 600 residents—almost exclusively women—call this town home, with only a handful of husbands who work in the distant city of Belo Horizonte, roughly 100 km (60 mi) away, visiting only on weekends.
The women of Noiva Do Cordeiro manage every facet of communal life, from religious ceremonies to agricultural planning, cultivating the surrounding rainforest and fertile fields. Yet despite their autonomy, many long for romance; the community’s strict rule that men must submit to their authority deters potential suitors.
As 23‑year‑old resident Nelma Fernandes explains, “I haven’t kissed a man for a long time. We all dream of falling in love and getting married… But first they need to agree to do what we say and live according to our rules.” The town thus stands as a living experiment in female‑led governance, balancing empowerment with the yearning for traditional partnership.
3 Neft Daslari, Azerbaijan Oily Rock
When oil was first tapped in the Caspian Sea during the late 1940s, the Soviet Union erected the world’s inaugural offshore platform. Lacking a blueprint, engineers added structures haphazardly over decades, resulting in a sprawling labyrinth of rigs, bridges, piers, residential blocks, and even a cinema—all anchored to the seabed by sunken ships and industrial debris.
Known locally as Neft Daslari (“Oily Rock”), the complex once supplied a significant portion of the USSR’s oil output. Today, newer, more accessible oilfields have eclipsed its importance, leaving the once‑bustling settlement a ghostly tableau of decay. Many bridges now crumble into the sea, some apartment towers sit partially submerged, and large swaths of the platform are unreachable.
The dwindling workforce operates amid an atmosphere of secrecy; for instance, Google Maps refuses to zoom in on the site. The eerie, post‑apocalyptic vibe captured popular imagination, earning a cameo in the 1999 James Bond film “The World Is Not Enough.”
2 Najaf, Iraq The Necropolis
Living next to a cemetery can be a tranquil experience—quiet neighbors who never borrow your lawn mower. Yet for the residents of Najaf, Iraq, proximity to the world’s largest burial ground, Wadi Al‑Salam, is a daily challenge. Spanning an area nearly twice the size of New York City’s Central Park, the necropolis holds the remains of roughly five million individuals, with interments occurring continuously for over 1,400 years.
In the wake of ISIS’s brutal campaign, the cemetery’s resources have become strained. Approximately 200 bodies are added each day, prompting desperate families to resort to illicit measures—stealing plots, burying loved ones beneath sidewalks, and paying exorbitant fees exceeding $10,000 for a legitimate burial plot.
The sheer scale and ongoing turmoil make Najaf’s necropolis a stark reminder of how conflict can amplify even the most ancient of human practices.
1 Auroville, India The City Of Dawn
Utopian experiments often fizzle, but Auroville, India, stands out as a bold attempt at creating a universal community. Founded in 1968 by Mirra “The Mother” Alfassa, the city now hosts over 2,000 residents hailing from every corner of the globe. Property ownership is prohibited, monetary transactions are minimal, and the settlement lacks a formal ruler or rigid governance structure.
According to its official mission, Auroville aspires to be “a universal town where men and women of all countries can live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.” At its heart lies the Matrimandir, a massive geodesic dome reminiscent of Disney’s Epcot Center, covered in gleaming golden discs. The Matrimandir serves as a spiritual sanctuary open to the public by appointment, deliberately eschewing affiliation with any single religion.
Tourists are welcomed with a variety of guest houses and eateries, offering an opportunity to experience the city’s unique blend of spirituality, community living, and experimental architecture. Whether you seek enlightenment or simply an unconventional travel experience, Auroville provides a rare glimpse into a living, breathing experiment in human unity.