Every place is made by people - Atlantis.

A long, long time ago – actually around 8000 BCE – there was a place on Earth called Atlantis. Its inhabitants had carefully designed its walls – they formed perfect, symmetrical circles, separated by supply canals through which the people would set off to catch enormous sea creatures. At the very center of these circles lay an island, about 50 kilometers in diameter. The inhabitants put tremendous effort into expanding their city.

On this island, there were cultivated fields where citrus fruits grew – the people of Atlantis could quench their thirst on hot days with lemon water. They mainly farmed rice, maize, and millet. Flatbread was baked from millet, while rice and corn made a perfect addition to fish. The sun blazed in the sky, scorching the residents with its rays. It was extremely hot, but luckily, the people of Atlantis were well prepared for this natural discomfort. They had erected a huge screen on ten poles, built from the branches of the oil palm – a plant that didn’t grow in their region. They had traveled all the way to present-day Angola, where it was plentiful. The distance between Atlantis and Angola was quite the challenge, but to bring their innovations to life, the inhabitants had to make an effort. The screen fulfilled its purpose, protecting the people from the scorching sun.

It might seem that, as representatives of the African continent, they should have been naturally adapted to such conditions. But that was not the case. The people of Atlantis were truly unique – the women had alabaster skin, highly vulnerable to sunburn, while the men had golden-chocolate complexions. This was not the only genetic mutation among them. Strange social rules governed Atlantis – reminiscent of a human beehive, with a few exceptions. A queen ruled the land, distinguishable in appearance from her subjects – and that difference determined who became the Queen of Atlantis. She was the only woman with golden-chocolate skin – completely opposite from the rest. Her reproductive partner – not a king, as only the queen held any real power – was the only man on the island with alabaster skin.

Oh, how beautiful he was! The people of Atlantis were all stunning – women had jet-black hair and blue eyes, while the men had dark brown hair and dark eyes. Their looks, combined with their skin tones, were captivating. Everyone wore the same garments – green cotton wraps, one end thrown over a shoulder, covering the chest and private parts. They used chlorophyll, which was abundant, to dye the fabric green. And this wasn’t their only invention that was ahead of its time. The Atlanteans were the first on Earth to build a sewage system that channeled waste into a nearby river.

At this moment, it was noon on the island. Some inhabitants were resting, while others worked in the fields, according to a schedule. For this work, they wore special garments that covered the head and shoulders – also green.

A strange condition was part of this society: they lived for 150 years, and every 125 years, a new queen was born. When she reached the age of 25, she replaced the aging queen. Every two years, the reigning queen gave birth to new offspring – she was the only one allowed to reproduce, and the rest of the population was forbidden to do so. This had been the tradition for a thousand years – the entire nation had always followed this law. To prevent exhaustion of the queen and overpopulation, reproduction was allowed only once every two years.

Only twice in the history of the tribe did the queen fail to give birth to a suitable heir – a child with the proper traits to rule. In such cases, the entire island received permission to reproduce, but under one strict condition: the man had to be from the previous generation, and the woman from the current one, belonging to the reigning queen’s lineage. This was done to avoid incestuous relations. Since the albino skin gene was dominant in their tribe, only one dark-skinned girl was born from all the crossed unions – and she became queen.

Never in the island's history had the opposite occurred – a dark-skinned heir to the throne born too early.

Until that day.

“Nasir, Nasir!” – one of the villagers cried out – “Blow the horn!”

“Silence!” – the queen’s companion ran up – “Not a word!”

“But...” – the villager tried to argue, but was firmly silenced. Labib hurried back to the Queen’s chamber.

“What shall we do, my lady?” – he asked.

“We must get rid of the child and keep it secret. It's fifty years too early,” Queen Eman replied.

“My queen, what if another dark-skinned girl is never born? Who will replace you?”

“Do not worry, Labib. Trust me.”

“What should I do with the girl then?”

“Make sure she stops breathing.”

And so Labib obeyed. He wasn’t proud of what he had done, and mourned the loss of the girl deeply. Yet the queen’s order overruled all other laws, beliefs, and opinions.

Although their deed was hidden from the people, the gods were witnesses to it and decided to punish Queen Eman and her accomplice – and, in doing so, the entire population. The gods did not tolerate the suffering of innocent beings – it was they who had breathed life into the little girl, and it was they who decided the time of every soul’s arrival and departure.

“Eman has defiled the Earth with the blood of an innocent,” said Perun to his father Swarog. “What do you think, Father?”

“She cannot be allowed to go unpunished. Let us combine our powers,” replied Swarog.

Though Earth was not part of their usual realm of influence, they made exceptions in cases of terrible crimes.

“Let this tainted land be a desert forevermore, giving life to no plant or creature.”

The gods’ fury gathered into a blazing orb of lava and wiped Atlantis and the surrounding lands from the face of the Earth, taking away the planet’s blessing. From that moment on, the once fertile land became a desert, and the place once called Atlantis is now known as Kalb ar-Riszat...