Where did the airfield come from in Africa. The Airfield of Ancient Civilizations has been found! Yundum airfield in the Gambia (6 photos)

America

AT recent times a lot is said about the mysterious Yundum airfield, discovered on the territory of the small African country of the Gambia. This airfield is almost a legacy of ancient civilizations, which, according to some information, had aircrafts- the so-called vimanas. In any case, no one knows for sure by whom and when Yundum was built.

The width of the country from north to south does not exceed 50 kilometers. A little more than one and a half million people live in the Gambia, including 75% in rural areas. The industry is extremely underdeveloped there and consists of peanut butter, beer, soft drinks and clothing industries. The export of peanuts gives the country half of its foreign exchange earnings.

The backwardness of the Gambia is eloquently evidenced by the fact that, until recently, the population could receive higher education only abroad: in Senegal, USA or Western Europe. The situation changed only in 1999, when the University of the Gambia was established in the capital Banjul. There is only one library in the country, and not so long ago the first museum was opened, now, however, there are already five of them.

Here, the transition at the end of the last century from manual processing of fields with hoes to plows harnessed by bulls, horses or donkeys is considered an achievement. The equipping of fishing boats with outboard motors was also evidence of Gambia's involvement in technological progress.

Of course, this small country has its own strengths. It is one of the few on the Black Continent where a multi-party political system. There are several great resorts around Banjul with spacious and clean sea beaches where tourists from the UK love to relax. Animal husbandry can be considered highly developed: the number of cattle exceeds 400 thousand heads.

But in the Gambia there is a real international airport, moreover, a mysterious one. This is Yundum - the one so beloved by ufologists and alternative historians. It is located 27 kilometers from Banjul. The length of its runway (runway), which meets the highest requirements, is 3,600 meters, so that Yundum is able to receive aircraft of any weight. The Gambians themselves did not build this expensive runway. They only laid asphalt on the already existing roughly polished stone slabs, cleared of the ground, and made markings.

The Gambia was then helped by NASA, as the US space agency was interested in creating an alternate airfield for reusable Shuttle-type spacecraft. Initially, the United States chose the airport of the Senegalese capital of Dakar, but its runway has too much angle relative to the main flight path of the shuttles. Therefore, in September 1987, the Americans reached an agreement with the Gambian side on the use of the Yundum airfield for these purposes.

Photo: Wolfgang REH

The runway has been upgraded. In particular, its width was increased from 29 to 45 meters. The Americans also installed the necessary electronic control and navigation systems. And in 1996 the building was put into operation international airport, built on a joint Anglo-Gambian project.

If you look closely at satellite imagery, you can see that the central part of the Yundum runway is actively used, but there are unused sections on both sides of the runway. They are paved with light slabs of an unusual sandy-brown color. There are also extensions of the strip that have not yet been cleared of the earth. And the trees along it grow very interestingly - along the lines of some kind of faults in the soil.

Red circles mark unpaved areas of ancient slabs runway

So where did this runway come from? The most sensational, of course, is the hypothesis that the runway was built back in the days of pra-civilization and that from here, very possibly, ancient Indian or Atlantean aircraft - vimanas - took off. However, lovers of versions of the conspiracy plan expressed another assumption. Like, the airfield was secretly built by the Germans during the Second World War. Sometimes they give a more precise date - 1944.

At first glance, this version is not without some plausibility. Indeed, during the war years, the Nazis showed great interest in African uranium and allegedly even took it out of the Congo by plane, making several intermediate landings.

In this regard, one can even recall the secret German airfields built in the Arctic in the rear Soviet troops. That's just, with regard to the Gambia, there are several big "buts". Firstly, such airfields were not paved with massive stone slabs, but with small metal ones, which also had several holes to reduce weight.

Secondly, the Gambians claim that slabs partially covered with soil have always been there, and did not appear in the middle of the 20th century. Finally, thirdly, back in January 1943, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited Banjul. This was due to the conference in Moroccan Casablanca.

During the meeting, Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, together with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States and Great Britain, discussed the prospects for opening a Second Front and a strategy to combat German submarines in the Atlantic.

The port of Banjul at that time was used as a stopover for Allied naval convoys, and the mysterious airfield was chosen by the US Army Air Corps. So there simply could not be any secret Nazi bases in the immediate vicinity of such a strategic Anglo-Saxon hub.

On the Internet, one can even come across allegations that the Yundum, in fact, was built by the allies themselves. So is there really no secret of the ancient airfield? No matter how! The length of the runway is clearly excessive for aircraft of that time. As you know, local residents saw this cover long before the war. And the color of the slabs is very different from concrete.

There is a photo of the only combat aircraft of the Gambian army, bought in 2008 in Georgia. This is a Su-25 attack aircraft standing on a platform of concrete slabs attached to the Yundum runway. They have a clearly different - gray color, which concrete should have. It can also be noted that, judging by the photographs, sandy-brown stone slabs vary in size, and this is absolutely not characteristic of airfield pavements of the 20th-21st centuries.

So the mystery of Yundum really exists, and it has yet to be solved.

Valdis Peipins

It is an interesting tourist attraction only for British fans of recreation on its clean beaches- flying on vacation to the former colony is quite in the style of English subjects. The city where the only airport in the Gambia is located is the capital Banjul.

Gambia International Airport

Yundum Banjul Airport and the city's business center are separated by 24 km, which can be covered by taxi or public transport. It is optimal to order a transfer at the hotel where the room is booked for the duration of the holiday, or at travel company, since the Gambia is not the most safe country for foreign tourists.
The passenger terminal building was commissioned in 1966. It was built according to a joint project of local architects and specialists from. The terminal has a cafe, currency exchange offices, shops duty free.
Among the airlines whose boards land at the Gambia airport, there are both small and world famous:

Arik Air fly in and out.
Binter Canarias operate flights to Gran Canaria with canary archipelago.
Brussels Airlines deliver passengers from the capital.
Royal Air Maroc operate regular flights to.
Senegal Airlines connect Gambia airport with.
Thomas Cook Airlines bring tourists from and.
Small Planet Airlines operate seasonal charters from Gatwick Airport to .
Vueling transports those wishing to get to the Gambia from.

Despite the small size of the state and not too high popularity among travelers, the Gambia airport serves at least a million passengers annually.
The runway length of Yundum Banjul Airport is 3.6 km and meets the highest international standards. The third longest "take-off" on the black continent allows you to receive and send aircraft of any weight.
The US agency NASA, which was interested in creating an alternate airfield for landing reusable spacecraft, took part in the construction and reconstruction of the Gambian airport. Thanks to American participation in the project, the runway was expanded to 45 meters, and the controllers received modern radio-electronic control and navigation systems.
Ufologists and researchers of ancient civilizations believe that the first airport in the territory of modern Gambia was built long before 1977, as is commonly believed. Opposite ends of the runway are made of stone slabs sandy-brown color, which were not used in the construction practice of the last century, and the length of the paved runway, taking into account these extensions, looks completely beyond the realities of the last century. Local residents saw these plates even before the Second World War, which means that the version of the secret Nazi airfield also does not hold water.

Recently, a lot has been said about the mysterious Yundum airfield, discovered on the territory of the small African country of the Gambia.

This airfield is almost a legacy of ancient civilizations, which, according to some information, had aircraft - the so-called vimanas.

In any case, no one knows for sure by whom and when Yundum was built.

In this photo, the red circles mark the unpaved sections of the ancient runway slabs.

Inland, the Gambia juts out for 350 kilometers from west to east, it is located along the channel of the full-flowing river of the same name. The width of the country from north to south does not exceed 50 kilometers. A little over one and a half million people live in the Gambia, including 75% in rural areas.

The industry is extremely underdeveloped there and consists of peanut butter, beer, soft drinks and clothing industries. The export of peanuts gives the country half of its foreign exchange earnings.

The backwardness of the Gambia is eloquently evidenced by the fact that, until recently, the population could receive higher education only abroad: in Senegal, the USA or Western Europe. The situation changed only in 1999, when the University of the Gambia was established in the capital Banjul. There is only one library in the country, and not so long ago the first museum was opened, now, however, there are already five of them.

Of course, this small country has its own strengths. It belongs to those few on the Black Continent where a multi-party political system functions. In the vicinity of Banjul, there are several magnificent resorts with spacious and clean sea beaches, where tourists from the UK love to relax. Animal husbandry can be considered highly developed: the number of cattle exceeds 400 thousand heads.

Paved, marked and flew

But in the Gambia there is a real international airport. Plus it's mysterious. This is Yundum - the one so beloved by ufologists and alternative historians. It is located 27 kilometers from Banjul.

The length of its runway (runway), which meets the highest requirements, is 3600 meters, so that Yundum is able to receive aircraft of any weight. The Gambians themselves did not build this expensive runway. They only laid asphalt on the already existing roughly polished stone slabs, cleared of the ground, and made markings.

The Gambia was then assisted by NASA, as the US space agency was interested in creating an alternate airfield for reusable space shuttles. Initially, the United States chose the airport of the Senegalese capital of Dakar, but its runway has too much angle relative to the main flight path of the shuttles.

Therefore, in September 1987, the Americans reached an agreement with the Gambian side on the use of the Yundum airfield for these purposes. The runway has been upgraded. In particular, its width was increased from 29 to 45 meters. The Americans also installed the necessary electronic control and navigation systems. And in 1996, the building of the international airport, built according to a joint Anglo-Gambian project, was put into operation.

Versions, versions, versions

Sometimes they give a more precise date - 1944. At first glance, this version is not without some plausibility. Indeed, during the war years, the Nazis showed great interest in African uranium and allegedly even took it out of the Congo by plane, making several intermediate landings.

In this regard, one can even recall the secret German airfields built in the Arctic in the rear of the Soviet troops. As far as the Gambia is concerned, there are several big "buts" here. Firstly, such airfields were not paved with massive stone slabs, but with small metal ones, which also had several holes to reduce weight.

Did the allies try?

As we already know, the locals saw this cover long before the war. And the color of the slabs is very different from concrete. There is a photograph of the only combat aircraft of the Gambian army, a Su-25 attack aircraft purchased in 2008 from Georgia, standing on a concrete slab site attached to the Yundum runway.

They obviously have a different - gray - color, which concrete should have. It can also be noted that, judging by the photographs, sandy-brown stone slabs vary in size, and this is absolutely not characteristic of airfield pavements of the 20th-21st centuries.

So the mystery of Yundum really exists, and it has yet to be solved.

Valdis PEYPINS
Secrets of the twentieth century

2016-12-01 00:00:00

This airfield is a legacy of ancient civilizations, which, according to some information, had aircraft - the so-called vimanas.

In 1875, in one of the temples of India, the treatise Vimanika Shastra, written by Bharadvaji the Wise in the 4th century BC, was discovered. e. based on even earlier texts. Before the eyes of the astonished scientists appeared detailed descriptions strange aircraft of antiquity, reminiscent in their technical specifications modern UFOs. The devices were called vimanas and possessed a number of amazing qualities, among which 32 main secrets are listed that make vimanas also a formidable weapon.

In any case, no one knows for sure by whom and when Yundum was built.

This former British colony is located on the Atlantic coast of tropical Africa and belongs to the group of the most economically backward countries not only of the world as a whole, but also of its by no means prosperous continent. The territory of the state is strongly elongated in the latitudinal direction. Inland, the Gambia juts out for 350 kilometers from west to east, it is located along the channel of the full-flowing river of the same name. The width of the country from north to south does not exceed 50 kilometers. A little over one and a half million people live in the Gambia, including 75% in rural areas. The industry is extremely underdeveloped there and consists of peanut butter, beer, soft drinks and clothing industries. The export of peanuts gives the country half of its foreign exchange earnings. The backwardness of the Gambia is eloquently evidenced by the fact that, until recently, the population could receive higher education only abroad: in Senegal, the USA or Western Europe. The situation changed only in 1999, when the University of the Gambia was established in the capital Banjul. There is only one library in the country, and not so long ago the first museum was opened, now, however, there are already five of them. Here, the transition at the end of the last century from manual processing of fields with hoes to plows harnessed by bulls, horses or donkeys is considered an achievement. Equipping fishing boats with outboard motors was also evidence of Gambia's involvement in technological progress. Of course, this small country has its own strengths. It belongs to those few on the Black Continent where a multi-party political system functions. In the vicinity of Banjul, there are several magnificent resorts with spacious and clean sea beaches, where tourists from the UK love to relax. Animal husbandry can be considered highly developed: the number of cattle exceeds 400 thousand heads.

Asphalted, marked and flew.

But in the Gambia there is a real international airport. Plus it's mysterious. This is Yundum - the one so beloved by ufologists and alternative historians. It is located 27 kilometers from Banjul. The length of its runway (runway), which meets the highest requirements, is 3600 meters, so that Yundum is able to receive aircraft of any weight. The Gambians themselves did not build this expensive runway. They only laid asphalt on the already existing roughly polished stone slabs cleared from the ground and made markings. NASA then helped the Gambia, since the US space agency was interested in creating an alternate airfield for reusable shuttles. Initially, the United States chose the airport of the Senegalese capital of Dakar, but its runway has too much angle relative to the main flight path of the shuttles. Therefore, in September 1987, the Americans reached an agreement with the Gambian side on the use of the Yundum airfield for these purposes. The runway has been upgraded. In particular, its width was increased from 29 to 45 meters. The Americans also installed the necessary electronic control and navigation systems. And in 1996, the building of the international airport, built according to a joint Anglo-Gambian project, was put into operation. If you look closely at satellite imagery, you can see that the central part of the Yundum runway is actively used, but there are unused sections on both sides of the runway. They are paved with light slabs of an unusual sandy-brown color. There are also extensions of the strip that have not yet been cleared of the earth. And the trees along it grow very interestingly - along the lines of some faults in the soil.

Versions, versions, versions.

So where did this runway come from? The most sensational, of course, is the hypothesis that the runway was built back in the days of pra-civilization, and that from here, very possibly, ancient Indian or Atlantean aircraft - vimanas - took off. However, lovers of versions of the conspiracy plan expressed another assumption. Like, the airfield was secretly built by the Germans during the Second World War. Sometimes they give a more precise date - 1944. At first glance, this version is not without some plausibility. Indeed, during the war years, the Nazis showed great interest in African uranium and allegedly even took it out of the Congo by plane, making several intermediate landings. In this regard, one can even recall the secret German airfields built in the Arctic in the rear of the Soviet troops. As far as the Gambia is concerned, there are several big "buts" here. Firstly, such airfields were not paved with massive stone slabs, but with small metal ones, which also had several holes to reduce weight. Secondly, the Gambians claim that slabs partially covered with soil have always been there, and did not appear in the middle of the 20th century. Finally, thirdly, back in January 1943, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited Banjul. This was due to the conference in Moroccan Casablanca. During the meeting, Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, together with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States and Great Britain, discussed the prospects for opening a Second Front and a strategy to combat German submarines in the Atlantic. The port of Banjul at that time was used as a stopover for Allied naval convoys, and the mysterious airfield was chosen by the US Army Air Corps. So there simply could not be any secret Nazi bases in the immediate vicinity of such a strategic Anglo-Saxon hub.

Did the allies try?

On some sites, one can even find statements that the Yundum, in fact, was built by the allies themselves. So is there really no secret of the ancient airfield? No matter how! The length of the runway is clearly excessive for aircraft of that time. As we already know, the locals saw this cover long before the war. And the color of the slabs is very different from concrete. There is a photograph of the only combat aircraft of the Gambian army, a Su-25 attack aircraft purchased in 2008 from Georgia, standing on a concrete slab site attached to the Yundum runway. They obviously have a different - gray - color, which concrete should have. It can also be noted that, judging by the photographs, sandy-brown stone slabs vary in size, and this is absolutely not characteristic of airfield pavements of the 20th-21st centuries.

So the mystery of Yundum really exists, and it has yet to be solved.

Recently, the media have reported many times about the mysterious Yundum airfield, which is located in the small country of the Gambia, located on the African mainland. Why did the airfield receive the status of "mysterious"?

But because the main and very expensive part of it, the runway (runway), was not built by anyone, because it existed before the airfield appeared here. The runway is a monolithic stone slab, which is neatly fitted to each other.

By assurance local residents, this "road" of monolithic stones was located in this place from ancient times. When they decided to build an airfield here, they realized that better place can not found. The builders rolled asphalt onto the slabs, applied all the necessary markings, and as a result received a magnificent runway, the length of which is 3600 meters. Any modern aircraft of any size and weight can land on the airfield.

It is interesting that the Yundum airfield was created with the active participation of the American space agency, which chose it as an alternate airfield, which is necessary for the landing of reusable spacecraft called "Shuttle". NASA representatives helped install the necessary electronic control and navigation systems.

In 1996, the opening of the building of the international airport took place, the project of which was developed jointly by the Americans and the Gambians. Interestingly, not all the stone slabs of the runway were covered with asphalt - some at the beginning and at the end were left uncovered. It turned out that the modern strip turned out to be smaller than the ancient one.

The question remains unsolved: what equipment took off from this runway? This question is quite complex. Available publications indicate that no studies have been conducted here. In areas not covered with asphalt, light slabs of a sandy-brown color are carefully fitted to each other.

No one knows the exact age of the stone slabs either. Some publications talk about the roughly polished surface of ancient plates, while others claim that the polishing was perfectly done. Published photographs indicate that the rough polishing of the slabs is closer to reality, however, this can only indicate their antiquity. After all, even perfectly polished stones can be severely damaged over time by precipitation and winds.