Decoding the mystery of 50,000 Persian warriors who disappeared in the blink of an eye more than 2,500 years ago

In world history, there was a strange event when a group of 50,000 people suddenly disappeared, no one was alive , and no corpse was found. For thousands of years, no one could explain what the truth was.

More than 2,500 years ago, King Cambyses II , ruler of all of Persia and son of the legendary Cyrus the Great, sent an army of 50,000 men to attack his rivals. What happened next has become one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world: the entire army disappeared and has never been seen since.

Some believe this story is fiction. However, archaeologists have long sought to determine what really happened to the 50,000 warriors sent out by Cambyses.

Cambyses' Army

In 524 BC, Cambyses II sent troops on a mission to target and enslave the inhabitants of the Temple of Amun, located in the Siwa oasis , known as the 'Ammonians'. The Persian king wanted to strengthen his claim to Egypt so that he could legally claim the position of Pharaoh.

Cambyses initially made polite demands, but the powerful priests of the Temple of Amun were unwilling to submit, which greatly angered him. To resolve the situation and quell their resistance, Cambyses sent his men to burn down their great temple of Zeus-Ammo.

The large army embarked on a mission and marched across the Sahara towards the Siwa oasis, deep in the desert. They wanted to teach the rebellious priests a lesson so they could prove their worth.

It took the army seven long days in the desert to reach the oasis - historians believe it was then called 'El-Kharga' . But they never arrived: the 50,000-strong army disappeared on the way to their destination.

Cambyses' army was overwhelming in the desert. (Photo: Internet).

This may have been nothing short of a disaster for Cambyses. But it had no aftershocks to his rule and power, and some have questioned whether the event was real. However, since no trace of the warriors was ever found, the truth of the story became a point of debate, and the search for the soldiers was abandoned.

What could happen to them?

While we cannot be certain where the army ended up, there are explanations from ancient times that offer clues. According to Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, a strong and deadly wind arose from the south when the army was about halfway across the desert, engulfing them in a massive sandstorm.

The intensity of the sandstorm was so great that the entire army of 50,000 warriors was engulfed by it and they had no time to react or run away. Even though the army consisted of thousands of men, they did not stand a chance against mother nature.

The force of the natural weather phenomenon was so great that the entire army disappeared under the sand and was never found again. The trace of those men was lost and no news was ever heard of them, neither from the Egyptians, Persians nor Greeks.

When the traces of those men were completely lost, they soon disappeared from memory. The task that the army had to undertake was quite difficult and they did not realize the challenge they might face in the natural setting.

Of course , Herodotus himself guessed and offered the best possible explanation he had. But with the environment being so challenging, the army could have gotten lost and disappeared in the vast Sahara desert.

Discover the mystery

Archaeologists have actually uncovered some evidence that sheds light on the tragedy that befell Cambyses' large army. While conducting research activities near the area where they are believed to have disappeared, researchers found several artifacts including human remains along with other items such as a half-buried jar.

Another major discovery involved the presence of a large boulder that may have been used as a shelter from the sandstorm. Several ancient war artifacts were located by metal detectors, such as several bronze arrowheads and daggers, all from the time of Cambyses. Could this be the remains of an army, all that was left in the desert?

Siwa Oasis. (Photo: Internet).

The tragic fate of the army makes one wonder how nature can act as a catalyst and change the destiny of man. The loss of the Army of Cambyses, considered one of the greatest archaeological mysteries of all time, was solved when it was discovered that the cause of the disappearance of 50,000 soldiers was a sandstorm . Far from the concept of a mysterious army, scientists were confident enough in their findings to announce that they had solved the mystery in 1996.

Their conclusion is consistent with Herodotus: the army was indeed swallowed up by a sandstorm during the journey. Now nothing remains of the 50,000 men who set out for the Siwa oasis.

Although Cambyses had been remarkably successful as a king, controlling almost the entire region of Egypt, the sudden disappearance of his entire army was certainly a major setback. It was a testament to the fact that even his power could not overcome this disaster.

The sudden disappearance of his vast army of warriors in the middle of the desert has intrigued archaeologists for decades. Recent research has revealed that the army, which numbered in the thousands, faced a natural obstacle in the form of a massive sandstorm. They were unable to complete their journey as they were engulfed by the sand along the way.