Top 8 most precious treasures in the world are still missing

Great treasures from different cultures around the world have been stolen or mysteriously disappeared during wars .

The world's greatest treasures remain missing to this day.

Live Science has researched about 30 lost treasures around the world. They may never be found. Some of these treasures are now likely to be destroyed.

1. The Amber Room

Many archaeologists are still searching for the "amber room" built in the 18th century Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, near St. Petersburg (Russia).

The room contains mosaics, mirrors and gilded carvings, along with panels made from around 450kg of amber.

Tsarskoe Selo was captured by the Germans in 1941 during World War II. The Amber Room was disassembled and taken to Germany. It has not been seen since.

2. Ark of the Covenant

Illustration of the "Ark of the Covenant" - (Photo: GIZA PYRAMID TICKETS)

According to the Bible, the "Ark of the Covenant" was a chest containing tablets engraved with the 10 commandments.

The Ark was kept in a temple in Jerusalem, Israel, built by King Solomon. This temple is the holiest site on Earth for the Jews.

However, the temple was destroyed in 587 BC when an army from ancient Babylon, led by King Nebuchadnezzar II, conquered Jerusalem and sacked the city.

3. Japanese sword Honjo Masamune

Honjo Masamune is a sword forged by Gorō Nyūdō Masamune. He lived from 1264 to 1343 and was the greatest swordsmith in Japanese history.

The sword was owned by Japan's first shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

At the end of World War II, the sword was turned over to the American government during the American occupation of Japan. But the sword never appeared again.

4. Easter Egg

Faberge Easter eggs - (Photo: MY MODERN MET).

From 1885-1916, Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé made lavishly decorated "Easter eggs" for the Russian Imperial Family.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 led to the execution of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia. And these eggs were lost.

Many reports suggest that Easter eggs were shipped from the Soviet Union to the United States at the end of the Cold War.

5. The Florentine Yellow Diamond

After World War I, the last emperor of Austria-Hungary, Charles I, took it with him to Switzerland, where he placed it in a bank vault. It is unclear what happened next.

6. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Theft

On March 18, 1990, two thieves broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts and stole 13 works of art worth an estimated $500 million.

They include three works by Dutch painter Rembrandt and five by French artist Edgar Degas.

7. Skull of ancient Peking man

Peking Man skull - (Photo: ALAMY).

In 1923, the fossil of an ancient human known as "Peking Man" , who lived about 750,000 years ago, was discovered in a cave near the village of Zhoukoudian, near Beijing.

The fossils disappeared in 1941, during the war between Japan and China.

8. Nazi Germany's Gold Vault

According to rumors, near the end of World War II, a Nazi force hid a huge amount of gold in Lake Toplitz in Austria.

Several divers have died trying to find gold in the lake's waters.