Nan Madol

Nan Madol consists of 92 separate islands covering 222 acres (90 hectares). Much of the ruins still remain in the form of enormous basalt “logs” assembled into walls and buildings. Nan Madol, the capital during the Saudeleur Dynasty, was also the center for politics and religion. It is said to have been constructed between 500 and 1500 A.D. It included the residence and tombs of the royal family, servant quarters, a guest house for visitors, and separate islands for funerals and storage. However, complete surveys have yet to be conducted, so many of the details are still a mystery, and that mystery is how these huge stones – some weighing more than two tons – were quarried, transported and finally assembled into what has been referred to as the “Venice of the Pacific”.