Muziris, Lost port city in Kerala, India

Muziris is a lost port city on the coast of Kerala in India. Excavations at Pattanam brought pottery fragments, metal items, and a large brick wharf to light that enabled trade across long distances.

Floods by the Periyar in 1341 changed the coastline and ended its role as a trading harbor. The exact location vanished from all records afterward and remained hidden for centuries.

The name appears in Greek and Roman trading records from centuries past. Visitors today see recovered goods from distant lands, including amphorae and coins that show exchange between continents.

The Muziris Heritage Project offers twelve museums and three different routes for visitors. Each path leads through different discovery sites and shows different aspects of the excavation areas.

Pliny the Elder called this place the first trading center of India in his writings. Merchants here exchanged pepper, pearls, and ivory for Roman gold coins from distant lands.