The desert city sought in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is Ubar, also called the Atlantis of the Sands. Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan follow clues connected to Sir Francis Drake and a secret society that believes the legendary city lies beneath the Arabian Desert.
In the game’s story, Ubar is located in the Rub’ al Khali, or Empty Quarter, of the Arabian Peninsula. Drake’s investigation takes him through France, Syria, and Yemen before an underground tomb reveals the city’s location. The search is inspired by historical legends about a wealthy lost settlement swallowed by the desert.
Ubar is often confused with the destinations from other Uncharted games. El Dorado is the legendary treasure sought in Drake’s Fortune, while Shambhala is the hidden Himalayan city in Among Thieves. Libertalia is the pirate utopia central to A Thief’s End. Uncharted 3 gives Ubar a supernatural dimension: its water supply is contaminated by hallucinogenic material associated with a vessel linked to King Solomon, helping explain the city’s downfall.