Stunning pictures show Utah caves

The images were snapped by amateur photographer Wayne Pinkston and show the caves occupied by the ancient Anasazi people in what is now the south-west United States.

The Anasazi were a pre-Columbian civilisation who built stone buildings and lived in large caves or alcoves that could be easily defended, before they suddenly abandoned the caves around 1300AD.

Mr Pinkston said: 'These places have lots of atmosphere and they're fascinating at night.

'It's enthralling and very primal to look out and see the same thing they did so long ago.

'This photo project was to honour and celebrate this ancient culture and I've really enjoyed working on it because I don't think it's really been pursued at night before.

'It is hard for us to imagine living in the world of the ancients.

'We can visit these places in the daytime but perhaps the closest we can come to feeling the atmosphere of ancient times is to be there at night.

'At night we can look outward and see the world as they did 1,000 years ago.'

The Anasazi thrived in the US from around 200AD until 1300AD when they disappeared without explanation from the area.

It is thought that they might have migrated elsewhere, although most experts believe the reason they vanished was due to drought.

They lived in villages built of stone walls in cliff recesses, alcoves and shallow caves with primitive rooms built for living quarters, food storage along with ceremonial structures.

(dailymail.co.uk)