Alkuru

Alkuru is a fictional planet featured in the science fiction novel "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury. The planet is depicted as a dying world, inhabited by a dwindling and melancholic Martian civilization. The Martians are described as a highly advanced but spiritually weary race, facing the gradual disappearance of their water and the decline of their society.

Bradbury uses Alkuru to explore themes of loss, memory, and the inevitable cycles of civilization. The planet is characterized by its ancient, crumbling cities and the ethereal, almost ghost-like presence of its inhabitants. The Martians' existence on Alkuru is marked by a deep sense of nostalgia for their past glories and a quiet acceptance of their impending end. The humans who eventually arrive on Mars find the planet largely deserted and its former inhabitants only faintly remembered. Alkuru serves as a poignant contrast to the nascent human expansion, highlighting the ephemeral nature of even the most advanced cultures.