Every city in the world has a story to unfold. The ancient cities have all the more tales engulfed with rich cultural heritage to share. They have an intriguing history, beautiful architecture, and showcase the imprints of evolving human civilisations.
So let’s take a look at oldest cities in the world that are still thriving today.
Damascus, Syria – 11,000 years old
Also named as the capital of Arab culture, Damascus is the oldest city in the world that has seen many of the great civilizations rise and fall.
According to research studies and historical evidence, Damascus was first inhabited in the second half of the seventh millennia B.C. It is the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and is a prominent cultural centre of the Arab world.
Damascus is a metropolitan area with more than two million population and was named the Arab Capital of Culture in 2008.
First settled in the 3rd millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad.
Damascus saw its importance decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain significant importance in the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods.
Today, it is the seat of the central government of Syria. As of September 2019, eight years into the Syrian civil war, Damascus was named the least livable city out of 140 global cities in the Global Liveability Ranking.
As of June 2023, it was the least livable out of 173 global cities in the same Global Liveability Ranking.
Aleppo, Syria – 8,000 years old
Aleppo serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, and it has been continuously inhabited for more than 8,000 years. It is a fact that the remnants dating back to 11,000 B.C of human settlements have been found there.
Aleppo is actually located between the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia, and due to its geographical location, it became an important trading hub during the ancient era.
However, due to warfare between the government and rebel forces that have killed thousands and forced many to flee from their homes, Aleppo has been facing devastation since 2012.
For centuries, Aleppo was the largest city in the Syrian region, and the Ottoman Empire’s third-largest after Constantinople (now Istanbul) and Cairo.
The city’s significance in history has been its location at one end of the Silk Road, which passed through Central Asia and Mesopotamia. When the Suez Canal was inaugurated in 1869, much trade was diverted to sea and Aleppo began its slow decline.
At the fall of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, Aleppo lost its northern hinterland to modern Turkey, as well as the important Baghdad Railway connecting it to Mosul. In the 1940s it lost its main access to the sea, by Antakya and İskenderun, also to Turkey.
The growth in importance of Damascus in the past few decades further exacerbated the situation.
Aleppo has scarcely been touched by archaeologists, since the modern city occupies its ancient site. The earliest occupation of the site was around 5000 BC, as shown by excavations in Tallet Alsauda.
The Current Metro Area Population Of Aleppo In 2023 Is 2,203,000, A 5% Increase From 2022.
The metro area population of Aleppo in 2022 was 2,098,000, a 4.69% increase from 2021. The metro area population of Aleppo in 2021 was 2,004,000, a 4.54% increase from 2020.
Byblos, Lebanon – 7,000 years old
Located around 42 kilometre north of Beirut, Byblos is the oldest and the largest city in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon. It is believed to have been first occupied by humans between 8800 and 7000 BC and continuously inhabited since 5000 BC.
Also, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is believed that the first import of papyrus in Greece took place in this city. This city is also an archaeological wonder because of the successive layers of debris resulting from centuries of human habitation.
The city also known as Jbeil or Jubayl is a city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon.
During its history, Byblos was part of numerous civilizations, including Egyptian, Phoenician, Assyrian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Fatimid, Genoese, Mamluk and Ottoman.
The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was in ancient Byblos that the Phoenician alphabet, likely the ancestor of the Greek, Latin and all other Western alphabets, was developed.
Located about 42 km north of Beirut, Byblos is attractive to archaeologists because of the successive layers of debris resulting from centuries of human habitation.
It was first excavated by Ernest Renan in 1860, then by Pierre Montet from 1921 until 1924, followed by Maurice Dunand from 1925 over a period of forty years.
Renan’s expedition was to “provide the evidence that the city did not move and that Gebeil is Byblos”.
The site first appears to have been settled during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period, approximately 8800 to 7000 BC.
Neolithic remains of some buildings can be observed at the site. According to the writer Philo of Byblos (quoting Sanchuniathon, and quoted in Eusebius), Byblos was founded by the Phoenician shrine god El, (whom the Greeks identified with their god Cronus).
During the 3rd millennium BC, the first signs of a town can be observed, with the remains of well-built houses of uniform size. This was the period when the Canaanite civilization began to develop.
Argos, Greece – 7,000 years old
Argos is a city in Argolis, the Peloponnese, Greece and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. According to research, Argos remained neutral throughout history, and did not participate in the Greco-Persian Wars. Argos hosts around 22,000 residents today and numerous ancient monuments can be found here.
There are several proposed origins of this city. The name is associated with the legendary Argus, the third king of the city in ancient times, who renamed it after himself, thus replacing its older name Phoronikon Asty.
Both the personal name and placename are linked to the word αργός (argós), which meant “white” or “shining”; possibly, this had to do with the visual impression given of the Argolic plain during harvest time.
Argos has a wide range of educational institutes that also serve neighbouring sparsely populated areas and villages.
In particular, the city has seven dimotika (primary schools), four gymnasia (junior high), three lyceums (senior high), one vocational school, one music school as well as a Touristical Business and Cooking department and also a post-graduate ASPETE department. The city also has two public libraries.
In 700 BC there were at least 5,000 people living in the city.
In the fourth century BC, the city was home to as many as 30,000 people.
Today, According To The 2011 Greek Census, The City Has A Population Of 22,085. It Is The Largest City In Argolis, Larger Than The Capital Nafplio.
The primary economic activity in the area is agriculture. Citrus fruits are the predominant crop, followed by olives and apricots. The area is also famous for its local melon variety, Argos melons (or Argitiko). There is also important local production of dairy products, factories for fruits processing.
Considerable remains of the ancient and medieval city survive and are a popular tourist attraction.
Athens, Greece – 7,000 years old
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. It dominates the Attica region with its earliest human presence starting somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC. This city is also an ancient home of philosophy and the birthplace of Western civilisations.
In fact it boasts of habitation that goes back long before the days of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. The city withstood the test of times and was a subject of complete destruction following the Dorian and Persian invasions.
Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. It was a centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, and the home of Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely because of its cultural and political influence on the European continent—particularly Ancient Rome.
In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. In 2023, Athens metropolitan area and its surrounding municipalities (consisting the regional area of Attica) had a population of approximately 3.8 million.
Today, Athens is a sprawling metropolis and the oldest capital city in Europe.
Susa, Iran – 6,300 years old
Susa orwas an ancient city of the Proto-Elamite, and one of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East (the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East).
Its location is close to the Tigris River and hence made it one of the most important cities in the ancient world. It was believed that the city was once completely destroyed by the Assyrians but then was quickly rebuilt and then it saw its most glorious days during the Persian Empire.
The city was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about 250 km (160 mi) east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital of Elam and the Achaemenid Empire, and remained a strategic centre during the Parthian and Sasanian periods.
The site currently consists of three archaeological mounds, covering an area of around one square kilometre. The modern Iranian town of Shush is located on the site of ancient Susa. Shush Is Identified As Shushan, Mentioned In The Book Of Esther.
Susa is also mentioned once each in the books of Ezra (Ezra 4:9), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1) and Daniel (Daniel 8:2).
According to these texts, Nehemiah lived in Susa during the Babylonian captivity of the 6th century BC (Daniel mentions it in a prophetic vision), while Esther became queen there, married to King Ahasuerus, and saved the Jews from genocide.
A tomb presumed to be that of Daniel is located in the area, known as Shush-Daniel. However, a large portion of the current structure is actually a much later construction dated to the late nineteenth century, c. 1871.
Today, the ancient center of Susa is unoccupied, with the population living in the adjacent modern Iranian town of Shush to the west and north of the historic ruins.
Shush is the administrative capital of Shush County in Iran’s Khuzestan province. It had a population of 64,960 in 2005.
Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan – 6,000 years old
Erbil has been inhabited, over the millennia, by the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Mongols and Ottoman Turks.
At the center of the city, rests the Erbil Citadel, also known as Hawler Castle which is an ancient structure that dates back to 2,000 B.C.
The Erbil Citadel, is an artificial mound and the historical city center of Erbil. Erbil is known for its modern malls, ancient sites, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC.
At the heart of the city is the ancient Citadel of Erbil and Mudhafaria Minaret.
The earliest historical reference to the region dates to the Third Dynasty of Ur of Sumer, when King Shulgi mentioned the city of Urbilum. The city was later conquered by the Assyrians.
Erbil’s archaeological museum houses a large collection of pre-Islamic artifacts, particularly the art of Mesopotamia, and is a centre for archaeological projects in the area. The city was designated as the Arab Tourism Capital 2014 by the Arab Council of Tourism.
In July 2014, the Citadel of Erbil was inscribed as a World Heritage Site.
The city is predominantly Kurdish and has minorities of local Turkmen and Assyrians, as well as Arabs.
The Turkmen population in Erbil is estimated to be around 300,000. They mainly reside in the neighbourhoods of Taci, Mareke and Three Tak in Erbil’s city centre, around the citadel. Until 2006, they were living in the Tophane, Tekke and Saray neighborhoods of the Citadel, which contained almost 700 houses.
In 2006, the citadel was emptied, and the Turkmen in the citadel were relocated to other neighbourhoods. Turkmens participate in the political institutions of the KRG, including the Parliament.
Iraq’s first two Turkmen schools were opened on 17 November 1993, one in Erbil and the other in Kifri.
Erbil’s citadel also contains the Turkmen Culture House. It’s Ankawa district is mainly populated by Christian Assyrians. The district houses approximately 40 churches.
Erbil International Airport is one of Iraq’s busiest airports. Services include direct flights to many domestic destinations such as Baghdad international airport. There are international flights from Erbil to many countries; such as the Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Turkey, Jordan and elsewhere around the world.
Sidon, Lebanon – 6,000 years old
Inhabited for at least the last 6,000 years, Sidon was one of the most important Phoenician cities because of its location as a crucial port on the Mediterranean. Sidon is the third-largest city in Lebanon and is located in the South Governorate.
Glass production had made Sidon both rich and famous and the city came to be known for being progressive. Also, the Phoenicians were known for their skill in ship-building and navigating the Mediterranean Sea.
Sidon (/ˈsaɪdən/) or Saida (Arabic: صيدا Ṣaydā) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast.
In the Book of Genesis, Sidon was the first-born son of Canaan, who was a son of Ham, thereby making Sidon a great-grandson of Noah.
In the years before Christianity, Sidon had many conquerors: Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and finally Romans.
Herod the Great visited Sidon. Both Jesus and Saint Paul are said to have visited it, too. The city was eventually conquered by the Arabs and then by the Ottoman Turks.
Education Of Sidon
Sidon is home to numerous educational facilities ranging from public elementary schools to private universities.
According to a 2006 study, the city is home to 29 schools that serve a total of 18,731 students: 37% are in public schools, 63% are in private schools. Sidon also contains 10 universities, 5 of which are private universities.
Tyre to the south and Lebanese capital Beirut to the north are both about 40 kilometres (25 miles) away. Sidon has a population of about 80,000 within city limits, while its metropolitan area has more than a quarter-million inhabitants.
Plovdiv, Bulgaria – 6,000 years old
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria. Plovdivs’ history spans across more than six millenniums, making it one of the oldest cities in Europe. Excavations show that people have been inhabiting the ancient town on the Nebet Tepe Hill since 4000.C.
Plovdiv is situated in a fertile region of south-central Bulgaria on the two banks of the Maritsa River. The city has historically developed on seven syenite hills, some of which are 250 metres (820 feet) high.
The city is located on the banks of the Maritsa river, southeast of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. The city is in the southern part of the Plain of Plovdiv, an alluvial plain that forms the western portion of the Upper Thracian Plain.
From there, the peaks of the Sredna Gora mountain range rise to the northwest, the Chirpan Heights to the east, and the Rhodope mountains to the south.
Because of these hills, Plovdiv is often referred to in Bulgaria as “The City of the Seven Hills”. There is evidence of habitation in the area dating back to the 6th millennium BCE, when the first Neolithic settlements were established.
The city was an important Persian, Thracian, Macedonian, and Ottoman hub.
As of the 1887 census, Plovdiv was the largest city in the country for several years with 33,032 inhabitants compared to 30,428 for Sofia. According to the 1946 census, Plovdiv was the second largest city with 126,563 inhabitants compared to 487,000 for the capital.
The city has more than 200 archaeological sites, 30 of which are of national importance. There are many remains from antiquity. Plovdiv is among the few cities with two ancient theatres; remains of the medieval walls and towers; Ottoman baths and mosques; a well-preserved old quarter from the National Revival period with beautiful houses; churches; and narrow paved streets. There are numerous museums, art, galleries and cultural institutions. Plovdiv is host to musical, theatrical, and film events.
Today, Plovdiv is the second biggest city in Bulgaria and an up-and-coming tourist hub.
Varanasi, India – 5,000 years old
Varanasi is the oldest city in India and also the birthplace of the oldest religion – Hinduism. Also known as Benares, Banaras or Kashi this city is located on the banks of the river Ganges in the Uttar Pradesh state of North India and dates back to the 11th century B.C.
Kashi, its ancient name, was associated with a kingdom of the same name of 2,500 years ago. The Lion capital of Ashoka at nearby Sarnath has been interpreted to be a commemoration of the Buddha’s first sermon there in the fifth century BCE.
Excavations in 2014 led to the discovery of artefacts dating back to 800 BCE. Further excavations at Aktha And Ramnagar, two sites in the vicinity of the city, unearthed artefacts dating back to 1800 BCE, supporting the view that the area was inhabited by this time.
Tourism is Varanasi’s second most important industry.
Most domestic tourists are from Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and other parts of Uttar Pradesh, while the majority of foreign tourists are from Sri Lanka and Japan.
The peak tourist season falls between October and March.
In total, there are around 12,000 beds available in the city, of which about one half are in inexpensive budget hotels and one third in dharamsalas.
Overall, Varanasi’s tourist infrastructure is not well developed.
Conclusion
Most of the ancient cities in the world have stood the test of time apart from human invasions and geographical calamities.
How old is your city?
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