1. Damascus, Syria


Being the capital of Syria, Damascus is also the
largest city of the country, with the population of over
4.5 million people. The history of the city goes back to
the 10,000-8,000 BC, though the exact time is still
debated; consequently Damascus is recognized as
one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the
world. Situated between Africa and Asia, the city has
an advantageous geographical location at the
crossroads of the orient and the occident.
From time immemorial, Damascus was a significant
cultural, commercial and administrative center. It
was a destination of local and overseas traders and
craftsmen. The city is marked by several civilizations
that had created it: Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and
Islamic. The old-walled city amazes with ancient
architecture, narrow alleys, green courtyards and
white houses. However, the age-old architecture
somewhat contrasts with the flood of tourists who
come from all over the world to see this breathtaking
place.

2. Athens, Greece


The cradle of Western civilization, Athens is the
capital of Greece with the population of about 3
million people. By now it has been inhabited for
more than 7,000 years and the design of the city is
marked by Ottoman, Byzantine and Roman
civilizations. It’s a birthplace of outstanding
philosophers, writers, dramatists, artists and the
classical style that they gave rise to.
Modern Athens is a cosmopolitan city, the cultural,
media, educational, political and industrial center of
Greece. The historical center of the city is composed
of Acropolis (“high city”), a huge hill with the
remnants of ancient buildings and Parthenon. The
hill has a marvelous view down the city. Since Athens
is acknowledged to be the archeological research
center, it is full of historical museums, including the
National Archaeological Museum, the Byzantine and
Christian Museum and the New Acropolis Museum.
When visiting Athens, you shouldn’t miss the chance
to visit the Port of Piraeus, which has been the most
important port of the Mediterranean for centuries
due to its geo-strategic location.

We, the proud students from France are seriously interested in this topic... Keep updating, more grease to your muscle.

3. Byblos, Lebanon



Byblos is another cradle of many ancient
civilizations. It is one of the oldest cities of Phoenicia
and it has been continually inhabited for about 5,000
years, even though the first signs of settlement go
back to the earlier period. Byblos is directly related to
the development of Phoenician alphabet, which is in
use even now. An interesting thing is that the English
word Bible is derived from the name of the town,
since Byblos was an important port, through which
the papyrus was imported.
Byblos is a lovely tourist destination these days and it
has a lot to offer: ancient citadels and temples,
picturesque views overlooking the Mediterranean,
antique ruins and the port. Nowadays it’s quite
modern city with glass buildings and full-chock
streets, but you can easily see the touch of antiquity. I
like reasonable combination of tradition and
sophistication about this city and I‘m in love with its
ancient heart.

Now people will claim schooling in Syria

4. Jerusalem, Israel


Jerusalem is one of the most-visited cities of Israel
and it is also the most important religious destination
in the world. Jerusalem is known to be a holy place
for Jews, Christians and Muslims. According to the
Bible, Jerusalem was founded as the capital city of
the united kingdom of Israel by David. Nowadays
Jerusalem is inhabited by 800,000 residents with
Jewish comprise more than 60 percent of population.
Over the years Jerusalem has experienced multiple
tragic events: it was exposed to numerous attacks,
sieges and destructions. The Old City was established
4 thousand years ago, which are divided into four
quadrants, today known as the Christian Quarter, the
Muslim Quarter, the Armenian Quarter and the
Jewish Quarter.
In 1981 the Old Town was added to the List of World
Heritage Sites in Danger. Modern city has spread far
beyond the boundaries of the ancient center.
Jerusalem bears an incredibly symbolic meaning for
Jewish people from all over the world, as it signifies
their desire to come back home.

5. Varanasi, India


India is a world-famous birthplace of ancient
civilizations, religions and spirituality and it is also a
cradle of the oldest world cities. The holy city of
India, Varanasi is located on the banks of the river
Ganges and it is considered to be one of the oldest
cities in the world. The Hindus believe that the city
was established by God Shiva and the history of the
city goes back to the 12th century BC.
Varanasi, also known as Benares, has been a cult
destination for pilgrims and wanderers. Mark Twain
once said the beautiful words about this city,
“Benares is older than history, older than tradition,
older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all
of them put together.” Varanasi is an outstanding
cultural and religious center with many celebrated
poets, writers and musicians concentrated in the city.
Varanasi had a great industrial potential due to its
high-end fabrics, perfumes, sculpture and ivory.
Nowadays Varanasi is the center of arts and crafts. It
can offer everything that one could imagine: brocade
silk, carpet weaving, toys, glass and ivory works,
perfumes and various accessories and jewelry. Since
I am a lover of ethnic handicraft, Varanasi seems to
be a true Eden for me!

6. Cholula, Mexico


Over 2,500 years ago the city of Cholula developed
from numerous scattered villages and it had been a
residence of various Latin-American cultures like the
Olmecs, Toltecs, and the Aztecs. The name of the
town means “place of flight” in Nahuatl and it was
former called Acholollan. When the town was
conquered by Spaniards, it began flourishing. Cortez
once called Cholula “the most beautiful city outside
Spain.”
Nowadays it’s a small colonial town with the
population of 60,000 residents. The most prominent
attraction of the city is the Great Pyramid of Cholula
with the sanctuary on the top, which is known to be
the largest man-made monument ever. The pyramid
of Cholula is highly underestimated. It consists of
multiple tunnels and caves with the total length of 8
kilometers. However, only 800 meters of these
tunnels are transformed into passages and open to
the public.

7. Jericho, Palestine


Archeological digs have attested to the evidence of
the human habitation dating back almost 11,000
years ago with at least 20 following settlements. But
nowadays Jericho is a small town with the
population of 20,000 people. In the Hebrew Bible it is
called the City of Palm Trees.
Jericho is located in the center of Palestine, which
means it’s an ideal place for routes and trade.
Moreover, Jericho’s natural beauty and resources
became the cause of numerous invasions to an
ancient Palestine. In the first century it was destroyed
by the Romans, rebuilt by the Byzantines and
destroyed again. Jericho had been deserted for
centuries. Over the 20th century the territory of
Jericho has been occupied by Jordan and Israel. In
1994 the territory became the part of Palestine.
Jericho’s most famous sites include Tell es-Sultan,
Hisham’s Palace and Shalom al Yisrael Synagogue
Mosaic Floor.

8. Aleppo, Syria


The city of Aleppo is the largest in Syria as it is
inhabited by more than 2 million residents. Aleppo
has an incredibly advantageous geographical
location; it is situated in the center of the Silk Road
that connected Asia and the Mediterranean world.
The territory of the city has been inhabited for more
than 8,000 years but the archeological digs have
found the evidence of habitation that dates back to
nearly 13,000 years ago. At various epochs Aleppo
was controlled by the Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans,
as a result it has mixed architectural styles.
The old city is overfilled with caravanserais, schools,
hammams and churches of 13th and 14th centuries.
The old city is also defined by narrow alleys and big
estates; while the modern part of Aleppo is
characterized by broad roads and large squares. The
interesting fact is that the old city of Aleppo consists
of cell-like segments, which are socially and
economically independent. Aleppo had been
subjected to permanent invasions and instability, and
the residents were compelled to fortify the city.
Aleppo is often called “the soul of Syria”.

9. Plovdiv, Bulgaria


Plovdiv’s history goes back to the 4,000 BC, which is
proved by many Neolithic excavations. Over the
centuries Plovdiv has been ruled by many empires,
though originally it was a Thracian city. Later it was
conquered by the Romans. In the Middle Ages
Plovdiv was an alluring territory for the Bulgarian,
Byzantine, and the Ottoman Empires. Only in 1885
the city became the part of Bulgaria. Nowadays it’s
the second largest city in Bulgaria and it’s a
significant economic, educational and cultural center.
I have been obsessed with the city for years. Last
summer I was lucky to spend a couple of days in this
magnificent city and I just fell in love with its narrow
paved streets, neat beautiful houses and marvelous
ancient architecture! The Old Town is definitely worth
seeing. It is overwhelmed with restaurants,
workshops and museums that were previously
famous houses. Archeological sites, museums,
churches and temples are also must-see places in
Plovdiv.

10. Luoyang, China


While most old cities are located in the
Mediterranean, Luoyang stands out as the oldest
continually inhabited city in Asia. It is included to the
Seven Great Ancient Capitals of China. The city is also
considered to be geographical center of China and
the cradle of Chinese culture and history. There is no
other city in China that has lived out so many
dynasties and emperors like Luoyang. The city has
been inhabited for more than 4,000 years and
nowadays it is populated by nearly 7,000,000 people.
With such a long and exciting history, Luoyang has
really a lot to offer. The Longmen Grottoes, which
was included to the list of World Heritage Sites in
2000, and numerous historic Buddhist temples are
real attractions for tourists from all over the world.
Luoyang is also famed for the White Horse Temple,
the first temple established in China.

Time and age are not the things we appreciate or
look forward to, but when it comes to the cities most
of us want to visit the world’s oldest cities. Centuries
always add a touch of greatness and majesty to the
city; they leave the mark of the epoch and civilization.
You can actually read the city when you look at its
architecture, layout and sights. These are just a few
of the oldest and most fascinating cities in the world
that I recommend you to visit. Have you ever visited
any of these oldest cities in the world?

www.womanitely.com/worlds-oldest-cities/10/

Interesting and i will love to visit those cities some day

So sad that the OP did not see it fit to include photos of old African cities like Great Zimbabwe,Sudan pyramids,timbuktu or Gedi ruins.Thats the reason why westerners look down on us and think Africans never built anything.

Wow, I would love to visit these cities

@Op, where is our own ibadan city?























U don dey madt abi?














U wan use groundnut oil drink garri

























Quote and die