There’s something fascinating about ancient cities that makes you want to explore everything they have to offer. If you, too, love to explore ancient civilizations or what remains of them, we have put together a list of the 10 oldest cities in the world that are still standing, reminiscent of how people lived millenniums ago.
10. Lisbon, Portugal (2000 B.C.?)
Set on seven low hills, on the north banks of the River Tagus, Lisbon’s charm is strongly linked to the past. Lisbon was first inhabited by Iberian people, responsible for building the megaliths. After centuries of growing, Lisbon is now one of the liveliest cities in Europe. The renovated palaces, magnificent churches and Art Nouveau buildings are just a few of the things that make up the city’s cultural heritage. There’s an impressive collection of ancient and modern art in many of the city’s museums such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, the National Coach Museum, and the Carmo Archaeological Museum. When you’ve seen all the cultural attractions, be sure to head down to Bairro Alto, the center of nightlife, packed with restaurants, bars and clubs. There are also plenty of shopping opportunities either for local merchandise at the Campo de Santa Clara or famous brands in the Centro Commercial Colombo.
9. Luxor, Egypt (before 2160 B.C.)
Luxor, previously known as the ancient city of Thebes, the glorious city of the God Amon Ra, has been a hot tourist destination since tourism began. The area started attracting tourists ever since the Greek and Roman periods. Luxor is one of the most popular cities in Egypt, its stars being the monuments of Luxor, Karnak, Hatshepsut and Ramses III. There’s no wonder the city is often referred to as the world’s greatest open air museum, having a great number of well-preserved monuments. The city in itself actually consists of three distinct areas: the City of Luxor on the East side of the Nile, the town of Karnak and Thebes on the west side of the Nile, across from Luxor. You can bargain your way for anything in the city’s bazaar or enjoy the vegetarian paradise Luxor’s restaurants offer its tourists.
8. Asyut, Egypt (before 2160 B.C.)
Located 375km south of Cairo, Asyut is the largest town in Upper Egypt and the first settled in Pharaonic times. Today, Asyut is the region’s most important agricultural center and home of the third largest university in Egypt. The city has almost 400,000 inhabitants, having the highest concentration of Coptic Christians. It is said that Virgin Mary appeared in Asyut, an apparition even attested by the church. Apart from the religious value, Banana Island is a great place to relax, while the 19th century barrage on the North Edge of the city is a popular destination among tourists.
7. Xi’an, China (2205 B.C.?)
With a history of over 3,000 years, the city is one of the most important in Chinese history, being one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Xi’an, the eternal city, enjoys fame equal to that of other famous cities such as Athens, Cairo, or Rome. The abundance of relics and sites of important cultural significance gained the city the title of a Natural History Museum. Furthermore, the Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses is often referred to as “the eighth major miracle of the world”. The City Wall of the Ming Dynasty is the most well-preserved towns in the world of that period while the Famen Temple holds the finger bones of Sakyamuni — the founder of Buddhism. All in all, Xi’an is one of the most valuable places to get a taste of ancient China and their traditions.
6. Giza, Egypt (before 2568 B.C.)
“From atop these pyramids, forty centuries look down upon you.” — Napoleon Bonaparte to his soldiers before the Battle of Giza, 1798. Contrary to popular belief, Giza is a city in itself, but which got absorbed by the rapidly developing metropolis of Cairo. It holds one of the most important attractions in Egypt - the Pyramids of Giza, coupled with the Sphinx at the base of the Giza plateau. Giza’s desert plateau will be part of the Grand Museum of Egypt, a project to be completed in 2012 that will replace the Egyptian Museum in Midan Tahrir.
5. Konya, Turkey (2600 B.C.?)
Located 250 km from the Mediterranean Sea and 500 km from the Black Sea, at an altitude of over 1000 meters in the Anatolian steppe, Konya is one of Turkey’s most fascinating cities, full of mosques and museums. One of the most popular museums is the Green Mausoleum of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, a great Turkish poet. Konya has a vast array of historical finds, kept in several museums, such as the Archaeological Museum, the Koyunoglu Museum or the Ethnographical Museum.
4. Zurich, Switzerland (3000 B.C.?)
Switzerland’s biggest city and one of the oldest cities in Europe, Zurich was established in Roman times under the name Turicum. Traces of these times can be found throughout the Old Town – narrow streets filed with antique shops, boutiques and cafes. Shopping is concentrated around the famous Bahnhofstrasse, one of the most beautiful shopping streets in Europe. Besides shopping, you can explore the city’s culture by visiting Grossmünster or Fraumünster – two old churches with amazing interiors, the Swiss National Museum or Kunsthaus, another popular museum. Head down to Aussersihl – a newly developed area filled with bars, clubs, restaurants where you can get a taste of the real Swiss life. After seeing the city, you’ll surely find out why it was named the city with the best quality of life in the world.
3. Kirkuk, Iraq (3000 B.C.?)
With archaeological remains that are over 5,000 years old, Kirkuk is an important city for the Kurdish identity and also the center of the Iraqi petroleum industry. While it may not be the most inviting tourist destination, Kirkuk stands on the site of the ancient Assyrian, once being the battlegrounds for three empires, Assyria, Babylonia, and Media that took turns controlling the city. Sights include the citadel, the tomb of Prophet Daniel, and Al Qaysareyah Market. If you want to go back in time and see the remains of the ancient city, visit archaeological sites of Qal’at Jarmo and Yorgan Tepe, located at the outskirts of the city.
2. Jerusalem, Israel (3000 B.C.?)
A holy city for three different religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Jerusalem is the place where ancient values combine with modern culture to bring a fascinating metropolis. Jerusalem is divided into three parts – West Jerusalem, the rapidly developing commercial part of the city, East Jerusalem – home for the majority of the Arab population, and the Old City – a truly breathtaking location, declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. Once you get tired of sightseeing, you can check out the marketplace, a place teeming with tourist shops.
1. Gaziantep, Turkey (3650 B.C.?)
The capital city of Gaziantep Province informally known as Antep is the oldest city that’s still standing, with a history dating back to the Hittites period. It was continually inhabited ever since the Paleolithic age, experiencing serious growth along with the Ottoman Empire. Today, Gaziantep is a friendly, upbeat city with numerous mosques, medresse, inns and baths from centuries ago. The stone houses and vibrant bazaars are bordered by beautiful gardens and vineyards, combining in a spectacular sight anywhere you turn. With several museums and holy places, you’ll surely need more than one day to experience everything Gaziantep has to offer.
Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
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Ive been to Zurich..hope i can visit Israel’s oldest cities
What about Varanasi India???
Jerusalem is in palestine not israel…jeez!
Yes Zurich is gorgeous. I went there long time ago. Would love to see Lisbon someday.
I loke the list but what about Plovdiv, Bulgaria???? Its from 6,000 to 8,000 years old…maybe older…probably. Do a research!!!
plus, there’s so many things you can see in Plovdiv!
ops…typo i meant like…not loke lol
Um….Damascus? Archaeologists have discovered traces of continuous habitation from as early as 8,000 to 10,000 BCE. Not to mention Jericho and a few others that escape my mind for the moment. The walls in Jericho are from the 6000s somewhere making the city at least 2000 years older than anything on the list. Also, having lived in Egypt, I’m pretty sure Fayoum is older than the Egyptian cities listed here - but I could always be wrong on that.
I’ve spotted your deliberate mistake in the last sentence about Gaziantep !
@ Alan A
Thanks Alan! that wasn’t deliberate just a typo, all fixed now, thanks again!
If Zurich was established in Roman times, wouldn’t that make it more around 100 AD than 3000 BC?
If so, then I would say it could be swapped for some of the many Mediterranean cities that are far far older. Anything in Ethiopia? That’s supposed to be the ‘cradle of mankind’ Or maybe there are some truely ancient cities that I’m not aware of in India…
I like the list, however what about cities in the fertile crescent such as modern-day Tell el-Mukayyar, Iraq which lay on the same site as the ancient city of Ur. This area is also known as the cradle of civilization.
what about Trier Germany? I believe that city is over 2500 years old and I couldnt get on the next page.
@John Watson
Yeah, and it’s not Istanbul, its Constantinople… or is it Byzantine… or maybe new Rome…. Get over it, Jerusalem is in Israel.. just because the Brits named it Palestine for a couple of years, doesn’t make it palestine, just as Istanbul is not called Constantinople any more!
Yeap Damascus should be on this list in 1st place yet it does even get a mention.
Great work and I love the photographs. However you are forgetting Damascus. Recent archeological finds place the continuous habitation of the city from as early as 6000-5000 BC. It is arguably the oldest major metropolis left in the world.
Jersusalem is in Palestine, and it’s not the British who named the region, it was the Romans, and more relevantly, the Palestinians
Turkey has such a rich history and I think it also has many very beautiful tourist attractions. I would love to take my parents there someday.
Jerusalem is in Palestine.
Everybody knew that the land named Israel today was grabbed from palestine and some other arab country in 1948 war. That’s a fact.
How about Matera, Italy? It’s been inhabited since paleolithic times.
Palestine is a region that’s been fought over since it’s habitation, it could be called something completely different if we were to go back to it’s oldest dating name and I doubt we could ever find it’s “original” name. Israel is just a name, as is Palestine, and ever other name we could give it. The mandate giving the UK control over Palestine was made in 1922, not after the war in 1948. Israel claimed independence in 1948 and received a seat in the UN in 1949.
And Teheran in Iran have been established 6.000 B.C.
What about : Sidon,or Saïda, it is located on the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon, about 40 km (25 mi) south of the capital Beirut. Sidon was inhabited since 4000 BC and perhaps as early as Neolithic times (6000 - 4000 B.C.). It was one of the most important Phoenician cities. I don’t know who chose the 10 oldest cities on earth but, clearly they didn’t do a good job of researching it. There are older cities on earth not chosen.
Its a crap compilation without proper knowledge of Old cities in the world. At least save the face by mentioning ancient cities instead of making a self-endorsed Top 10!
This doesn’t look fair .Not even one INDIAN city in the list.
the oldest relevant city in the world is Byblos,lebanon abt 5000 B.C that goes back to the phoenician period even the egyptians used the cedars trees of lebanon for their mummification, and the oldest dated city in the world is Ariha,palestine but it vanished with time.
Please do some research before starting an article.
Good list with stunning pictures. This post can actually make everyone feel like traveling.
If Zurich was established during Roman times, wouldn’t that make Rome older than Zurich? So why isn’t Rome on the list?
I heard Cádiz, in Spain was the oldest city in europe, why is there Lisbon then?
This list is extremely inaccurate. Not only are the dates wrong but many of the places to visit that are recommended in the list are far from being ancient. For example, Konya (in Turkey) is an ancient city but the mosques there that the author refers to were built only a few hundred years ago.
Is Damascus,Syria not so old?
there is an idiom in Turkish; walk around the wordl, but see Konya…
But still Istanbul is the most attractive and inspiration city not just in Turkey, around the world. Beyond the historical and political arguments, i am very proud of smelling Istanbul air…
I am simply amazed that whoever put this list together forgot about the oldest civilization in the world, the country with the oldest religion, the country that has most history in the world still very much preserved. The country with the first university, first surgeries performed, first in mathematics and first in astronomy. Literally the mecca of history…..
They dont call it “THE MOTHER INDIA” for no reason. India has cities that date back 10,000 BC’s . Lets start another list with less bias.
Damascus, I believe is the oldest. Nice pictures.
What about certain cities in Iran?
I believe the 4 oldest civilisations are: India, Egypt, Persia (Iran) and modern day Iraq
what about mathura and varanasi in INDIA. Do a research they are 10.000yrs old
Your work is lovely.. I have been in Jerusalem,Israel..El Cairo annd in Germany I would love to go to Siuzze Thank for you work.
Damascus is the oldest CONTINUOUSLY inhabited city in the world!!!!
That list is not accurate. There are several cities in Bulgaria where schientists have escavated ruins from a culture dated to be over 12,000 years old. Egypt is a young culture compared to that. I am not saying that the present day Bulgarians are the ones who had that culture, but there were other peoples who were living there and had a very high level culture. We have all heard of the Thracians (Spartacus, Orpheus, etc.) who had an older culture than the ancient Greeks… Well, they come from this exact region. In the city I was born-Plovdiv, anywhere you dig, you find remnants of ancient culture… The city is as old as 10,000 years or more!
This is the least accurate article i have come across in a long time, it is crazy how anybody can just post anything online. The three oldest cities in the world are not even on there. Byblos, Damascus, Varansi.