More than 9 thousand years: the most ancient cities on Earth in which people still live

The history of human civilization with developed agriculture, crafts, culture and large urban settlements has more than one thousand years. This seems unbelievable, but there are still cities on our planet that arose in ancient times, survived more than one empire, replaced many rulers, and people still live in them. So, we offer a look at where the oldest inhabited cities of our planet are located.

Jericho, Palestine

The oldest traces of human habitation on the site of Jericho are dated by archaeologists to the 9th millennium BC. But the remnants of the defensive fortifications, which indicate that this place was a city settlement, suggest that the buildings were erected about 6800 BC. Be that as it may, Jericho, which was uninhabited from the 7th to the 19th century, is recognized as the oldest city on our planet.

Byble, Lebanon

The Phoenician city of Byblos, or Gebal, known from the 4th millennium BC, today is called Jabeil. Historians believe that the city was inhabited already in the 7th millennium BC. It is by the name of this city, which in the Ancient World was the most important center for the trade in papyrus, the word "Bible" occurred, because "Byblos" is translated from Greek as papyrus, and "Bible" means a book.

Damascus, Syria

According to the Arab historian Ibn Asakir, the city of Damascus was founded in the 4th millennium BC. Throughout its long history, Damascus belonged to the Egyptian pharaohs, was the center of the Damascus kingdom, and was part of the empire of Alexander the Great and Byzantium. Today, Damascus is the capital of Syria and the second largest city in the country.

Aleppo, Syria

Susa, Iran

In the Ancient World, this city was known as the capital of the state of Elam. Historians believe that the urban settlement of Susa arose between the 7th and 4th millennium BC. Today in this Iranian city, where significant architectural objects have been preserved, more than 60,000 people live.

Argos, Greece

This small Greek city with a modern population of about 20,000 people is considered the oldest of the constantly inhabited cities of Europe. Historians believe that the settlement on the site of Argos already existed in the V millennium BC, but the official foundation of the city dates back to 2 millennium BC.

Athens, Greece

The capital of Greece also boasts its thousand-year history. Historians believe that, despite the fact that the first mention of the city dates back to 1600 BC, it was founded much earlier, about 4 millennia BC. In Athens, preserved many architectural monuments of antiquity, including the famous Parthenon.

Sidon, Lebanon

Sidon, like Byblos, is the oldest Phoenician port city. The founding date of Sidon is considered 4 millennium BC. Today, this Lebanese city is called Saida, with more than 200,000 inhabitants.

El Fayyum, Egypt

Despite the abundance of historical monuments, the Egyptian cities of the era of the ancient pharaohs almost did not survive. El Fayyum is by far the most ancient city of Egypt, the foundation of which dates back to the 4th millennium BC.

Plovdiv, Bulgaria

The first mention of the city of Eumolpia, which was located on the territory of modern Bulgarian Plovdiv, dates back to 1200 BC. But the oldest settlements, as historians believe, were founded in the 6th millennium BC. In Plovdiv, the Roman amphitheater is well preserved, as well as other monuments of Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

Beirut, Lebanon

The Phoenician city of Barut has been known since the 15th century BC, although a settlement on this site already existed in the 3rd millennium BC. Today it is the capital of Lebanon, and the city still occupies a leading position in the life of the region.

Jerusalem, Israel

As can be seen from this list, Rome, called the "eternal city", is not one of the oldest inhabited cities on the planet, since it was founded only in the VIII century BC. Of course, the list of the oldest surviving cities of the planet can be changed after the emergence of new information or archaeological finds. Nevertheless, all of the urban settlements represented here are outstanding and have a very respectable age.