The oldest cities in the world

The oldest cities in the world

The Middle East is home to the oldest cities in the world, some flowering and others fighting. We take a look at the very oldest

The oldest cities in the world adhere to a certain aesthetics: bustle souks under a bright blue sky, flowing robes made of whisper -white cotton, stone masonry painted by the sun yellow.

In reality, the oldest cities in the world were confronted with deep unrest in the course of their long history. Tragically, some are still uninhabitable. The Syrian city of Aleppo, for example, is probably the oldest inhabited city in the world, but today a civil war is raging. Damascus is also categorically taboo

That doesn't mean that the ideal is lost. Some of the oldest cities in the world bloom. Places like Plovdiv in Bulgaria have adapted to modern society and preserved the beauty of long past times.

We examine both groups of cities below: those who thrive and those who are still fighting.

10. Beirut, Lebanon

3,000 BC Chr

Beirut, often compared to a phoenix, was destroyed seven times and rebuilt. It was already in the 14th century BC BC mentioned in letters to the Egyptian Pharaoh, and archaeologists excavated flint tools that come from the Middle Paleolithic and Jung Paleolithic to the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.

alt = “oldest cities in the world: Beirut”> (Image: Public Domain)

Top sight: National Museum of Beirut- The most important cultural institution in the city shows the history of Lebanon and shows pieces from the Bronze and Iron Age as well as from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Mamluk times.

9. Gaziantep, Turkey

3,650 v. Chr

gaziantep went through many hands in its exceptionally long history, including the Byzantines, crusaders and Ottomans.

Located in the south, Turkey near the Syrian border is one of the leading manufacturers of edited carpets and exported carpets worth $ 700 million in 2006 alone.

alt = “oldest cities in the world: Gaziantep”> (Image: Adam Jones, Creative Commons)

Top sight: Gaziatep Zeugma Mosaic Museum-The largest mosaic museum in the world with 1700 m² mosaics, many of which were excavated at the Roman site of Belkıs-Zzeugma before the Birecik dam was flooded forever.

8. Plowdiw, Bulgaria

4,000 BC Chr

Plovdiv, the second largest city of Bulgaria, has long been competing with the capital Sofia. Originally a Thracian settlement, it later became a large Roman city before it fell to the Byzantines and Ottomans.

Today it is an ethnic and religiously diverse city with a number of churches, mosques and synagogues as well as an Armenian church and a Gothic cathedral. Her tolerant attitude and lively culture brought her the title of Culture Capital in Europe in 2019.

alt = “oldest cities in the world: plovdiv”> (Image: Dennis Jarvis, Creative Commons)

Top sight: Plovdiv Roman Theater-built under the rule of Emperor Trajan, the theater was only uncovered in the modern era after an unusual landslide in 1972. Restored now, it is used as an event location for special events and concerts.

7. Sidon, Lebanon

4,000 BC Chr

in Christianity Jesus made his first miracle in Sidon by turning water into wine. If not wonderful, then Sidon is certainly magical. The old town of Sidon is located on the Mediterranean coast, 40 km (25 miles) from Beirut, and is a beautifully preserved labyrinth of narrow streets, arched paths and a series of mosques from the time of the Umayades.

It is said that Saint Paul once visited Sidon, as well as Alexander the Great, who of course conquered the big city.

alt = “oldest cities in the world: Sidon”> (Image: Heinz Hövel, Creative Commons)

Top sight: Sidon Sea Castle-the Seeburg, built by the crusaders, is located on a small island that is connected to the mainland by a stone dam. The castle was destroyed by the Mamluken to prevent the return of the crusaders to the region, and later restored by Fakhreddine.

6. Fayum, Egypt

4,000 BC Chr

Faiyum is 100 km (62 miles) southwest of Cairo and takes part of Crocodilopolis, an old Egyptian city that worshiped a sacred crocodile called Petsuchos. (It sounds invented, but we checked it.) Petsuchos lived in a special temple pond and was fed by priests with donated food. When Petsuchos died, it was replaced by another crocodile.

Today, Faiyum includes large bazaars, mosques and baths, and the nearby Qarun Lake is a popular holiday destination for the Egyptians pressing into the cities.

alt = “oldest cities in the world: Fayum”> (Image: Asmaa Tawfiq, Creative Commons)

Top sight: Wadi Elrayan-A natural depression in the western desert of Egypt, consisting of two lakes that are connected by Egypt. Elrayan was shown in 1989 as a protected area to preserve the biological, geological and cultural resources of the area.

5. Susa, Iran

4,200 v. Chr

susa is the scene of "Die Perser", a tragedy by Aischyllos and the oldest preserved piece of theater history.

susa is mentioned under the name Shushan in the Hebrew Bible, mainly in Esther, but also in Nehemiah and Daniel. It is said that both Daniel and Nehemiah lived in Susa and that Esther became Queen there, married King Ahasverus and saved the Jews from the genocide. The city has now been renamed the rather delightful shush.

Alt = “Oldest cities in the world: Susa”> (Image: Creative Commons)

Top vision: Shush Castle-In the late 1890s under the direction of French archaeologist Jean-Marie Jacques de Morgan, Shush Castle is now accessible to the public as a museum. It was badly damaged in the Iran Irak War of the 1980s, but has been completely restored by the Iranian government since then.

4. Damascus, Syria

4,300 v. Chr

called the oldest inhabited city in the world, Damascus may have already been 10,000 BC. BC occupied, although this is controversial. Damascus, one of the largest ancient cities in the world, was conquered by Alexander the Great and ruled by the Romans, Arabs and Ottomans.

The city became an important settlement after the arrival of the Aramaeans, a Semitic people from Mesopotamia, which built a network of channels, which is still used today by the modern water networks of the city.

alt = “Damascus”> (Image: Arian Zwegers, Creative Commons)

Top sight: Umayyaden mosque-the city's largest tourist attraction is said to be the head of Johannes to the Baptist. It also contains the mausoleum of Saladin and is viewed by Muslims as the place where Jesus (Isa) will return at the end of the days.

3. Aleppo, Syria

4,300 v. Chr

At the intersection of several former trade routes, Aleppo was ruled one after the other by Hittitern, Assyrians, Arabs, Mongols, Mamelucken and Ottomans.

The city is currently involved in a civil war and has a turbulent story behind it. His earthquake from 1138 is generally listed as the third -fat earthquake in history after the earthquakes of Shensi and Tangshan in China, which can be attributed to its location along the northern part of the transformation system of the Dead Sea at the border of the Arab and African plate.

alt = “Aleppo”> (Image: Johan, Creative Commons)

Top sight: Citadel of Aleppo-the citadel, built in the 13th century, overlooks the old town of Aleppo and is "protected" as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tragically, the citadel was damaged by bomb attacks last year. The BBC has reported that the government has destroyed more than 60 % of the old town.

2. Byblos, Lebanon

5,000 BC Chr

byblos, as it was named by the Greeks, imported the papyrus from the city, is the home of the Phoenician alphabet, the world's first widespread alphabet.

The city is located on a sandstone cliff 40 km (25 miles) north of Beirut and has been inhabited continuously since the Neolithic period. Today it is becoming increasingly popular as a cultural tourist destination and offers a mixture of ancient ruins, sandy beaches and picturesque mountains.

alt = “Kreuzritter Burg”> (Image: Creative Commons)

Top sight: Byblos Castle-built by the crusaders in the 12th century, the castle was mined in 1190 by Saladin and rebuilt in 1197 after the crusaders had recaptured byblos. Today it is near a series of Egyptian temples, a Roman amphitheater and a Phoenician royal necropolis - a testimony to the rich and varied history of the city.

1. Jericho, Palestinian areas

9,000 BC Chr

jericho, which glitter from the banks of the Jordan in the distance, is probably the oldest city in the world. Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of 20 consecutive settlements that go back 11,000 years, although it has to be said that the city was left in between for large periods of time.

The city was occupied by Jordan from 1949 to 1967 and has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. In 1994 she received administrative autonomy as the first Arab city in the West Bank in the context of an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian liberation organization.

Alt = “Jericho”> (Image: Avishai Teicher, Creative Commons)

Top vision: The Orthodox St. Georgs monastery in the Wadi Qelt-built in the late 5th century AD by John von Theben, the monastery nestles on the cliffs of the Wadi Qelt. Like other sights in the oldest cities in the world, the monastery has been destroyed and restored over the centuries and is now open to pilgrims and visitors.

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In the Lost Civilization Enigma: A New Inquiry Into the Existence of Ancient Cities, Cultures, and Peoples Who Pre-Date Recorded History shows the bestselling author Philip Coppens that civilization is much older, much more advanced and far away than is currently being assumed. Obviously our history books left a lot!

main picture: Johan, Creative Commons

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