Ancient cities that survived a century

Ancient cities that have survived a century as  wonders of the world  are not just buildings and ruins, they are living witnesses of history. Just imagine: you are walking along streets that are several thousand years old. The stones under your feet still remember the sandals of ancient traders, and somewhere in the shadow of an old wall there was once a conversation in languages ​​that no one hears anymore.

There are cities in the world that have survived empires, wars, collapses and still remained standing. Some of them are so ancient that their exact date of foundation is lost in the depths of centuries. Each such city is not just a point on the map. But a whole world living by its own laws.

Ancient Cities: Top 9 Famous Places

Jericho – the city that outlived everyone

If we talk about an absolute record, then it is Jericho. It has existed since about 9000 BC. It is not just an old settlement – it is, in fact, an open-air museum. Remains of walls that are more than 10 thousand years old have been found here! The irony is that Jericho was destroyed many times, but it was reborn each time. It turns out that it is not for nothing that it is called the “city of palms”.

Ancient Cities: Byblos – The Cradle of Writing

Another city that claims to be the oldest is Byblos (now part of Lebanon). It is said to be 7,000 years old. It is from here that the name “bible” came, because the Phoenicians exported papyrus from here. Markets once bustled here, craftsmen carved ships, and today you can simply sit by the ancient ruins and imagine what it was like then.

Damascus – the city that never slept

Damascus is said to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities. Of course, its history has seen its ups and downs. But it has never completely fallen into decline. It is said to be over 4,000 years old, although archaeologists have found traces of even older settlements. You can still find houses here that stand on foundations that are thousands of years old.

Varanasi – the sacred heart of India

On the banks of the Ganges lies the city of Varanasi. For Hindus, this is a holy place where life and death are most closely intertwined. People come here to purify themselves in the river’s waters and to meet their death in the right place. This city, steeped in legends, is over 3,000 years old, although some believe it is older.

Athens – the city of philosophers and gods

Modern Athens is a metropolis. But among the new buildings, there are things that remember antiquity: the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the narrow streets of Plaka, which have preserved the atmosphere of the ancient world. The Greeks founded Athens back in the 3rd millennium BC. And it was here that the ideas of democracy, art and science were born.

Thebes – the city of pharaohs and secrets

When it comes to grandeur, ancient Thebes (modern Luxor) in Egypt. Is one of those cities that will live long in the memory of mankind. It was the heart of the Egyptian Empire. A city of temples and tombs of the pharaohs. The Valley of the Kings, where Tutankhamun’s tomb was found. Is only a small part of what remains of its former might. Imagine how priests once walked these streets, torches burned in the temples, and the last orders of the pharaoh were discussed in the market.

Susa – a city that was almost forgotten

Today, not everyone knows about this place. But at one time, Susa (now the territory of Iran) was a real pearl. Elamites, Persians, Greeks and Arabs ruled here. From here, Darius I ruled his empire, and the famous Code of Hammurabi was discovered here. But the city did not withstand the blow of time – only excavations remain.

Çatalhöyük is a city unlike any other

This is truly a unique thing! Located in Turkey, Çatalhöyük is not just a city. But one of the first known human settlements, which is about 9 thousand years old. And what is interesting is that there were no usual streets here! People moved along the roofs of houses and went down inside through holes at the top. That is, in fact, it was a huge anthill, where everyone lived very closely and probably knew well who was cooking what for dinner.

Lanzhou – a city on the Silk Road

Many have heard of the Great Wall of China, Beijing or Shanghai. But there are cities in China that appeared long before them. For example, Lanzhou, which has been standing on the banks of the Yellow River for more than 3,000 years. It was once an important hub on the Great Silk Road. Here, Chinese, Persian and Arabic cultures mixed, temples were built, silk and spices were traded.

Such cities are not just stones and walls. They are imprints of human memory. They remind us that time flies, but life remains. Some civilizations disappear, others come to replace them, but cities live if they have people.

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