The oldest cities in the world: discover 4 of them

Everyone knows that our planet is an ancient place. But what are the oldest cities in the world?

It is estimated that humanity itself has existed for millions of years. However, our ancestors were nomadic – they did not stay in one place, always moving from one place to another.

It took a while for them to start living in larger groups and, consequently, forming small societies.

It was from the moment that they began to organize themselves and, some time later, the first cities in the world began to emerge.

But what are the oldest cities in the world? That's what we're going to find out here today!

In this content, we will take a historical journey to discover some of the oldest cities in the world and understand a little about their stories!

The 4 oldest cities in the world

Throughout the time that it has existed, our planet has undergone countless changes. And along with these changes, entire cities and societies have emerged and also disappeared.

But some cities that emerged thousands of years ago managed to resist the effects of time and, even after going through several difficult situations, remain firm and strong, helping to tell a little about the history of our planet.

Therefore, it is only fair that we talk about them in this content!

From now on, you will get to know 7 of the oldest cities in the world!

The oldest cities in the world
Jericho, West Bank – since 9000 BC

This time, we’re going to do something a little different and start with the oldest city on our list. Jericho, a Palestinian city located in the West Bank, is considered to be the oldest city in the world.

Estimates indicate that the first inhabitants of this region arrived there around 9600 and 9000 BC.

Despite being located in a relatively advantageous spot to establish residence – since the city is situated on the banks of the Jordan River, Jericho's past was quite turbulent.

The city has gone through several phases throughout its history: it has been populated, destroyed, abandoned and, later, repopulated again. This cycle has occurred several times in its almost 10 thousand years of existence.

The city also became known throughout the world for being present in passages of the Christian Bible, more precisely in the Old Testament.

Currently, around 20,000 people live in the region and, since 1994, the city has been under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority.

Damascus, Syria – since 6300 BC

Another city that is also very old and is relatively close to Jericho is Damascus. Located in Syria, the city has always stood out due to its privileged location.

While Damascus is located 80 km from the Mediterranean Sea, the city is also very close to the Euphrates River. 

This location – considered privileged for much of history – ended up making the city part of one of the trade routes between East and West.

Being one of the oldest cities in the world, Damascus found itself involved in a controversy that continues to this day. 

According to several anthropologists and historians from around the world who have worked in the area of research in this city, they believe that, in fact, Damascus is the oldest city in the world, and not Jericho.

According to researchers who defend this idea, the city began to be inhabited around 10,000 BC, making it older than Jericho. 

But, despite there being those who defend this theory, the scientific community has never reached a verdict on the matter, meaning that Jericho remains the oldest city in the world.

Currently, around 1.7 million people live in the city.

Byblos, Lebanon – since 5000 BC

Despite not being considered the first or second oldest city in the world, Byblos, in Lebanon, holds a very important feat.

This is because, according to researchers who studied the city, it can be considered the oldest city that, since its creation, has been inhabited for the longest period of time without interruption.

Unlike Jericho, for example, which faced several types of conflicts throughout history and ended up being destroyed and, later, repopulated.

The entire history of the city is quite remarkable. Byblos was founded by the Phoenicians, but was later dominated by Arabs and Europeans, and ended up forming part of the Turkish-Ottoman Empire.

An interesting fact about its name also draws a lot of attention. The city received this name because of the sale of Egyptian papyrus there. 

This caused the term byblos came to mean “papyrus”. And this, later, was what gave rise to words that we use to this day, such as library and bible.

Xian, China – 4000 BC

The only Chinese city on our list, Xian was the capital of the Qin dynasty. Historically speaking, Xian was extremely important for the emergence of the foundations that later became the Chinese empire.

Located close to the so-called Silk Road, the city also became known throughout the world for a very interesting reason.

You may have seen images of Chinese army sculptures made from a clay-like material. 

They became known worldwide as the Terracotta Army and are also fruits of the Qin dynasty.

Thanks to a new boost that the Chinese economy received in the mid-1990s, Xian also knew how to take advantage of this turnaround and, since then, has re-emerged as an important figure in areas such as culture, education and industry.

This meant that the city also received investments for research in various areas.

Conclusion

So, did you enjoy learning a little more about some of the oldest cities in the world?

It is worth remembering that, in addition to these, there are hundreds of other cities around the world that are thousands of years old.

We decided to list just a few here, but there is no shortage of historic cities that, despite all the adversities they have faced throughout their existence, remain standing and, in most cases, shelter people.

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