In 1897, author Mark Twain, who was enthralled by the Indian city Varanasi (Benares or Banaras), said the holy city situated on the west bank of the Ganges is "older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together."
However, he missed out on the other cities that witnessed the evolution of mankind before the holy city in India. And most of these old cities, which are located in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, have scars of history and boast beautiful architecture and amazing stories.
So check out the top 7 oldest inhabited cities in the world.
Jericho in Palestinian Territories
The Palestinian Territories' city is the oldest continually inhabited city. According to recent reports, archaeologists discovered remains of 20 successive settlements in Jericho, which dates back to 11, 000 years, as far as 9,000 BC. The city is also described as the City of Palm Trees.
Byblos in Lebanon
Byblos, a Mediterranean city in Lebanon, is said to be the first Phoenician city founded in around 7000 BC and has been continuously inhabited since 5,000 BC. The city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has now become a major tourist hub and one of the major attractions is the ancient temples.
Aleppo in Syria
Aleppo city, which has now been destroyed due to the civil war, is the most populated city in Syria with an estimated 4.6 million population. The evidence of first settlement goes back to around 5,000 BC. The city was ruled by ancient Anatolian people, Hittites, before the empire was collapsed by Assyrians and Phrygians.
Damascus in Syria
Syria's capital city, which is also known as the Ancient City of Damascus, is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. Several reports even suggest that Damascus is the oldest inhabited city in the world. Some even suggest that the evidence of settlement goes back to 9,000 BC, while several other reports suggest that the first settlement goes back to 4,300 BC. However, there is no clear evidence of the same.
Susa (Shush) in Iran
Susa, also known as Shush, was an ancient city and capital of Elamite Empire. The city has been inhabited continually since 4,200 BC and the evidence of permanent homemaking goes back to another 800 years, according to The Guardian. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its history.
Faiyum in Egypt
The evidence of first settlement goes back to 4,000 BC. The city occupies a part of Crocodilopolis or Krocodilopolis, an ancient city in Egypt where people worshipped a sacred crocodile Petsuchos.
Sidon in Lebanon
One of the oldest cities, the first evidence of settlement in Sidon goes back to 4,000 BC. It is the third-largest city in Lebanon.
