People have chosen places for settlement since ancient times. Until now, settlements that were founded many thousands of years ago have survived on our planet. The most amazing thing is that not all of them are abandoned. In many of them, life still continues to boil. Such cities are very popular, attracting amazing sights and sacred places, which, as a rule, are many there. They are saturated with the spirit of history, and this is very attractive. The question of their true age is constantly being discussed, and scientists often encounter conflicting facts.
It is believed that the oldest city on earth is Jericho. Presumably, it was founded in 9000 BC. Its geographical location is the country of Palestine. This is the oldest city on earth, known today. Excavations by archaeologists revealed the remains of 20 settlements preserved here. They span over 11,000 years. This most ancient city in the world was founded on the Jordan River, on its western bank. Today, about 20,000 people live here.
No less interesting is the city of Gebal founded by the Phoenicians . He got his current name from the Greeks who brought the papyrus here, and over time he was given the name Bible. It is the oldest city in Lebanon. The time of its foundation is considered to be 5000 BC. Its main tourist attractions are the Church of St. John the Baptist, the Byblos fortress, Phoenician temples. All of them were built by the crusaders in the 12th century. The old city medieval wall also attracts visitors.
Being the most populated city in Syria, Aleppo (Aleppo) has 4.4 million people who live in it today. This is the oldest city that has such a large number of inhabitants. It was founded back in 4300 BC. Today, on the site of the ancient city, there are modern buildings, administrative and residential buildings, which greatly interferes with archaeological excavations here. This place has a very interesting story. For centuries, power here belonged to the Hittites, later the Assyrians, then the Greeks and Persians. At different times, the Romans, Byzantines and the Arab population lived here. This Syrian city was repeatedly subjected to raids and conquests of the crusaders, then the Mongols and the Ottoman Empire encroached on it.
Another unique city is the capital of Syria, Damascus. Its foundation falls at the same time as the foundation of Aleppo. In some sources, it is indicated as the inhabited oldest city in the world. It is believed that people could inhabit it as far back as 10,000 BC. This fact is still controversial. It is interesting in that in ancient times the Aramaeans who arrived here broke the network of canals, which form the basis of modern water supply today. Thanks to this, he became one of the most important settlements in this country.
Damascus was also attacked from outside. He was conquered by the army of Macedon, the Romans, owned by Arabs and Turks. Damascus is very popular with tourists, since a large number of historical attractions have been preserved here.
The capital of the Elam Empire, Susa, was founded in 4200 BC. In Iran, it is the most ancient city. It was conquered by the Assyrians at one time, and later, during the reign of Cyrus the Great, it passed into the possession of the royal Persian dynasty of Akhmenids. Here took place the actions of Aeschylus's oldest play "Persians", which occupies an important place in the history of the theater. The city currently has 65,000 inhabitants and is called Shusha.
The most ancient city in Egypt is Fayyum. In ancient times, the god Sebek, portrayed with the head of a crocodile, was revered here. The year of foundation of the city is 4000 BC. It is located southwest of Cairo. Modern Fayyum is known for several large bazaars, mosques and bathhouses. Not far from it are the pyramids of Hawara and Lekhin.
Cities founded around 4000 BC are considered Bulgarian Plovdiv and Lebanese Sidon. Plovdiv attracts with numerous ancient monuments, and Sidon is of historical interest, since it was here that the development of the great Mediterranean empire of the Thracians began.