The Existing Ancient Cities on Earth

Taking an adventure by visiting many ancient cities would be interesting. Learning different cultures from what we used to face can widen our view on how great our God is. Below are some places which have been clarified as the most ancient cities and they still stand strong and live in the middle of modern world.

1. Lisbon, Portugal (2000 BC)

This city is the capital and the largest city in Portugal. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the point where the river Tagus flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Lisbon was found by Iberian. After existing for centuries, Lisbon has been the most live city in Europe. Ancient palaces which have been in restoration, beautiful ancient churches, and numerous Art Nouveau buildings are the most incredible part which form the culture face of this city. Some museums like Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, National Coach Museum, and Carmo Archaeological Museum keep many cultural heritages about the past of the city. Bairro Alto, the center of city’s night life is also full of restaurants, bar and clubs for you. Campo de Santa Clara also gives you many chances to buy several beautiful remembrances of your journey.

2. Luxor, Egypt (2160 BC)

Luxor, which was known as Thebe, is a beautiful city that was presented for God Amon Ra. Since tourism known in the world, this city has been crowded by tourists. Many tourists in Roman and Greek era visited it. Luxor is the most popular city in Egypt. It came from monuments of Luxor, Karnak, Hatshepsut and Ramses III, and because of this, Luxor is called the biggest open air museum on earth. Initially, Luxor was divided into three parts, Luxor on the east side of river Nile, Karnak and Thebe cities on the west side of river Nile and the opposite of Luxor, but now they have become one part.

3. Asyut, Egypt (2160 BC)

The city lies 375 km away on the south of Cairo. It is the first city which was built in Pharaoh Era. Recently, Asyut is the most important city which becomes the center of agriculture and It is also home to the University of Asyut, one of the largest universities in Egypt.

4. Xi’an, China, (2205 BC)

With 30 centuries of history, this city becomes one of the most important city in China’s history. It is one of the four exalted ancient capital cities in China. Many tourists visit this city since it also has many historical places, similar with cities in Athens, Cairo and Rome. Teracota Museum has been considered as one of the world cultural heritages and the eighth wonder of the world. Built on the site of the terra-cotta warriors and horses pits in the Emperor Qin's Mausoleum, the museum is located at the northern piedmont of Lishan Mountain 7.5 kilometers east of Lingtong County in Shaanxi Province and 37.5 kilometers west of Xi'an City. So, make sure you don’t miss China in your visit list.

5. Giza, Egypt (2568 BC)

Napoleon Bonaparte gave an oration to his army before Giza war in 1798, he said “Upon those pyramids, history didn’t shift for 4 centuries”. Giza is s a town in Egypt on the west bank of the Nile river, some 20 km southwest of central Cairo and now part of the greater Cairo metropolis. Giza is most famous as the location of the Giza Plateau: the site of some of the most impressive ancient monuments in the world, including a complex of ancient Egyptian royal mortuary and sacred structures, including the Great Sphinx, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and a number of other large pyramids and temples. Giza will be a Grand Museum of Egypt, which will be done in 2012.

6. Konya, Turkey (2600 BC)

The city lies between two seas, with an altitude of 1016 meters in the south central region of the vast Anatolian steppe, Konya has grown as the most interesting city in Turkey. The most popular museum in this city is Green Mausoleum of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, the great Sufi poet’s grave. Beside this museum, you can visit another like chaeological Museum, Koyunoglu Museum and Ethnographical Museum.

7. Zurich, Switzerland (3000 BC)

Zurich is the biggest city in Switzerland and the oldest city in Europe. Zurich was found in Roman era with early name “Turicum”. Its streets are full of café, boutiques and antique shops. Bahnhofstrasse, is a street which is full of beautiful shops in Europe. Grossmünster and Fraumünster are ancient churches filled with amazing interior. Swiss National Museum or Kunsthaus, are also the most popular museums in the world. You will find how much joy this city offers you.

8. Kirkuk, Iraq (3000 BC)

With many archeological heritages which have been more than 50 centuries old, Kirkuk has been the most important city for Kurdish. Kirkuk is also the center of the Iraqi petroleum industry. It stands on the place of ancient culture centre of Assyria. The city was the place for the battle of three emperors, Assyria, Babylonia, and Median. You can find Daniel prophet’s grave and some markets like Al Qaysareyah. Qal’at Jarmo dan Yorgan Tepe.

9. Jerusalem, Israel (3000 BC)

It has been a holy city for three big religions; Moslems, Christians and Jews. Ancient point and many new cultures are mixed into a new metropolis atmosphere. Jerusalem is divided into three parts, West Jerusalem; with the most rapid growth has been the centre of business. East Jerusalem is a modern Arab section, while the old city contains many incredible scenes.

10. Gaziantep, Turkey (3650 BC)

It was formerly known as Antep and is the capital city of Gaziantep province, is an ancient city that still stands. It has a far back history to the Hittites. The city has been being inhabited since Paleolithic era, and grown up under the emperor of Ottoman. Nowadays Giazantep is a friendly city, and exciting since it’s full of many mosques, Islam schools, hotels and even ancient bathing place. Old houses of stones always have grape gardens, so that every time you turn your head, you’ll face the prettiest scenery on earth.