Think of the oldest cities in the world and you’ll likely come up with the names of the usual suspects: Athens. Rome. Istanbul. But have you heard of Luoyang, a city in China older than even Beijing? Or Byblos, which gave the ancient Greeks the word biblos, for book? Or Flores, an ancient town, once the capital of a Mayan kingdom, that still stands today in the middle of a Guatemalan lake?
To satiate the curious—and the history nerds—here are 15 of the oldest cities in the world that have survived to our present day. There are so many fascinating ancient places across the globe that we’ve limited the list to cities that have been, for the most part, continuously inhabited since their founding; and whose ages can be validated by scholarly resources. Additionally, we’ve emphasized geographical diversity, highlighting places both expected and unexpected. (For what it’s worth, if this list consisted of only the top 15 oldest, you’d only read about China and Iran.)
Note: The US Department of State currently advises US citizens against traveling to the countries in which some of these cities are located. Should you decide to visit, research your destination and exercise caution.
Now, on to our list.
