There is something amazing about an ancient city. You can almost feel the history in its streets and walls. Unlike archaeological sites where you can wander around ruins, a number of continuously inhabited ancient cities still exist all over the world. Here is a list of six ancient cities that still exist.
Tbilisi, Georgia
The Republic of Georgia is located west of Russia and is an ancient country full of incredible food, hospitality and culture. The capital city of Tbilisi sits on the Mtkvari River and people have lived in the area since the Fourth Century, B.C. Its name comes from the Georgian word for “warm” and an increasing number of tourists visit to sample the delicious wine, mouth-watering food, lively music and open-air markets. There is also plenty of modern night life, concerts, dance performances and shopping to be done along the main thoroughfare Rustaveli Avenue.¹
Luoyang, China
Luoyang is located on China’s central plain and is the oldest continually lived in city in the whole of Asia. It was built about 4,000 years ago in the Neolithic period and is one of the Seven Great Ancient Capitals of the Kingdom of China. Luoyang is a fascinating city to visit and is located right where the Luo and Yi Rivers intertwine. It has all sorts of places you can visit as well as delicious foods, exciting markets and colorful local culture including the White Horse Buddhist Temple, the Longmen cave grottoes full of cave carvings and the Shaolin Temple famous for its connection to Kung Fu.²
Varanasi, India
India is one of the places where civilization started and Varanasi ranks among the most important starting points of all for humankind. Hindus believe that this city was founded by Shiva, the god of creation and destruction. Archaeologists have dated Varanasi’s first inhabitants all the way back to 11,000 B.C. and it is a fascinating place full of all sorts of spiritually significant sites and bustling, busy life. This ancient city is definitely worth your time to pay a visit and explore.³
Athens, Greece
Athens is another cradle of ancient civilization stretching back about 7,000 years with the first officially written down history around 1,400 B.C. The city is known as the birthplace of democracy and is well known for having the Acropolis just next to the city as well as a number of ancient remains and relics like the Parthenon. Athens is full of the modern and the ancient and is a busy thriving city that is the perfect place for those looking to explore museums, art galleries and historical things as well as enjoy fun nightlife, delicious food and wonderful music.⁴
Jerusalem, Israel
Jerusalem began an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 years ago and is the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity. The city is a true wonder, full of ancient churches, historical sites and archaeological marvels. Particularly in the Old City you will find throngs of visitors from all over the world and a fascinating array of cultures particularly Arabic, Jewish and other Middle Eastern cultures like Coptic as well as Eastern Orthodox. Jerusalem is a very interesting place that is well worth your time to visit and stroll around its ancient streets and markets.³
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Bulgaria isn’t exactly a tourist hotspot but it’s an incredible country and the city of Plovdiv is one of the world’s ancient cities. It was built as a Thracian community and was very important for the Greeks and the Romans as well as being under Turkish authority for a number of years. The history of Plovdiv stretches back more than 6,000 years and it is full of rich culture, history and sights that the curious visitor can explore.²
[1] https://georgia.travel/en_US/shida-kartli/tbilisi
[2] https://www.treehugger.com/oldest-continuously-inhabited-cities-4864338
[3] https://www.thetravel.com/25-ancient-places-on-earth-everyone-should-visit-today/
[4] https://www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/visit-some-of-the-most-ancient-cities-in-the-world-14727555