I am fascinated by ancient history and the cities in which history played out. While the vast majority of the famous places from the past are now gone, a number still remain – some small and others huge. This list looks at ten ancient cities that are still functioning today, each with its own day‑time and night‑time snapshot.
Exploring ancient cities that still thrive
10 Plovdiv
Plovdiv sits in modern‑day Bulgaria. Founded before 400 BC as the Thracian settlement Eumolpias, it later fell to the Macedonians and eventually became part of today’s Bulgaria. It ranks second only to the capital Sofia, which lies about 150 km away.
9 Jerusalem
Jerusalem is among the world’s oldest cities and a holy site for Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. It serves as Israel’s capital, though not all nations recognize that status. In antiquity it was known as the City of David, and later it became the place where Jesus spent his final week.
8 Xi’an
One of China’s four great ancient capitals, Xi’an now heads the Shaanxi province. The city is peppered with ruins, monuments and the Ming‑era city wall. It also guards the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, famed for the terracotta army.
7 Cholula
Cholula lies in Mexico’s Puebla state and began as a pre‑Columbian settlement. Its most famous landmark is the Great Pyramid of Cholula – a massive mound topped by a church, making it the largest pyramid in the New World.
6 Varanasi
Varanasi, also called Benares, sits in Uttar Pradesh, India. Jains and Hindus deem it holy, believing that dying there grants salvation. It is India’s oldest inhabited city and among the world’s oldest. The Ganges river’s ghats allow pilgrims to perform ritual ablutions.
5 Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal’s capital and largest city, claims the title of the oldest city in Western Europe, predating London, Rome and others. Archaeological finds reveal neolithic monuments and a Phoenician trading post. In 1755 a catastrophic earthquake, fires and tsunami nearly wiped it out.
4 Athens
Athens, Greece’s capital and largest city, boasts a 3,400‑year‑old history that shaped Western culture. Its dominance as a city‑state spread Athenian customs far and wide. The multitude of archaeological sites make it a dream destination for history lovers.
3 Damascus
Damascus, Syria’s capital, houses over 2.6 million residents. Recent civil unrest has damaged this historic metropolis, placing it among the world’s most endangered cultural heritage sites. Its survival remains uncertain.
2 Rome
Rome began as a cluster of small villages that grew into a city‑state ruling a vast empire. The Roman Empire, founded in 27 BC with Augustus, lasted until 476 AD in the West, while the Eastern Roman Empire persisted another 977 years.
1 Istanbul
Formerly Constantinople, Istanbul was the Eastern capital of the Roman Empire until 1453, when the Turks seized it and founded the Ottoman Empire. The city retained its imperial significance until 1923, when the Republic of Turkey was created. Landmarks like Hagia Sofia showcase layers of Roman and Ottoman history.