Oldest Building in the World

There are many different opinions about which is the oldest building around the world. The questions about antiquity of buildings or man-made structure can be presented in different ways. The term, oldest building can refer to remains of old structures, oldest buildings still being used, etc. The debate about where is the oldest building in the world would therefore continue without any concrete or true answer.

Which is the Oldest Building in the World?
It is a commonly accepted fact that temples of Malta are the oldest man-made structures found in the world. These temples from the Malta island of Mediterranean sea were unearthed in the year 1980. Construction of the temples was carried out with limestone slabs. These were built in a period around 3000 B.C. Although, the temples of Malta are considered as oldest, there are many more buildings and smaller structures that compel us to carry out much more research on the topic of oldest buildings. The information about how old is the oldest building is answered from different perspectives in the paragraphs below.

Excavations in Eridu and Ur
In recent times, much older buildings (older than temples of Malta) have been discovered in today's 'Tell Abu Shahrain' of Iraq. The city of Tell Abu Shahrain was known as 'Eridu' in ancient times. Buildings excavated at this place date back to 5000 B.C. Old buildings are also found in a place called 'Ur' (today's Tell el-Mukayyar). A square-shaped temple in Ur which dates back to 4500 B.C. It was built by a Sumerian king who hailed from Aannipadda. Information about this temple was reported by Dr. C. Leonard Woolley, the director of the expedition jointly conducted by University of Pennsylvania Museum and British Museum. Temples and tombs of Hierakonpolis are from the period, 3600 B.C.

World's Oldest Building that is Still in Use
The 'Hagar Qim' in Malta is probably the oldest structure that is still in use. It was built in 3000 B.C. i.e. at the same time when 'Stonehenge' was built. The 'Hagar Qim' is a megalithic temple complex. It is amongst 'unique architectural masterpieces' as recognized by the World Heritage Sites committee. There is a building named 'Pantheon' in Italy's capital city, Rome. It speaks a lot about the history of Italy. This building can be termed as the oldest man-made structure in continuous use after its construction (in 120 A.D.) The Roman Pantheon architecture can therefore, be considered as one of the best.

Buildings in France and Africa
The buildings and their descriptions provided in the above sections are not quite older if we consider the following examples. The buildings found in France are actually huts with fireplaces inside. Remains of the buildings (huts) found in this country show the outlines of buildings. Apart from the outlines, not much could be discovered about them. These structures are known to be from a period dating back to 120,000 B.C. In the continent of Africa, structures erected with stone blocks are older than these French huts. Circles of stone blocks found in Africa are very much older and date back to the period of 1,750,000 B.C; the African history and culture is therefore, much older.

There have been much older civilizations and buildings being constructed in the past. The wheel of time moves continuously; it gives rise to new civilizations and destroys the older ones. Those buildings whose evidence in the form of excavations are found, seem to be recognized as oldest by archaeologists. The fact that we have limited access and means to find about much older civilizations forces us to accept the ones described above as oldest buildings. The question about oldest building in the world therefore, remains unanswered.