Oldest City in the World

It is very difficult to tell which is oldest city in the world, as there are several cities which are claimed to be existing since several centuries. Adding to the woes is the fact that the definition of the term 'city' is not quite specific. Generically, a city is defined as a large and densely populated urban area. If population is the deciding factor in terming an area as a city, should a city which hasn't been inhabited by people continuously qualify for being the oldest city. This and other such factors make the task even more difficult. While some say that Damascus, the capital of Syria is the oldest, others are of the opinion that Jericho, in West Bank, should get the distinction of being the oldest.

Methodology

As mentioned in the definition of the city given above, urbanization and population are the important factors based on which an area can be termed as a city. That being said, the oldest city in the world should be the one which has been continuously inhabited by people. A large number of differences that you come across in different lists of the oldest cities can be attributed to two aspects. The first exact determination of the date (which is disputed in most of the cases), and the second whether the city was continuously inhabited or not. Both these aspects are determined by the means of archaeological survey.

What is the Oldest City in the World?

Going by the methodology given above, the oldest city in the world is Damascus the capital of Syria. Also referred to, as the City of Jasmin, Damascus has been a stage for various historical events in central Asia. The fact that the Damascus is the oldest inhabited city in the world is also acknowledged by historians. Archaeological evidence suggests that the city was established way back, somewhere around 10,000 to 8,000 BC. Even though Carbon dating tests at Tell Ramad on the outskirts of the city suggest that the city was occupied somewhere around 6300 BC, the archaeological excavations of the Barada basin reveal that humans inhabited this region even before 9000 BC. Those who challenge the credibility of this city being the oldest, often resort to the fact that there is not much of documented evidence about the city before the Aramaeans took center stage around 1400 BC. That, however, is the case with all historical claims, which are always subject to distortion at the hands of historians.

Top 10 Oldest Cities in the World

Given below is the list of some of the oldest cities in the world, on the basis of the two aspects taken into consideration; the period in which it was first inhabited, and whether it was continuously inhabited or not.

Rank	City	Country
1	Damascus	Syria
2	Jericho	West Bank
3	Byblos	Lebanon
4	Sidon	Levant
5	Gaziantep	Turkey
6	Jerusalem	Israel
7	Athens	Greece
8	Varanasi	India
9	Lisbon	Portugal
10	Luxor	Egypt

Other contenders which claim to be the oldest city in the world include Jericho, wherein human settlements can be traced back to 9000 BC, Byblos where human settlements can be traced back to 6000 BC, Sidon where human settlements were recorded somewhere between 6000-4000 BC. All these cities have some or other aspects which make them quite amazing in themselves. For instance, Jericho, located at the Jordan River, in West Bank, boasts of being the oldest walled city in the world.