There are several cities in the Middle East in the world that can claim to be the oldest city on the planet. The Middle East is famous for the fact that the first civilizations, agriculture and domestic animals arose here. Today, many people know that the first human settlements were created long before civilizations appeared, when people lived in tribes and built huge settlements.
Çatalhöyük
One of the most striking examples of such ancient cities is Çatalhöyük. This ancient city is located in modern Turkey, in the territory of Southern Anatolia. It was founded in the VIII BC during the Neolithic period and was, in fact, one huge dwelling. The cultural layer of Çatalhöyük is the oldest of all found by archaeologists, and dates back to the era until the middle of VI BC, when the Bronze Age came. The main feature of the city is that it has preserved its original structure without any reconstructions, making it most likely the most ancient city in history.
Çatalhöyük consisted of about 2,000 one-story houses and had about 12,000 inhabitants. Today, archaeologists have excavated about 15 hectares of urban development, but it is assumed that the total area of the city was about 19 hectares.
Houses in Çatalhöyük were built of raw bricks and lined with wooden beams, the exterior walls and roofs were covered with smooth alabaster. The houses had no windows or doors, and entry and ventilation were through a single opening. The inhabitants of the settlement showed artistic inclinations: the walls were decorated with frescoes depicting people, animals, geometric patterns and even landscapes, including a two-headed mountain near the settlement. Reliefs on the walls and clay figurines were also discovered. Çatalhöyük is a unique city that has left a huge mark on the history of mankind and in the culture and architecture of the Middle East.
Jbeil
Jebeil, also known as Byblos or the Phoenician Gebal, is one of the possible contenders for the title of the oldest city in the world. It is located on a fortified hill in Lebanon, close to two harbors, surrounded by a fertile valley and wooded mountains.
The first settlements on the territory of Jebeil arose in the VII millennium BC, in the Neolithic era. By the third millennium BC, the city had become the leading port of the region, through which Phoenicia traded with Egypt, and caravans from Mesopotamia reached the city by land. It was from Jebeil that the papyrus was exported to Greece, where it was called byblos. This term served as the basis for the words Bible and library. Today, about 3500 Lebanese residents live in Jebeil.
Jericho
Jericho, located in Palestine, is one of the most ancient cities mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. Historical events associated with this city begin in the VIII millennium BC, when the first settlements appeared on this territory. Archaeological research confirms the existence of an eight-meter tower, built of straw bricks, already at that time. Subsequently, the ancient structures of Jericho were round and were also built of straw bricks. During the Bronze Age, the city was surrounded by brick walls.
Nevertheless, in the middle of the second millennium BC, at the time of the conquest of Canaan, the Jews took and destroyed Jericho. After the restoration, the city became one of the leading settlements in this region. However, during the First Jewish War, the Romans also demolished Jericho. During the reign of Emperor Hadrian, the city was rebuilt as a Roman settlement, then, during the era of the Crusades, the city was again destroyed and remained in ruins until the XIX century. Currently, the population of Jericho reaches approximately 18,000 people.
Damascus
Being one of the most ancient settlements on Earth, Damascus takes pride of place as the first capital of the country. Archaeological discoveries in the area of Tel Ramad indicate that life here originated in the VIII millennium BC In the Egyptian geographical reference book of the XV century BC Damascus is mentioned for the first time, but Arab researchers believe that its foundation occurred much earlier, in the IV millennium BC This city was the capital of the Kingdom of Damascus, after which it was under the rule of different states, among which it is worth mentioning Assyria, Babylon, Israel, the Achaemenids, the empire of Alexander the Great and the Armenian empire of Tigranes the Great. As a result, Damascus became the center of the Roman province of Syria, and today it is home to about 2 million people.
However, it is quite difficult to determine the oldest city on the planet, since there is no clear criterion for when a settlement acquires the status of a city. In this regard, each of these cities has the right to claim the title of the oldest, at least from the point of view of the local population, given the historical periods spanning several millennia.
