The Telegraph listed the 20 oldest cities in the world and among them are four Lebanese cities, which are Byblos, Sidon, Beirut, and Tyre. In fact, Lebanon is one of the world’s oldest countries, according to National Geographic.
It is the home of 11 Phoenician cities and towns in Lebanon that have been continuously inhabited ever since they were established.
As for the 20 oldest cities in the world as listed by The Telegraph, here is the list:
#1 Jericho, Palestinian Territories
Settlement date: 9,000 B.C.
#2 Byblos, Lebanon
Settlement date: 5,000 B.C.
#3 Aleppo, Syria
Settlement date: 4,300 B.C.
#4 Damascus, Syria
Settlement date: 4,300 B.C.
#5 Susa, Iran
Settlement date: 4,200 B.C.
#6 Faiyum, Egypt
Settlement date: 4,000 B.C.
#7 Sidon, Lebanon
Settlement date: 4,000 B.C.
#8 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Settlement date: 4,000 B.C.
#9 Gaziantep, Turkey
Settlement date: 3,650 B.C.
#10 Beirut, Lebanon
Settlement date: 3,000 B.C.
#11 Jerusalem
Settlement date: 2,800 B.C.
#12 Tyre, Lebanon
Settlement date: 2,750 B.C.
#13 Erbil, Iraq
Settlement date: 2,300 B.C.
#14 Kirkuk, Iraq
Settlement date: 2,200 B.C.
#15 Balkh, Afghanistan
Settlement date: 1,500 B.C.
#16 Athens, Greece
Settlement date: 1,400 B.C.
#17 Larnaca, Cyprus
Settlement date: 1,400 B.C.
#18 Thebes, Greece
Settlement date: 1,400 B.C.
#19 Cádiz, Spain
Settlement date: 1,100 B.C.
#20 Varanasi, India
Settlement date: 1,100 B.C.