List of oldest continuously inhabited cities

This is a list of present-day cities by the time period over which they have been continuously inhabited as a city. The age claims listed are generally disputed. Differences in opinion can result from different definitions of "city" as well as "continuous habitation" and historical evidence is often disputed. Caveats (and sources) to the validity of each claim are discussed in the "Notes" column.

Africa

Northern Africa and the Horn

Name	Historical region	Present location	Continuously inhabited since	Notes
Girga (as Thinis)	Ancient Egypt	Egypt	c. 3273 BC	Settlement served as the capital of the first Pharaoh of Egypt, Narmer (c. 3273–2987 BC)
Faiyum (as Shedet)	Ancient Egypt	Egypt	c. 2181 BC	Settlement established by the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BC)
Luxor (as Waset, better known by its Greek name Thebes)	Ancient Egypt	Egypt	c. 2150 BC	First established as capital of Upper Egypt, Thebes later became the religious capital of the nation until its decline in the Roman period.
Aswan (as Swenett)	Ancient Egypt	Egypt	c. 650 BC	Gained prominence in the Late Period (664–332 BC).
Benghazi (as Euesperides)	Cyrenaica	Libya	c. 525 BC	Founded in the 5th century BC, by the Greeks.
Aksum	Kingdom of Axum	Ethiopia	c. 400 BC	Ancient capital of the Kingdom of Axum.
Alexandria	Ancient Egypt	Egypt	332 BC	Founded by Alexander the Great on the town of Rhacotis, which dates back to the Old Kingdom
Zeila (as Avalites)	Bilad al-Barbar	Somalia	c. 100 AD	Major trading city in the Horn of Africa.

Sub-Saharan

Name	Historical region	Present location	Continuously inhabited since	Notes
Gao	Gao Empire, Songhai Empire	Mali	c.600 AD	Gao-Saney called al-kawkaw, Gaw-Gaw by ancient Arab chroniclers is the first site of Gao, founded in the 7th century, it was the capital of the Gao Empire of Za Dynasty. A marble palace, stelae, houses and cemeteries dating from this period were discovered by archaeologists. The current Gao built on a site near Gao-Saney was the capital of the largest contiguous land Empire of Songhai (1464-1591, destroyed during the invasion of Songhai by the Saadians it is today the regional capital of the Gao regions in Mali. in Gao is the pyramidal Tomb of Askia where is buried the emperor Askia the great of Songhai.
Zanzibar	Swahili Coast	Tanzania	1st–3rd centuries AD	A Greco-Roman text between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, mentioned the island of Menuthias (Ancient Greek: Μενουθιάς), which is probably Unguja, the island on which the city is located.
Benin City	Kingdom of Benin	Nigeria	c. 1000 AD	City of Benin, the oldest city in Nigeria.
Ife	Yorubaland	Nigeria	c. 10th-6th century BC
Sofala	Swahili Coast	Mozambique	c. 700 AD	One of the oldest harbours documented in Southern Africa.
Pate	Swahili Coast	Kenya	8th century AD	According to the Pate Chronicle, the town of Pate was founded by refugees from Oman in the 8th century.
Mombasa	Swahili Coast	Kenya	c. 900 AD	The strategic location of this historical Swahili trading centre has seen it fall under the control of many countries.
Moroni	Swahili Coast	Comoros	10th century AD	Founded, possibly during the 10th century, as the capital of a sultanate connected commercially to Zanzibar in Tanzania.
Agadez	Songhai Empire	Niger	11th century AD	Founded in the 11th century, Agadez was an important stop for caravans crossing the Saharan Desert for centuries. Agadez was captured by the Songhai empire in 1515, and controlled by Bornu in the 17th century.
Kano	Kingdom of Kano	Nigeria	11th century AD	The foundation for the construction of Kano City Walls was laid by Sakri Gijimasu at some point between 1095 and 1134, and was completed in the middle of the 14th century during the reign of Usman Zamnagawa.
Timbuktu	Mali Empire, Songhai Empire	Mali	11th century AD	Settled by Tuareg traders as an outpost, its incorporation into the Mali Empire and Songhai, Mande, and Soninke settlement from the 13th century rapidly developed the town.
Malindi	Swahili Coast	Kenya	13th–14th centuries AD	Once rivaled only by Mombasa for dominance in this part of East Africa, it was first referenced in writing by Abu al-Fida (1273–1331), a Kurdish geographer and historian.
M'banza-Kongo	Kongo Empire	Angola	c. 1390 AD	Capital of the Kongo Empire, already organized as a city before the arrival of the Portuguese.
Quelimane	Swahili Coast	Mozambique	1400 AD	One of the oldest towns in the region, one tradition says that Vasco da Gama, in 1498, enquired about the name of the place from workers in the fields outside the settlement.
Cidade Velha (as Ribeira Grande)	Santiago Island	Cape Verde	1462 AD	The first European settlement in Sub Saharian Africa.
Luanda (as São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda)	Portuguese Empire	Angola	1576 AD	Founded by Portuguese explorer Paulo Dias de Novais on 25 January 1576 as "São Paulo da Assumpção de Loanda".
Lagos	Kingdom of Benin	Nigeria	16th century AD	Initially established as a war camp for soldiers from the Kingdom of Benin.
Ouidah	Kingdom of Whydah	Benin	16th century AD	The primary port of the Kingdom of Whydah, originally called Glehue by the Fon inhabitants. The town was conquered by the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 18th century and eventually exported more than 1 million slaves.
Antananarivo	Merina Kingdom	Madagascar	1610 AD or 1625 AD	Founded by the Merina King Andrianjaka, it is the oldest city in Madagascar.
Cape Town	Dutch East India Company	South Africa	1652 AD	Founded by Dutch settlers from Dutch East India Company and is the oldest city in South Africa.
Kumasi	Ashanti Empire	Ghana	c. 1680 AD	Founded as Akan village and capital of the Kumaseman State, later becoming capital of Ashanti Empire.

Americas

North America

Name	Historical region	Present location	Continuously inhabited since	Notes
Flores	Maya civilisation, then New Spain	Guatemala	900–600 BC	Formerly Nojpetén, the capital of the Itza kingdom, it has been occupied continuously since prehispanic times. Earliest archaeological traces date back to 900–600 BC, with major expansion of the settlement occurring around 250–400 AD. Ethnohistoric documents claim the founding of Nojpetén in the mid-15th century AD.
Izamal	Maya civilisation, then New Spain	Mexico	700–450 BC	Also known as the Yellow City. Small city in the Mexican state of Yucatán, 72 kilometres east of state capital Mérida. Izamal is an important archaeological site of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Continuously occupied until the Spanish Conquest. The most important pre-Hispanic constructive activity occurred during the early and late classical periods. It was partially abandoned with the rise of a group that hailed from Chichen Itza, probably around the final classical period (800–1000 AD).
Monte Albán-Zaachila-Oaxaca City	Zapotec civilisation (Otomí people), Mixtec civilisation (Otomí people), New Spain	Mexico	c. 500 BC	The valley of modern Oaxaca City, founded by the Spanish in 1532, has been continuously inhabited by the Oto-Manguean peoples of Mesoamerica since ancient times. The outskirts of Oaxaca City host the ruins of Monte Albán, once the capital of the Zapotecs for around 1000 years. Although Monte Albán proper was abandoned around 1000 AD, the city of Zaachila next to it rose in its place and was continuously inhabited until the arrival of Europeans.
Cholula	Old Cholula	Mexico	2nd century BC	Pre-Columbian Cholula grew from a small village to a regional center during the 7th century. The city was the site of the Massacre of Cholula during the military campaign of Hernán Cortés.
Oraibi	Puebloan peoples	United States	c. 1100 AD
Acoma Pueblo	Puebloan peoples	United States	c. 1144 AD	Acoma Pueblo is said to have been founded during the 1200s, but extant buildings from the 1100s and the consensus of Tribal peoples support the 1144 date.
Tucson	Hohokam	United States	c. 1300 AD	Hohokam village founded at the base of Sentinel Peak, later Tohono O'odam. Afterwards, became a Spanish presidio.
Mexico City	Mexica culture (Nahuan peoples)	Mexico	1325 AD	Founded as twin cities Tenōchtitlān (1325) and Tlāltelōlco (1337) by the Mexica. Name changed to Ciudad de México (Mexico City) after the Spanish conquest of the city in 1521. Several other pre-Columbian towns such as Azcapotzalco, Tlatelolco, Xochimilco and Coyoacán have been engulfed by the still growing metropolis and are now part of modern Mexico City. Oldest capital city in the Americas.
Santo Domingo	New Spain	Dominican Republic	1496 AD	Oldest European settlement in the New World.
San Juan	New Spain	Puerto Rico	1508 AD	Oldest continuously inhabited city in a U.S. territory.
Nombre de Dios, Colón	New Spain	Panama	1510 AD	Oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in continental America.
Baracoa	New Spain	Cuba	1511 AD	Oldest European settlement in Cuba.
Havana	New Spain	Cuba	1519 AD	Oldest major city in Cuba, established 1515, granted city status in 1592 by Philip II of Spain as "Key to the New World and Rampart of the West Indies".
Veracruz	New Spain	Mexico	1519 AD	Oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the mainland North American continent and in Mexico.
Panama City	Cueva Civilisation. After European colonisation: New Spain	Panama	1519 AD	Oldest European settlement on the Pacific.
Guadalajara	New Spain	Mexico	1542 AD
Cartago	New Spain	Costa Rica	1563 AD	Oldest continuously inhabited European established settlement in Costa Rica.
St. Augustine	New Spain	United States	1565 AD	Oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city of the current 50 U.S. states.
Santa Fe	New Spain	United States	1607 AD	Oldest continuously inhabited state or territorial capital in the continental United States.
Quebec City	New France	Canada	1608 AD	Oldest city in Canada and oldest French-speaking city in the Americas.
Hopewell	Virginia Company	United States	1613 AD	Founded as Bermuda City in 1613 and later known as City Point, Virginia, this location has undergone several name changes but has remained continuously inhabited.
Albany	New Netherlands	United States	1614 AD	Followed by Jersey City, New Jersey (Communipaw) in 1617 and New York City (as New Amsterdam) in 1624. (Note: While there was an abandonment in 1617 or 1618 of the Albany settlement, it was re-established within a few years; also, the Jersey City settlement was a factorij or trading post in the 1610s and did not become a "homestead" (bouwerij) until the 1630s. Settlements in New Netherlands sometimes moved around in the early years.)
Plymouth	Plymouth Colony	United States	1620 AD	Fourth oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the United States
New York City	New Amsterdam	United States	1624 AD	Founded in 1624 as New Amsterdam. Was renamed New York City in 1667. Is the 12th oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement in the continental United States
Boston	Massachusetts Bay Colony	United States	c. 1625 AD	Settled in 1625 and established in 1630, the city of Boston, Massachusetts, was established as the capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony on the Shawmut Peninsula. It is one of the oldest major cities of the United States. Boston was a key city in the early American Revolution against the British Empire, eventually becoming the first city free of British rule in the United States. Boston is still one of the wealthiest and most important cities in the United States.
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador	Newfoundland Colony	Canada	c. 1630 AD	Some claims to being the oldest city in Canada. Incorporated in 1883; inhabited continuously since sometime after 1630.
Saint John	New France	Canada	1631 AD	Oldest incorporated city in Canada.
Trois-Rivières	New France	Canada	1634 AD	Fourth oldest city in Canada.
Montreal	New France	Canada	1642 AD	Fifth oldest city in Canada.
Sault Ste. Marie	New France	Canada	1668 AD	A single settlement until 1817, when it was divided into Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States. The latter is the oldest European-founded city in the Midwestern United States and third oldest US city west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Philadelphia	Province of Pennsylvania	United States	1681 AD	In 1681, King Charles II gave William Penn a large piece of his newly acquired American land holdings to repay a debt the king owed to Admiral Sir William Penn, Penn's father. Afterwards, Penn founded Philadelphia with a core group of accompanying Quakers and others seeking religious freedom on lands he purchased from the local chieftains of the Lenape or Delaware nation.
Natchitoches	New France	United States	1699 AD	Natchitoches was established in 1714 by French explorer Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. It is the oldest permanent European settlement within the borders of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches was founded as a French outpost on the Red River for trade with Spanish-controlled Mexico; French traders settled there as early as 1699.
Detroit	New France	United States	1701 AD	First European settlement above tidewater in North America.
New Orleans	New France	United States	1718 AD	Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville in 1718 upon the slightly elevated banks of the Mississippi River approximately 95 miles (153 km) above its mouth.
Winnipeg	British America	Canada	1738 AD	Founded as Fort Rouge. Oldest city in the Canadian Prairies.
Charlotte	Province of North Carolina	United States	1768 AD	Area said to have been pre-colonially settled by the Catawba tribe with records dating back to 1567.
San Diego	New Spain	United States	1769 AD	Birthplace of California and oldest city on the West Coast of the United States.
Toronto	Upper Canada	Canada	1793 AD	Founded as York, Upper Canada.
San Antonio	New Spain	United States	1718 AD	Founded as a Spanish mission and colonial outpost in 1718, the city in 1731 became the first chartered civil settlement in what is now present-day Texas.
Victoria	Colony of Vancouver Island	Canada	1843 AD	Oldest city on the West Coast of Canada.

South America

Name	Historical region	Present location	Continuously inhabited since	Notes
Cusco	Inca Empire	Peru	c. 1100 AD	The Killke occupied the region from 900 to 1200, prior to the arrival of the Incas in the 13th century. Carbon-14 dating of Sacsayhuamán, the walled complex outside Cusco, has demonstrated that the Killke culture constructed the fortress about 1100.
Quito	Quitu culture	Ecuador	15th century AD
Cumaná	New Granada	Venezuela	1515 AD	Oldest continuously inhabited, European-established settlement in the continent.
Santa Marta	New Granada	Colombia	1525 AD	Oldest still-inhabited city founded by Spaniards in Colombia.
São Vicente, São Paulo	Governorate General of Brazil	Brazil	1532 AD	First Portuguese village in South America.
Piura	Peru	Peru	1532 AD	Oldest European-founded city in Peru.
Lima	Peru	Peru	1535 AD	Second-oldest continuously inhabited European-settled capital city in South America. The oldest being Quito.
Vila Velha, Espírito Santo	Governorate General of Brazil	Brazil	1535 AD	Second-oldest continuously inhabited Portuguese-settled village in South America. The oldest being São Vicente.
Cali	New Granada	Colombia	1536 AD	On 25 July 1536 Belalcázar founded Santiago de Cali, first established a few kilometres north of the present location, near what are now the towns of Vijes and Riofrío.
Asuncion	Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata	Paraguay	1537 AD	Juan de Salazar y Espinoza, traversing the Paraguay River on his way from Buenos Aires, stopped briefly at a bay in the left bank to resupply his ships. He found the natives friendly, and decided to found a fort there in August 1537. He named it Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción (Our Lady Saint Mary of the Assumption – the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption on August 15).
Bogotá	New Granada	Colombia	1540 AD	The name of Bogotá, is derived from Bacatá, an indigenous area inhabitanted by the native Muisca encompassing what is presently the Colombian capital.
Santiago	Captaincy General of Chile	Chile	1541 AD	Oldest continuously inhabited European established settlement in Chile.
Salvador	Governorate General of Brazil	Brazil	1549 AD	First city founded by Portuguese, and first capital of Brazil
Santiago del Estero	Río de la Plata	Argentina	1553 AD	Oldest continuously inhabited city in Argentina.

Asia

Central and South Asia

Name	Historical region	Present location	Continuously inhabited since	Notes
Multan	Punjab	Pakistan	3000–2800 BC	Perhaps the oldest city in Central and South Asia. Also known as Mulasthana or Kashyapapura, this city was founded by Kashyapa according to Hindu Puranas. The region is home to numerous archaeological sites dating to the era of the Early Harappan period of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Kandahar	Arachosia	Afghanistan	3000–1500 BC	Perhaps the oldest city in Afghanistan. Mundigak is an important archeological site and is located in the present day Kandahar Province.
Balkh	Bactria	Afghanistan	2000-1000 BC	It was considered a major stop on the Silk Road as well as the birthplace of Zoroastrianism and was a major hub for Buddhism. Arab conquerors have called it Umm-al-belad, mother of cities.
Delhi	Indraprastha	India	1200–900 BC	Established as the ancient city of Indraprastha, the later capital of the Kuru empire (after Hastinapur) by the ruling Kuru dyansty, around 12th-9th BCE over the Upper Ganges-Yamuna doabs of Northern India.
Varanasi	Kashi	India	c. 1200 BC	Oldest continuously inhabited city in India. Finds its mention in Ancient Vedas.
Sayram	Transoxiana	Kazakhstan	1000 BC	Oldest continuously inhabited city in Kazakhstan. The city of Sayram is believed by some historians to have been mentioned in the Avesta, with Sairima possibly meaning Sayram. Evidence of an early plumbing system has been found around Sayram and Transoxiana.
Dushanbe	Achaemenid	Tajikistan	1000 BC	Bronze Age burials were discovered dating from the end of the second to the beginning of the first millennium BC. Achaemenid dishes and ceramics were found 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of Dushanbe in Qiblai, as the city was controlled by the Achaemenids from the sixth century BC.
Samarkand	Sogdia	Uzbekistan	800–500 BC	Oldest continuously inhabited city in Uzbekistan.
Rajgir	Rajgriha	India	c. 600 BC	The city of Rajgir was formed by Brihadratha, son of Uparichara Vasu.
Ujjain	Malwa	India	c. 600 BC	Rose to prominence in c. 600 BC as capital of Avanti.
Peshawar	Gandhara	Pakistan	539 BC	One of the oldest cities of Pakistan.
Bukhara	Sogdia	Uzbekistan	c. 500 BC
Patna (Pataliputra)	Haryanka dynasty of Magadha	India	490 BC	The city of Pataliputra was formed by fortification of a village by Haryanka ruler Ajatashatru, son of Bimbisara.
Sialkot (Sagala)	Punjab	Pakistan	4th century BC	The first record of Sialkot dates from the invasion of Alexander the Great, who conquered upper Punjab in 326 BCE.
Chittagong	Chattogram	Bangladesh	4th century BC
Anuradhapura	Kingdom of Rajarata	Sri Lanka	4th century BC
Madurai	Pandyan Kingdom	India	3rd century BC	Carbon dating evidences of artefacts found at Vaigai Civilisation are found to be from 3rd century BCE Megasthenes may have visited Madurai during the 3rd century BC, with the city referred as "Methora" in his accounts. The view is contested by some scholars who believe "Methora" refers to the north Indian city of Mathura, as it was a large and established city in the Mauryan Empire.
Kanchipuram	Pallavas	India	3rd century BC	Place of all 4 (bauddha/jaina/shaiva/vaishnava) learning
Tiruchirappalli	Chola	India	At least from 200 BCE.	Currently a major city in Tamil Nadu
Guwahati	Pragjyotishpura	India	2nd century BC	The Ambari excavations trace the time period of the city of Guwahati between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE, in the Shunga-Kushana period of Indian history.
Bamyan	Bactria	Afghanistan	1st century AD
Lahore	Punjab	Pakistan	c. 1-7th century AD	The origin of Lahore can be traced back somewhere between 1st and 7th centuries A.D. One of the oldest cities of South Asia. The first document that mentions Lahore by name is the Hudud al-'Alam ("The Regions of the World"), written by an unknown author in 982 AD.
Kathmandu-Lalitpur, Nepal	Nepal	Nepal	2nd century AD	The epigraphically attested history of Kathmandu valley begins in the 2nd century.

East Asia

Name	Historical region	Present location	Continuously inhabited since	Notes
Yanshi, Henan (Erlitou Site)	Xia dynasty	China	c. 1900 BC
Luoyang (as Xibo, Luoyi, Zhongguo, Henan, Dongdu, Shendu)	Shang dynasty	China	c. 1600 BC
Xi'an (as Haojing, Fenghao, Chang'an, Jingzhao, Daxing)	Zhou dynasty	China	c. 1100 BC The site is now home to the Xi'an Banpo Museum, built in 1957 to preserve the archaeological collection.	Oldest prefecture capital in China.
Handan	Jin, Zhao	China	c. 1080 BC
Beijing (as Ji, Youzhou, Fanyang, Yanjing, Zhongdu, Dadu)	Ji, Yan	China	c. 1045 BC	Paleolithic Homo sapiens lived in the caves from about 27,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Zibo (as Yingqiu, Linzi, Qiling, Zichuan, Boping)	Qi	China	c. 1045 BC	The Lord of Qi, Jiang Ziya, set the capital of his manor at Yingqiu(营丘), which is today's Linzi District.
Jingzhou (as Jinan, Yingdu, Jiangling, Jingsha, Nanjun)	Chu	China	c. 689 BC
Weinan (as Dongfu)	Qin	China	c. 668 BC
Hefei (as Luyi, Ruyin, Luzhou, Hezhou, Lujiang)	Zhou dynasty	China	c. 650 BC	The Viscount of Lu was asked to set the capital of his manor at Luyi(庐邑), which is in the north of today's downtown Hefei.
Suzhou (as Gusu, Wu, Pingjiang)	Wu	China	514 BC
Taiyuan (as Jinyang)	Jin	China	c. 497 BC
Nanjing (as Yecheng, Moling, Jianye, Jiankang, Jinling, Yingtian, Jiangning)	Wu	China	c. 495 BC	Fu Chai, Lord of the State of Wu, founded a fort named Yecheng (冶城) in today's Nanjing area.
Chengdu	Shu	China	c. 400 BC	The 9th Kaiming king of the ancient Shu moved his capital to the city's current location from today's nearby Pixian.
Changsha (as Linxiang, Xiangzhou, Tanzhou, Tianlin)	Chu	China	c. 365 BC
Kaifeng (as Daliang, Bianzhou, Dongjing, Bianjing)	Wei	China	c. 364 BC	The State of Wei founded a city called Daliang (大梁) as its capital in this area.
Chongqing	Ba	China	c. 316 BC
Liaoyang (as Xiangping, Changping, Liaodong, Pingzhou, Liaozhou, Dongdu, Dongjing)	Yan	China	c. 279 BC
Guangzhou (as Panyu)	Qin dynasty	China	214 BC Some traditional Chinese histories placed Nanwucheng's founding during the reign of Ji Yan, king of Zhou from 314 to 256 BC. It was said to have consisted of little more than a stockade of bamboo and mud.
Hangzhou (as Lin'an, Yuhang, Qiantang)	Qin dynasty	China	c. 200 BC	The city of Hangzhou was founded about 2,200 years ago during the Qin dynasty.
Kashgar	Shule Kingdom	China	2nd century BC	The city of Kashgar was the capital of the Iranic Shule Kingdom and served as a major hub of the Silk Road.
Pyeongyang (as Wanggeom-seong)	Gojoseon	North Korea	194 BC	Built as the capital city of Gojoseon in 194 BC.
Gyeongju	Silla	South Korea	57 BC	Built as the capital city of Silla in 57 BC.
Seoul (as Wiryeseong)	Baekje	South Korea	18 BC	Built as the capital city of Baekjae in 18 BC.
Osaka (as Osumi)	Japan	Japan	390 AD	It was inhabited as early at the 6th–5th centuries BC, and became a port city during the Kofun period. It temporarily served as the capital of Japan from 645 to 655.
Nara (as Heijō)	Japan	Japan	708 AD	Built in 708 and became the capital city in 710 as Heijō-kyō.
Kyoto (as Heian, and sometimes known in the west as Miyako)	Japan	Japan	710 AD	Shimogamo Shrine was built in the 6th century, but the city was officially founded as Heian in 710 and became the capital city in 794 as Heian-kyō.

Southeast Asia

Name	Historical region	Present location	Continuously inhabited since	Notes
Hanoi	Âu Lạc	Vietnam	257 BC	In 257 BC, after defeating the last Hùng king, An Dương Vương merged Văn Lang and Nam Cương in to Âu Lạc and set the capital at Cổ Loa citadel, nowadays Đông Anh district of Hanoi. It was also mentioned as Tống Bình in 454 AD and the Đại La citadel was built in 767 during the reign of Emperor Daizong of Tang. Ly Cong Uan then renamed it Thăng Long in 1010.
Huế	Lâm Ấp	Vietnam	1st century AD	Huế was built under the name Kandarpapura and used for about 1 century from the beginning of the 4th century to the end of the 4th century (after 380) during the period when Hinayana Buddhism (Thevarada) and Hinduism heavily influenced Lâm Ấp.
Pyay	Pyu city-states	Myanmar	638 AD	Much debate surrounds the construction of Sri Ksetra. Htin Aung suggests that Pyu might have been founded in 78 CE, based on the Sanskrit / Pyu Era. D. G. E. Hall and Gordon Luce, however, claim that civilisation of the Irrawaddy Valley could not have been possible before the 4th century, thus, attributing the founding of Sri Ksetra to 638, from which the current Burmese Kawza Era begins.
Palembang	Srivijaya	Indonesia	683 AD	Believed to be the oldest city in the Malay realm, capital of the Srivijaya empire. According to Kedukan Bukit inscription Jayanasa established Srivijaya kingdom in Palembang area.
Luang Prabang	Muang Sua	Laos	698 AD
Yogyakarta	Mataram Kingdom	Indonesia	732 AD	The historic realm of Mataram of Southern Central Java region, which corresponds to today Yogyakarta city and its surrounding has its root in 8th century Mataram Kingdom. According to Canggal inscription dated 732, the area traditionally known as "Mataram" became the capital of the Medang Kingdom, identified as Mdang i Bhumi Mataram established by King Sanjaya. The city reestablished again as the capital of Mataram Sultanate in 1587, and Yogyakarta Sultanate in 1755.
Malang	Kanjuruhan Kingdom	Indonesia	740 AD	According to Dinoyo inscription, Malang in the past known as Kanjuruhan kingdom and badut temple dated 740 AD but the city itself established older than the temple and inscription. Today Malang Raya or Malang city is the 2nd largest city and metro area in east Java.
Nakhon Si Thammarat	Tambralinga	Thailand	775 AD	An inscription was found at Wat Sema Muang that bore: The king of Srivijaya "had established a foothold on the Malay Peninsula at Ligor" by 775, where he "built various edifices, including a sanctuary dedicated to the Buddha and to the Bodhisattvas Padmapani and Vajrapani."
Siem Reap	Khmer Empire	Cambodia	801 AD	Capital of the Khmer Empire.
Lamphun	Hariphunchai	Thailand	896 AD
Magelang	Mataram	Indonesia	907 AD	Magelang was established on 11 April 907. Magelang was then known as a village called Mantyasih, which is now known as Meteseh.
Hưng Yên	Tĩnh Hải quân	Vietnam	966 AD	Set as the temporary capital of area controlled by warlord Phạm Bạch Hổ during the Anarchy of the 12 Warlords
Hoa Lư	Đại Cồ Việt	Vietnam	968 AD	After reunifying Vietnam and ending the anarchy of the 12 warlords, Đinh Bộ Lĩnh was crowned Emperor of Đại Cồ Việt and set the capital at Hoa Lư, Ninh Bình. The city lies in a mountainous area and had a defensive position that contributed to the victory of Đại Cồ Việt against the Song dynasty of China.
Bandar Seri Begawan	Po-ni and Bruneian Empire	Brunei	977 AD	Oldest city in Borneo.
Butuan	Rajahnate of Butuan	Philippines	1001 AD	Oldest continuously inhabited city in Mindanao.
Bắc Ninh	Đại Cồ Việt	Vietnam	1009 AD	In 1009, Cổ Pháp village was converted into the city of Thiên Đức, nowadays Bắc Ninh city.
Kediri	Kediri Kingdom	Indonesia	1042 AD	Along with changes in name, it is essentially a union of the two capitals of Panjalu Kingdom and Janggala Kingdom. The settlements are always interspersed along both banks of Brantas River. Administratively, the Government of Indonesia divides Kediri into two political entities, Kediri Regency and the Town of Kediri which is located in the middle of the regency. Nevertheless, archaeological remains exist beyond administrative boundaries and settlements often spread disregarding administrative boundaries between both entities.
Yangon	Konbaung dynasty	Myanmar	1043 AD	Yangon was founded as Dagon in the early 11th century (circa 1028–1043) by the Mon but was renamed to "Yangon" after King Alaungpaya conquered Dagon.
Surabaya	Janggala Kingdom	Indonesia	1045 AD	The port city of Janggala or Hujung Galuh was one of the two Javanese capital city that was formed when Airlangga abdicated his throne in 1045 in favour of his two sons. The Kingdom of Janggala comprised the northeastern part of the Kingdom of Kahuripan. The other Kingdom was Kediri. Derived its name from the words "suro" (shark) and "boyo" (crocodile), two creatures which are in a local myth.
Singapore	Kingdom of Singapura	Singapore	1170 AD
Sukhothai	Lavo Kingdom	Thailand	1180 AD
Singhapala	Rajahnate of Cebu	Philippines	c. 1300 AD	Ancient city founded by Sri Rajahmura Lumaya or Sri Lumay, a half Tamil Chola prince. Now part of Barangay Mabolo in Northern district of Cebu City.
Banda Aceh	Aceh Sultanate	Indonesia	1205 AD	Originally named Kutaraja, which means "City of the King".
Manila	Tondo and Rajahnate of Maynila	Philippines	1258 AD	A settlement in the Manila area already existed by the year 1258. This settlement was ruled by Rajah Avirjirkaya whom described as a "Majapahit Suzerain". This settlement was attacked by a Bruneian commander named Rajah Ahmad, who defeated Avirjirkaya and established Manila as a "Muslim principality". By 1570, when the Spanish, led by Miguel López de Legazpi, arrived, it was still inhabited and led by at least one Lakan and several Rajahs.
Nam Định	Đại Việt	Vietnam	1262 AD	In 1262, Tức Mặc village was converted into the city of Thiên Trường, nowadays Nam Định city.
Chiang Rai	Ngoenyang	Thailand	1262 AD
Chiang Mai	Lanna Kingdom	Thailand	1294 AD or 1296 AD	Mangrai founded Chiang Mai in 1294 or 1296 on a site that the Lawa people called Wiang Nopburi.
Taungoo	Pagan Kingdom	Myanmar	1279 AD	Taungoo was founded in 1279 in the waning days of Pagan as part of frontier expansion southwards.
Sagaing	Sagaing Kingdom	Myanmar	1315 AD	Sagaing was the capital of Sagaing Kingdom (1315-1364), one of the minor kingdoms that rose up after the fall of Pagan dynasty, where one of Thihathu's sons, Athinkhaya, established himself.
Ayutthaya	Ayutthaya Kingdom	Thailand	1350 AD	Derived its name from the holy Hindu city of Ayodhya, it was the capital city of Siam from 1350 until 1767.
Muar	Majapahit	Malaysia	1361 AD
Phnom Penh	Khmer Empire	Cambodia	1372 AD
Malacca	Malacca Sultanate	Malaysia	1396
Bangkok	Ayutthaya Kingdom	Thailand	Early 15th century AD	The history of Bangkok dates at least back to the early 15th century, when it was a village on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, under the rule of Ayutthaya.
Hải Dương	Đại Việt	Vietnam	1469 AD
Hội An	Đại Việt	Vietnam	1471 AD
Bogor	Sunda Kingdom	Indonesia	1482 AD

Middle East

Name	Historical region	Present location	Continuously inhabited since	Notes
Ray	Media	Iran	6000 B.C.	It was an important Median city. Later in the 20th century Rey merged with Tehran as a result of the two cities' close proximity and the latter's rapid growth.
Beirut	Levant	Lebanon	3000 BC
Byblos	Levant	Lebanon	c. 3000 BC	Settled from the Neolithic (carbon-dating tests have set the age of earliest settlement around 7000 BC), a city since the 3rd millennium BC. Byblos had a reputation as the "oldest city in the world" in Antiquity (according to Philo of Byblos).
Damascus	Levant	Syria	c. 3000 BC	Excavations on the outskirts of the city have revealed evidence of inhabitation as early as 8000 to 10000 BC, with inhabitation attested to since 3000 BC.
Jerusalem	Levant	Claimed by Israel and Palestine, controlled by Israel	c. 3000 BC	The Execration Texts (c. 19th century BC), which refer to a city called rwš3lmm, variously transcribed as Rušalimum/Urušalimum/Rôsh-ramen and the Amarna letters (c. 14th century BC) may be the earliest mention of the city. Nadav Na'aman argues its fortification as the centre of a kingdom dates to around the 18th century BC.
Tyre	Levant	Lebanon	2750 BC
Tarsus	Anatolia	Turkey	c. 2500 BC	Prehistoric development of Tarsus reaches back to the Neolithic Period.
Jenin	Levant	Palestine	c. 2450 BC	Jenin's history goes back to 2450 BC, when it was built by the Canaanites. After 1244, Jenin flourished economically because of its location on the trade route, until a major earthquake completely destroyed the city.
Erbil	Mesopotamia	Iraq(Iraqi Kurdistan)	3300 BC	The Citadel of Erbil is a fortified settlement in Erbil, Iraq. The city corresponds to the ancient Assyrian city of Arbela. Settlement at Erbil can be dated back to possibly 5000 BC, but not urban life until c. 2300.
Kirkuk (as Arrapha)	Mesopotamia	Iraq	3000–2200 BC
Ankara	Anatolia	Turkey	at least 2000 BC	The oldest settlements in and around the city center of Ankara belonged to the Hattic civilization which existed during the Bronze Age.
Jaffa	Levant	Israel	c. 2000 BC	Archaeological evidence shows habitation from 7500 BC.
Acre	Levant	Israel	c. 2000 BC	There were initial settlements in the Acre area dated around 3000 BC.
Sidon	Levant	Lebanon	2nd millennium BC	Sidon becomes a city-state during the 2nd millennium BC.
Aleppo	Levant	Syria	2nd millennium BC
Tripoli	Levant	Lebanon	c. 1400 BC
Batroun	Levant	Lebanon	c. 1400 BC	The Phoenicians founded Batroun on the southern side of the promontory called in Antiquity, Theoprosopon and during the Byzantine Empire, Cape Lithoprosopon. Batroun is said to have been founded by Ithobaal I (Ethbaal), king of Tyre, whose daughter Jezabel (897–866 B.C.) married Ahab.
Dumat al-Jandal	Al-Jawf	Saudi Arabia	c. 1000 BC	It was named after Dumah son of Ishmael and was The Capital City of Qedarite Kingdom
Eskişehir	Anatolia	Turkey	c. 1000 BC	The city was founded by the Phrygians in at least 1000 BC, although it has been estimated to be older than 4,000 years old. Many Phrygian artifacts and sculptures can still be found in the city's archeological museum.
Gaza	Levant	Palestine	c. 1000 BC	While evidence of habitation dates back at least 5,000 years, it is said to be continuously inhabited for a little more than 3,000 years.
Hebron	Levant	Palestine	Iron Age
Jericho	Levant	Palestine	early 1st millennium BC	Traces of habitation from 9000 BC. Fortifications date to 6800 BC (or earlier), making Jericho the earliest known walled city. Archaeological evidence indicates that the city was destroyed and abandoned several times (sometimes remaining uninhabited for hundreds of years at a time), with later rebuilding and expansion.
Medina	Hejaz	Saudi Arabia	9th century BC	Medina has been inhabited at least 1500 years before the Hijra.
Vani	Colchis	Georgia	before 8th century BC
Hamadan (Ecbatana)	Media	Iran	c. 800 BC	The capital city of the Median Empire.
Yerevan	Yerevan	Armenia	782 BC	Founded as Erebuni Fortress by the Urartians. Alternatively, it was founded in 3000 BC (Shengavit Settlement).
Tabriz	Media	Iran	714 B.C.	An important and prosperous city along the silk road, it was made the capital city several times during various periods under various ruling dynasties of the region.
Tripoli (as Oyat)	Phoenicia	Lebanon	c. 700 BC	Founded in the 7th century BC, by the Phoenicians.
Istanbul (as Byzantion)	Thrace, Anatolia	Turkey	685 BC Anatolia; 660 BC Thrace	Founded as a colony of Megara. Neolithic site dated to 6400 BC, over port of Lygos by Thracians c. 1150 BC.
Jeddah	Hejaz	Saudi Arabia	6th century BC
Kutaisi	Colchis	Georgia	6th to 4th century BC	Archaeological evidence indicates that the city functioned as the capital of the kingdom of Colchis in the sixth to fifth centuries BC.
Qabala (as Kabalaka)	Caucasian Albania	Azerbaijan	4th century BC	Archeological evidence indicates that the city functioned as the capital of the Caucasian Albania as early as the 4th century BC.
Homs	Levant	Syria	possibly early 3rd century BC	May have been founded by Seleucus I Nicator
Zgharta	Levant	Lebanon	200 BC	The Plain of Zgharta around Zgharta was likely inhabited from at least the beginning of the Neolithic Revolution by the Qaraoun culture as evidenced by some large, heavy Neolithic flints and double-headed axes found in the area that are documented by R. Wetzel and J. Haller in 1945.

Europe

Name	Historical region/period	Present location	Continuously inhabited since	Notes
Plovdiv	Neolithic Europe, Iron Age Europe	Bulgaria	6000 BC	Evidence of continous settlement since 6000 BC. Later a Thracian settlement in the Iron Age. In the 4th century BC, Philipopolis (Plovdiv) emerged as a city, founded as such by Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great.
Argos	Neolithic Europe, Mycenaean Greece	Greece	5000 BC	The city has been continuously inhabited mostly as an urban settlement for 7,000 years. Recorded history begins in mid 2nd millennium BC.
Athens	Mycenaean Greece	Greece	5th–4th millennia BC	Oldest recorded history begins at least from 1600 BC, making it the oldest European capital city.
Thebes	Mycenaean Greece	Greece	c. 5000 BC
Larisa	Mycenaean Greece	Greece	c. 4000–5000 BC	According to archaeological excavations, inhabited continuously from Early Bronze Age.
Shkodra	Illyria	Albania	2250–2000 BC	Continuously inhabited since the Early Bronze Age, an urban settlement called Skodra was founded by Illyrians in the 4th century BC and fortified in moenia aeacia style, it became the capital of the Illyrian kingdom under the Ardiaei and Labeatae and was one of the most important cities of the Balkans in ancient times.
Chania	Crete	Greece	c. 1700–1500 BC	Minoan foundation as Kydonia.
Nafplio	Mycenaean Greece	Greece	Early 14th century BC	Mentioned as Nuplija, the port of Mycenae, in the "Aegean List" of the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III, early 14th century BC.
Cádiz	Phoenicia	Spain	c. 1100 BC	Founded as Gadir by the Phoenicians.
Matera	Prehistoric Italy	Italy	c. 1000 BC	According to Leonardo A. Chisena, the area was first settled in the Palaeolithic (10th millennium BC). According to Anne Parmly Toxey, Matera has been "occupied continuously for at least three millennia".
Seville	Iron Age Iberia	Spain	8th century BC	founded as Tartessian Spal.
Málaga	Iron Age Iberia	Spain	8th century BC	founded as Phoenician Malaka.
Mdina	Antiquity Malta	Malta	8th century BC	founded as Phoenician Melite.
Derbent	Caucasus	Russia	8th century BC	Continuously inhabited since the 8th century BC, it was a part of Caucasian Albania that became a satrap of the Persian Achaemenid Empire.
Lisbon	Lusitania	Portugal	8th century BC	Roman city of Olisipo. Phoenician settlement since as early as 1200 BC.
Rome	Latium	Italy	c. 753 BC	The traditional founding date is 753 BC. Archaeology shows that the site has been inhabited since c. 1200 – c. 1000 BC, with urbanisation beginning around the mid-eighth century BC.
Reggio di Calabria (as Rhegion)	Magna Graecia	Italy	743 BC
Catania (as Katane)	Sicily, Magna Graecia	Italy	729 BC	Built at the foot of Mount Etna, the city has a seismic history and it was destroyed several times by earthquakes or by eruptions and lava flows; but every time it was rebuilt again. For this reason, Catania adopted the symbol of the Phoenix and the Latin motto Melior de cinere surgo (I rise from my ashes in a better state than before).
Volterra	Tuscany	Italy	c. 725 BC	An Etruscan mining settlement.
Corfu (city) (as Kerkyra)	Corfu	Greece	c. 709 BC.	Founded as a colony of the Greek city of Corinth
Istanbul (as Byzantion)	Thrace, Anatolia	Turkey	685 BC Anatolia; 660 BC Thrace	Founded as a colony of Megara; Neolithic site dated to 6400 BC, over port of Lygos by Thracians c. 1150 BC.
Syracuse	Sicily	Italy	ca. 680-675 BC (traditionally 734 BC)	A colony of the Greek city of Corinth.
Naples	Magna Graecia	Italy	c. 680 BC	Actually the date at which an older settlement close by, called Parthenope, was founded by settlers from Cumae. This eventually merged with Neapolis proper, which was founded c. 470 BC.
Ibiza (Eivissa) (as Ybsm)	Balearic Islands	Spain	654 BC	Founded by the Phoenicians, according to Diodorus Siculus, book 5, chap. 16. Date consistent with archaeological finds.
Durrës	Illyria	Albania	627–625 BC	Founded as the Greek colony of Epidamnos in cooperation with the local Illyrian Taulantii.
Sozopol	Thrace	Bulgaria	610 BC	Founded by Milesian colonists around 610 BC, was named Apollonia Pontica in honour of the patron deity of Miletus – Apollo. The Ancient authors identify the philosopher named Anaximander as the founder of the city.
Kerch	Crimea	Ukraine	c. 610 BC	Founded as an Ancient Greek colony known as Panticapaeum.
Marseille (as "Massalia)	Gaul	France	600 BC	Founded as a colony of the Greek city of Phocaea.
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi	Budjak	Ukraine	6th century BC	Founded as an Ancient Greek colony of Tyras.
Nesebar	Thrace	Bulgaria	beginning of the 6th century BC	Originally a Thracian settlement, known as Mesembria, the town became a Greek colony when settled by Dorians from Megara at the beginning of the 6th century BC, then known as Mesembria. It was an important trading centre from then on and a rival of Apollonia (Sozopol). It remained the only Dorian colony along the Black Sea coast, as the rest were typical Ionian colonies. At 425–424 BC the town joined the Delian League, under the leadership of Athens.
Varna	Thrace	Bulgaria	585–570 BC	Founded as Odessos by settlers from the Greek city of Miletus.
Sofia	Moesia	Bulgaria	4th century BC	Celtic foundation as Serdica. Habitation in the area since 7000 BC,
Lezhë	Illyria	Albania	4th century BC	Founded by Illyrians in the 4th century BC as an urban settlement with the name Lissos, it became an important city in the Illyrian kingdom under the Ardiaei and Labeatae.
Stara Zagora	Thrace	Bulgaria	342 BC	It was called Beroe in ancient times and was founded by Philip II of Macedon although a Thracian settlement neolithic inhabitation have been discovered as well. It also has the oldest copper mines in Europe (5th millennium BC)
Thessaloniki	Macedonia (ancient kingdom)	Greece	315 BC	Founded as a new city in the same place of the older city Therme.
Berat	Illyria	Albania	4th century BC	Founded by Illyrians or Cassander of Macedon as Antipatreia.
Belgrade	Illyria	Serbia	279 BC	The present day territory of Belgrade continuously inhabited for more than 7000 years. Proto-urban Vinča culture prospered around Belgrade in the 6th millennium BC. The fortified city of Belgrade founded around 279 BC as Singidunum.
Paris	Lutetia	France	52 BC	Archaeological evidence indicates human habitation as early as 4200 BC. During the Gallic Wars, Caesar's armies set fire to Lutetia "a town of the Parisii, situated on an island on the river Seine." While only a garrison at best on the Île de la Cité during some periods after 1st and 2nd century, was renamed Paris in 360 AD
Braga	Lusitania	Portugal	c. 16-15 BC	Bracara Augusta was founded in 16-15 BC under the order of the emperor Augustus.
Strasbourg	Germania Superior	France	12 BC	First official mention as the Roman camp of Argentoratum. The area had been populated since the Middle Paleolithic.
Colchester	Britain	United Kingdom	20-10 BC	Considered to be the oldest recorded town in the United Kingdom. First British town to be given the status Colonia in the Roman empire, where it was known as Camulodunum and was recorded by Pliny the Elder. The Celtic name of the city, Camulodunon appears on coins minted by tribal chieftain Tasciovanus in the period 20–10 BC. Before the Roman conquest of Britain, it was already a centre of power for Celtic king Cunobeline.

Oceania

Name	Historical region	Present location	Continuously inhabited since	Notes
Sydney	New South Wales	Australia	1788 AD	Oldest city in Australia. Radiocarbon dating suggests human activity occurred in and around Sydney for at least 30,000 years, in the Upper Paleolithic period. However, numerous Aboriginal stone tools found in Sydney's far western suburbs' gravel sediments were dated to be from 45,000 to 50,000 years BP, which would mean that humans could have been in the region earlier than thought. The first people to occupy the Sydney region were an Indigenous Australian group called the Eora.
Hobart	Tasmania	Australia	1803 AD	Second-oldest city in Australia. Prior to British settlement, the area had been occupied for at least 8,000 years, but possibly for as long as 35,000 years, by the semi-nomadic Mouheneener tribe, a sub-group of the Nuennone, or South-East tribe.
George Town	Tasmania	Australia	1804 AD	Third oldest city in Australia.
Newcastle	New South Wales	Australia	1804 AD	Fourth oldest city in Australia.
Launceston	Tasmania	Australia	1806 AD	Fifth oldest city in Australia.
Kerikeri	Northland	New Zealand	c. 1818 AD	Oldest European-founded settlement in New Zealand.
Levuka	Kubuna	Fiji	1820	Oldest European settlement in Fiji.
Bluff	Southland	New Zealand	1824 AD	Previously known as Campbelltown, the oldest European-founded settlement in the South Island.
Brisbane	Queensland	Australia	1825 AD	Oldest city in Northern Australia, State Capital.
Albany	Western Australia	Australia	1827 AD	Oldest city on the West Coast of Australia.
Perth	Western Australia	Australia	1829 AD	The area had been inhabited by the Whadjuk Noongar people for over 40,000 years, as evidenced by archaeological findings on the Upper Swan River.
Melbourne	Victoria	Australia	1835 AD	Before the arrival of European settlers, the area was occupied for an estimated 31,000 to 40,000 years. At the time of European settlement, it was inhabited by under 20,000 hunter-gatherers from three indigenous regional tribes: the Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung and Wathaurong.
Kingscote	South Australia	Australia	1836 AD	First official European settlement in South Australia, Australia's first free settled colony. Kangaroo Island was occupied by an Aboriginal group from as long as 16,000 years ago until their disappearance 2,000 – 4,000 years ago.
Adelaide	South Australia	Australia	1836 AD	State Capital of South Australia, Australia's first free settled colony. European settlement began in 1836.
Wellington	Wellington Region	New Zealand	1839 AD	New Zealand's capital city from 1865 until the present day.
Auckland	Auckland Region	New Zealand	1840 AD	New Zealand's capital city from 1841 to 1865. Prior to this, it was inhabited by Māori from about the 14th century.
Dunedin	Otago Region	New Zealand	1848 AD	First New Zealand centre to be officially named a city (1865). Briefly the country's largest settlement.
Darwin	Northern Territory	Australia	1869 AD	Territory Capital.
Canberra	Australian Capital Territory	Australia	1913 AD	Capital city of Australia. Artifacts suggests early human activity occurred at some point in Canberra dating at around 21,000 years ago.