LARGEST CITIES IN THE WORLD THROUGHOUT HISTORY

MUREYBET

Mureybet is an ancient settlement mound, located on the west

bank of the Euphrates in Ar-Raqqah Governorate, northern Syria.

The site was excavated between 1964 and 1974 and has since

disappeared under the rising waters of Lake Assad. According

to many archaeologists Mureybet was a small village occupied

by hunter-gatherers and it is believed that around 8000 BC

it was the biggest city in the world with a total population

of about 500 people.

DELHI

Delhi is the capital territory of India and has been continuously

inhabited since the sixth century BC. Throughout most of its history,

Delhi has served as a capital of various kingdoms and empires

and has been seized, ransacked, and rebuilt several times. 

In 2014, Delhi became officially the world’s second most

populous city after Tokyo, more than doubling its population

since 1990 to 25 million, according to a UN report, even though

many analysts believe that Delhi’s unofficial population

is far greater than Tokyo’s.

BASTA

Located near as-Sadaga, around 15 miles south of Petra, Basta

is a Neolithic village that dates back to the 7th millennium BC.

It’s estimated that at some point around 7000 BC Basta

became the largest city in the world with 1,000 people.

BEIDHA

Beidha is another major Neolithic archaeological site located a

few miles north of Petra near Siq al-Barid in Jordan. It is included

in Petra’s inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

and it also existed as the world’s largest city sometime around

 7000 BC with about 2,000 citizens.

ÇATALHÖYÜK

Çatalhöyük was a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city

settlement in southern Anatolia, which existed from approximately

7500 BC to 5700 BC, and flourished around 7000 BC. It is the

largest and best-preserved Neolithic site found to date, while it

is believed that around 6500 BC it became the largest city

in the world with more than 3,000 people.

TELL BRAK

Tell Brak was an ancient city in Syria. Tell Brak is the current name

of the tell and the city’s original name is unknown. During the

second half of the third millennium BC, the city was known as

Nagar and later on, Nawar and was famous for being at some

point (probably around 5000 BC) the biggest city in the world

with more than 4,000 people.

MEXICO CITY

According to the most recent definition agreed on by the

federal and state governments, the Greater Mexico City

population is 21.2 million people, making it the largest

metropolitan area in the western hemisphere and the

largest Spanish-speaking city in the world. Also, during the late

1980’s there were rumours that Mexico City was unofficially

the largest metropolitan area in the world but that was never

officially verified.

SUSA

Susa (located in modern Iran) was one of the most important cities

of the Ancient Near East. In historic literature, Susa appears in

the very earliest Sumerian records: for example, it is described

as one of the places obedient to Inanna, patron deity of Uruk,

in Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta. According to some historians

Susa was also the world’s largest city around 3500 BC with

more than 8,000 people.

LONDON

Οne of the world’s most visited cities today, London has something

for everyone: from history and culture to fine food and good times.

In 1825, while the British Empire reached across the globe

bringing in immense wealth for the English elite, London was

becoming the largest city in the world with more than 1.3 million

people, despite incredibly high crime rates and poverty

among the masses.