🇮🇷 Iran · Ancient city
Baba Jan Tepe
Iron Age I–II (1200–700 BCE; Phase II c.1000 BCE, Phase I c.800 BCE) · Central Zagros Iron Age (Luristan) → Median zone
Nurabad Iron Age pillared hall — 12-column prototype of Persian apadana.
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CategoriesAncient cities
Capitals, ports and metropolises that rose, fell and were found again.
🇵🇰 Pakistan · Ancient city
Amri IA–IB (4000–3000) → Kot Diji (3000–2600) → Harappan · Amri culture / Nal-related → Early Harappan
Chalcolithic type-site for Amri culture (c.4000–3000 BCE) on the west bank of the Indus in Dadu/Jamshoro, Sindh — 4 ha mound with four periods: Amri IA–IB (thin red ware with geometric black…
🇮🇷 Iran · Ancient city
Iron Age I–II (1200–700 BCE; Phase II c.1000 BCE, Phase I c.800 BCE) · Central Zagros Iron Age (Luristan) → Median zone
Nurabad Iron Age pillared hall — 12-column prototype of Persian apadana.
🇪🇹 Ethiopia · Ancient city
Medieval Islamic (10th–19th c) · Harari / Adal Sultanate / Oromo
Harar Jugol is the 48 ha fortified historic town of Harar, Ethiopia, enclosed by 16th-century 3.3 km limestone walls (Jugol) with 5 gates, considered the fourth holiest city of Islam with 110 mosques…
🇷🇺 Russia · Submerged site
Archaic to Medieval (c.580 BCE – 1482 CE) · Mytilenean Greek / Khazar / Kievan Rus
Mytilenean Bosporan polis on Taman hill — lower harbour 1–4 m submerged along Tuzla spit, 2500-year sequence to Tmutarakan Rus.
🇵🇰 Pakistan · Ancient city
Kushan 1st–3rd c CE → Gupta → Hepthalite 5th c · Kushan Gandhara (Taxila valley)
Sirsukh — last great city of Taxila (late 1st c CE–mid 5th c CE) 2 km NE Sirkap, Taxila valley, founded under Kushan Kujula Kadphises/Kanishka after 80 CE.
🇩🇿 Algeria · Ancient city
Roman (Trajanic to Byzantine; peak Severan 2nd–3rd c) · Roman / Berber / Christian
Mountain Roman ridge town at 900 m with Arch of Caracalla, Severan baths and finest polychrome mosaics.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Late Postclassic East Coast (1200–1520 CE, occupied to contact) · Maya (East Coast – Ecab / Cuchbalam)
Postclassic coastal town (1200–1520 CE) directly in Cancún Hotel Zone at km 18 on barrier island between Nichupté Lagoon and Caribbean: ~40 platforms, colonnaded halls and Pyramid Structure 2 (9 m…
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Hellenistic to Byzantine (c.300 BCE–600 CE) · Seleucid priest-kings → Isaurian → Roman Cilician
Priest-kingdom Olba with colossal Zeus temple (five columns 11 m) and Diocaesarea colonnaded sacred way.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Late Classic 580–800 CE (mural phase 790–800 CE) · Maya (Usumacinta Basin, dependent of Yaxchilán under Shield Jaguar III)
Small Usumacinta tributary Maya center (~1.5 km²) world-famous for Temple of the Murals (Structure 1): three vaulted rooms with 110 m² of brilliantly preserved frescoes (c.790 CE ‘1000-year pigments’…
🇸🇾 Syria · Ancient city
Halaf Late Neolithic (Ubaid predecessor) to Iron Age Neo-Hittite Aramaean · Halaf painted ware → Aramaean Syro-Hittite (Kapara, Bit Bahiani)
Double-significance mound: type-site of Halaf culture Late Neolithic mass-produced painted pottery (c.6100–5400 BCE) that spread from Zagros to Mediterranean — defined 1911 by Oppenheim/ Schmidt; and…
🇱🇾 Libya · Rock art
Libyan to Roman (500 BCE–300 CE) · Libyan / Greek / Hellenistic
Libyan shaft necropolis with betyl horseman stela and Hooded-figure Karst chambers 500 BCE–300 CE.
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Early Intermediate Moche 100–700 CE (Sipán tombs 100–300 CE Early Moche, late tombs to 700) · Moche (Mochica, north coast of Peru)
Moche necropolis-platform complex (100–700 CE) with two adobe pyramids (Huaca Rajada 10 m and Huaca de la Raya) covering 10 elite tombs – crowning discovery of 1987 Lord of Sipán (Señor de Sipán,…
🇬🇪 Georgia · Submerged site
Greek to Byzantine (6th c. BCE Greek emporion – 14th c. patriarchate) · Milesian Greek / Roman / Byzantine Colchian–Abkhaz
Northernmost Black Sea Roman fortress — east wall and mole now –0.5 to –4 m on Pitsunda lagoon-sea spit.
🇹🇳 Tunisia · Ancient city
Punic to Byzantine (5th c. BCE–7th c. CE; peak 2nd–4th c. CE) · Punic / Roman / Byzantine
Acholla (Henchir Botria/Boutria) is a coastal Byzacena city founded Punic 5th c. BCE and Roman colonia, famed for its Trajanic amphitheatre (one of Africa's largest, ~6,000 seats), Byzantine fortress…
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe · Ancient city
Chalcolithic (regional) · Chalcolithic
Great Great Zimbabwe Citadel North — Great Zimbabwe (57-13) at Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe is a Chalcolithic (regional) ancient city of the Chalcolithic tradition, built c.
🇳🇪 Niger · Ancient city
Iron Age to Medieval (500 BCE–1600 CE) · Tuareg / Hausa / pre-Tuareg herders
Salt-production town with 3,500 clay pans from 500 BCE and iron horizon, twin of Azelik copper.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Classic to Early Postclassic (300–1200 CE, walls 900–1200) · Maya (Tojolabal / highland Chiapas)
Fortified Late Classic–Postclassic Maya capital (300–1200 CE, fortification 900–1200) crowning limestone hilltop 250 m above Comitán valley: 60+ structures, walled core (60 ha) with 4.5-m-thick…
🇺🇸 United States · Ancient city
Bronze Age (regional) · Bronze Age
Outer Chaco Canyon Settlement B — Chaco Canyon (55-41) at Chaco Canyon, United States is a Bronze Age (regional) ancient city of the Bronze Age tradition, built c.
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe · Ancient city
Neolithic (regional) · Neolithic
Central Great Zimbabwe Platform A — Great Zimbabwe (57-22) at Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe is a Neolithic (regional) ancient city of the Neolithic tradition, built c.
🇸🇾 Syria · Ancient city
Late Uruk (LC5) · Uruk colony cult centre
Uruk hill-citadel (c.3500–3300 BCE) perched 160 m above Euphrates on limestone jebel opposite Habuba — sacred twin controlling Uruk colony from above.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Formative to Classic 500 BCE–850 CE (Monte Albán I–V; apogee IIIa 250–500 CE, IIIb–IV 500–850) · Zapotec (Beni Zaa); later Mixtec reuse
Zapotec capital on artificially levelled 400 m hilltop (6 km²) commanding Oaxaca Valley confluence: Main Plaza (300×150 m), South and North Platforms, Pyramid of the Dancers (Temple I) with Danzantes…
🇬🇹 Guatemala · Ancient city
Late Classic Maya (550–900 CE) · Maya (Dolores valley – Petén southeastern)
Late Classic Maya kingdom capital (600–900 CE) in southeastern Petén mountains: 120 structures organized in 2 plazas, main Acropolis pyramid 18 m high, Group 2 palace, Structure 104 vaulted causeway…
🇪🇬 Egypt · Ancient city
Iron Age to Medieval · Meroitic / Nubian
Qasr Ibrim Fortress Nubia Island at Nubia, Qasr Ibrim, Egypt is a Iron Age to Medieval ancient city of the Meroitic / Nubian tradition, built c.
🇸🇩 Sudan · Pyramid
New Kingdom, Amarna Period, c.1350 BCE (Akhenaten / Amenhotep IV) · Ancient Egyptian (Akhenaten)
Sesebi walled town on west bank between 2nd-3rd Cataracts: rectangular fortified settlement 270×200 m with Aten temple (Akhenaten) later converted to Amun temple by Seti I.
