From picturesque ruins to cliff-face monasteries, we explore the unique appeal of the oldest cities in the world

There’s a certain aesthetic attached to the oldest cities in the world: bustling souks beneath a bright blue sky, flowing garments of whispery white, stone masonry cooked by the sun.

In reality, the oldest cities in the world have faced deep unrest throughout their long histories. Tragically, some are still in conflict. Aleppo in Syria, for example, is likely the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world but suffers ongoing conflict today. Damascus too is off limits.