Oldest City You've Been To? Mine Was in Isreal...

Tuesday, 07 April 2009

Oldest City You've Been To? Mine Was in Isreal...
There is something I just love about visiting ancient cities. My favorite parts of travel are always the time spent in old villages or antique ruins, knowing that right where I am standing hundreds have stood before and history has been made over and over again.
This January during my trip to Israel I was able to visit the ancient city of Tsfat, also known as Tzfat, Zefat, and Safed. Tsfat, one of the four holy cities in Israel, is the center of Kabbalah or Jewish Mysticism. This small town was one of Israel’s best-kept secrets for centuries, dating back to sometime around 70 AD.
Since its establishment, the city has sustained earthquakes, plagues, and attack. It was also the place where the first Middle Eastern printing press was made.
Today, Tsfat is quiet with steep staircases and meandering cobblestone streets. Dozens of shops showcasing Jewish art and jewelry are squeezed together, lining every street. One of my favorite shops was a tiny old candle store filled with beautiful tapers and decorative candles. Many people are also attracted to the city for its Torah studies and historic Temples.
Above and below are photos I took from the trip.
One of the longer streets of Tsfat.

Stairs leading to art galleries.

A "look into the past" with a traditional courtyard and art gallery.

What’s the oldest city you’ve ever been to? What were your favorite parts?

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Comments (21)

Rome.. pretty ancient haha
- 4/7/2009 8:38 PM
- vvaanneessuuhh@xanga (message)
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Rome.
Some castles in Germany.
- 4/7/2009 9:10 PM
- Michelynne@xanga (message)
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I couldn't think of an ancient city I've been to, but seeing the above comments, duh! I've been to Rome! haha.

I'd love to go to Isreal though.
- 4/7/2009 9:35 PM
- anne (message)
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looks beautiful! i've been to cairo, beijing, rome. out of those three, i would say cairo is the most ancient..?
- 4/7/2009 10:10 PM
- eat_napa@xanga (message)
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London?
Or Paris?
Or Beijing?
I think Beijing's the oldest.
- 4/7/2009 10:24 PM
- allxnight_always@xanga (message)
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Beijing, Xian, Kyoto and Takayama.
- 4/7/2009 10:25 PM
- Blueberry_xh@xanga (message)
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great wall of china and nanjing (historical significance) for me anyways.
- 4/7/2009 10:29 PM
- d0llh0use@xanga (message)
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luoyang, beijing, xi'an, hong kong
paris, london
- 4/7/2009 11:09 PM
- black_lie@xanga (message)
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I don't know actually...
I'm going to restrict it to cities IN the U.S. because I don't know how old the cities that I've been to OUTSIDE the U.S. are...
Probably Jamestown, Virginia is the oldest I've been to in the U.S.
- 4/7/2009 11:17 PM
- laurenmaureen@xanga (message)
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beautiful!
- 4/8/2009 2:18 AM
- xbbx_xcore@xanga (message)
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lisbon, portugal and rome, italy
i'm hoping someday i will go to israel... *dreaming big*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_continuously_inhabited_cities
- 4/8/2009 3:49 AM
- michasmine@xanga (message)
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Cairo possibly. Or Athens. :) Loved them both!
- 4/8/2009 10:18 AM
- TheL0ki@xanga (message)
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Probably London or Paris.
- 4/8/2009 10:29 AM
- dannyb0y@xanga (message)
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oldest would be either beijing or rome..i'm not sure which one is older.
- 4/8/2009 12:24 PM
- blingblingpiggy@xanga (message)
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I guess Tokyo might be the oldest city I have ever been to or 2 of the other cities I visited in japan
- 4/8/2009 1:24 PM
- oeshpdog2@xanga (message)
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somehow i dont have a good impression about isreal. are people there very religious? and how bullie their govt is from being spoiled by the us?
- 4/8/2009 2:03 PM
- jeezcak3@xanga (message)
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i would want to visit berlin, munich, japan, saigon.
- 4/8/2009 2:04 PM
- jeezcak3@xanga (message)
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Paris
- 4/8/2009 9:45 PM
- JoyousMemoriesPhoto@xanga (message)
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For me, it probably be China for now.
- 4/9/2009 5:18 AM
- princessMic@xanga (message)
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Cairo.
- 4/9/2009 8:06 PM
- anasazi018@xanga (message)
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I've travelled to most towns/cities in Egypt so that would take the cake..

but I've also travelled extensively throughout Asia, including Beijing and I've climbed the great wall! :P
- 4/10/2009 7:20 PM
- Ma_Vie_Secrete@xanga (message)
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