* Defining "city" is subjective: There's no universally agreed-upon criteria for what constitutes a city. Some might consider a settlement with a certain population, a defined boundary, or specific infrastructure.
* Dating ancient settlements is difficult: Archeological evidence can be fragmented, and there are many ways to interpret it. Determining the exact founding date of a settlement is often imprecise.
However, some cities are considered among the oldest in the world, based on current archaeological evidence:
* Damascus, Syria: Often considered the oldest continuously inhabited city, with evidence of human settlement dating back to 11,000 BC.
* Jericho, Palestine: Another contender for oldest continuously inhabited city, with evidence of settlement dating back to 9,000 BC.
* Byblos, Lebanon: This ancient port city has been continuously inhabited since at least 5000 BC.
* Ur, Iraq: A major Mesopotamian city, with evidence of settlement dating back to 4000 BC.
Ultimately, determining the "oldest city" is a complex question that depends on how we define "city" and the available archaeological evidence.