The newspaper Telegraph presents a list with the 20 oldest continually-inhabited cities on earth. There are conflicting opinions about which city is the oldest, but certainly the 20 cities presented in the list have a rich history and have been inhabited from 9.000 BC until 1000 BC.
Byblos was ranked second amongst world's 20 oldest cities and they wrote about it the following:
2. Byblos, Lebanon 5,000 BC
Founded as Gebal by the Phoenicians, Byblos was given its name by the Greeks, who imported papyrus from the city. Hence the English word Bible is derived from Byblos. The city’s key tourist sites include ancient Phoenician temples, Byblos Castle and St John the Baptist Church – built by crusaders in the 12th century – and the old Medieval City Wall. The Byblos International Festival is a more modern attraction, and has featured bands such as Keane and Jethro Tull.
