5.Varanasi, India
5.印度，瓦拉纳西

India is a world-famous birthplace of ancient civilizations, religions and spirituality and it is also a cradle of the oldest world cities. The holy city of India, Varanasi is located on the banks of the river Ganges and it is considered to be one of the oldest cities in the world. The Hindus believe that the city was established by God Shiva and the history of the city goes back to the 12th century BC.
印度是世界上著名的古文明、宗教和精神性的诞生地，印度的城市历史不可谓不悠久。瓦拉纳西，印度的圣城，坐落于恒河河畔，是世界上最古老的城市之一。印度教徒们认为瓦拉纳西是由他们的神湿婆所创，其历史可追溯到公元前12世纪。

Varanasi, also known as Benares, has been a cult destination for pilgrims and wanderers. Mark Twain once said the beautiful words about this city, "Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together." Varanasi is an outstanding cultural and religious center with many celebrated poets, writers and musicians concentrated in the city. Varanasi had a great industrial potential due to its high-end fabrics, perfumes, sculpture and ivory. Nowadays Varanasi is the center of arts and crafts. It can offer everything that one could imagine: brocade silk, carpet weaving, toys, glass and ivory works, perfumes and various accessories and jewelry.
瓦拉纳西，也叫贝拿勒斯，曾经是朝圣者和流浪者的朝拜之地。瓦拉纳西是文化宗教名城，也是众多名诗人、作家和音乐家的聚集之所。瓦拉纳西盛产高端纺织品、香水、雕刻品和象牙，这使得这座城市具备巨大的工业发展潜力。如今，瓦拉纳西俨然成为手工艺术的中心。这座城市能为你提供任何你能想到的东西，锦缎、地毯、玩具、象牙玻璃制品、香水、其他各类配饰以及珠宝，不一而足。

4.Jerusalem, Israel
4.以色列，耶路撒冷

Jerusalem is one of the most-visited cities of Israel and it is also the most important religious destination in the world. Jerusalem is known to be a holy place for Jews, Christians and Muslims. According to the Bible, Jerusalem was founded as the capital city of the united kingdom of Israel by David. Nowadays Jerusalem is inhabited by 800,000 residents with Jewish comprise more than 60 percent of population.
耶路撒冷是以色列最大的游客圣地，也是世界上最重要的宗教圣地。它同时是犹太教徒、基督教徒以及穆斯林三教的圣地。据《圣经》之言，耶路撒冷是由大卫所建以用作以色列联合国国都的所在。目前，耶路撒冷的常住人口达到80万，犹太人占总人口超过60%。
Over the years Jerusalem has experienced multiple tragic events: it was exposed to numerous attacks, sieges and destructions. The Old City was established 4 thousand years ago, which are divided into four quadrants, today known as the Christian Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, the Armenian Quarter and the Jewish Quarter. In 1981 the Old Town was added to the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. Modern city has spread far beyond the boundaries of the ancient center. Jerusalem bears an incredibly symbolic meaning for Jewish people from all over the world, as it signifies their desire to come back home.
长久以来，耶路撒冷可谓苦难不少，它曾遭受过数不清的攻击、围城及毁灭。耶路撒冷建城于4000年前，那时耶路撒冷被分为4个区，即今天所说的基督教区、穆斯林区、亚美尼亚区和游犹太区。1981年时，耶路撒冷的老城区被列入濒危的世界遗迹之列。耶路撒冷对世界各地的犹太人有着不同寻常的意义，它象征着各地犹太人回家的渴望。

3.Byblos, Lebanon
3.黎巴嫩，比布鲁斯

Byblos is another cradle of many ancient civilizations. It is one of the oldest cities of Phoenicia and it has been continually inhabited for about 5,000 years, even though the first signs of settlement go back to the earlier period. Byblos is directly related to the development of Phoenician alphabet, which is in use even now. An interesting thing is that the English word Bible is derived from the name of the town, since Byblos was an important port, through which the papyrus was imported.
比布鲁斯也是许多古代文明的发源地。它是古老的腓尼基城市之一，其人类居住史约为5000年，但城中人类行迹可追溯到更早的时候。比布鲁斯与沿用至今的腓尼基字母表有着直接联系。其中有趣的是，由于比布鲁斯是当时较为重要的港口之一，纸莎草纸也经由此港进口，英语单词中的"圣经"竟来源于"比布鲁斯"一名。
Byblos is a lovely tourist destination these days and it has a lot to offer: ancient citadels and temples, picturesque views overlooking the Mediterranean, antique ruins and the port. Nowadays it's quite modern city with glass buildings and full-chock streets, but you can easily see the touch of antiquity. I like reasonable combination of tradition and sophistication about this city and I'm in love with its ancient heart.
比布鲁斯如今成为了天下游人神往之地，当然其景可嘉。比布鲁斯城中可见古老的城堡寺庙，城中高处也可赏地中海如画美景、古遗迹和港口全景。现在，比布鲁斯也成为了一座玻璃建筑遍地和人潮拥挤的现代化城市，但在这里人们仍然能感受到比布鲁斯的古老风韵。比布鲁斯是传统与高雅的结合体。

2.Athens, Greece
2.希腊，雅典

The cradle of Western civilization, Athens is the capital of Greece with the population of about 3 million people. By now it has been inhabited for more than 7,000 years and the design of the city is marked by Ottoman, Byzantine and Roman civilizations. It's a birthplace of outstanding philosophers, writers, dramatists, artists and the classical style that they gave rise to.
西方文明摇篮的雅典是希腊的首都，人口约为300万，其人类居住史超过7000年。奥斯曼人、拜占庭人和罗马人依次在此留下过各自文明的印记。除此以外，雅典还是许多著名哲学家、作家、戏剧家和艺术家的诞生地，古典主义的风潮就是从这里诞生。
Modern Athens is a cosmopolitan city, the cultural, media, educational, political and industrial center of Greece. The historical center of the city is composed of Acropolis ("high city"), a huge hill with the remnants of ancient buildings and Parthenon. The hill has a marvelous view down the city. Since Athens is acknowledged to be the archeological research center, it is full of historical museums, including the National Archaeological Museum, the Byzantine and Christian Museum and the New Acropolis Museum. When visiting Athens, you shouldn't miss the chance to visit the Port of Piraeus, which has been the most important port of the Mediterranean for centuries due to its geo-strategic location.
而现代雅典作为一个国际都市，是希腊的文化、媒体、教育、政治和工业中心。雅典的历史中心由卫城（或称"高处的城市"）组成。所谓卫城是一座遍布着古建筑遗址和帕特农神庙所在的山丘。从卫城往下看去，雅典城的无边美景尽收眼下。作为公认的考古研究中心，雅典的历史博物馆可谓不少，其中包括雅典国家考古博物馆、拜占庭和基督教博物馆以及新卫城博物馆。当然，去雅典绝对不能遗漏了比雷埃夫斯港。由于其地缘战略的位置，比雷埃夫斯港几个世纪以来都是地中海地区最为重要的港口。

1.Damascus, Syria
1.叙利亚，大马士革

Being the capital of Syria, Damascus is also the largest city of the country, with the population of over 4.5 million people. The history of the city goes back to the 10,000-8,000 BC, though the exact time is still debated; consequently Damascus is recognized as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Situated between Africa and Asia, the city has an advantageous geographical location at the crossroads of the orient and the occident.
作为叙利亚的首都，大马士革同时还是叙利亚最大的城市，人口超过450万。尽管确切时间未能确定，但大马士革的历史要追溯到公元前10000至8000年。因此，大马士革被认为是世界上人类聚居历史最古老的城市之一。地处亚非两洲之间，还是东西方的十字路口，大马士革占据着相当有利的地理位置。
From time immemorial, Damascus was a significant cultural, commercial and administrative center. It was a destination of local and overseas traders and craftsmen. The city is marked by several civilizations that had created it: Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic. The old-walled city amazes with ancient architecture, narrow alleys, green courtyards and white houses. However, the age-old architecture somewhat contrasts with the flood of tourists who come from all over the world to see this breathtaking place.
自古以来，大马士革就是重要的文化、经济、政治中心。不管是本国的还是外来的商人和手工艺人全都集聚于此。希腊文明、罗马文明、拜占庭文明乃至伊斯兰文明共同刻画了大马士革如今的模样。在这座被古城墙围绕起来的城市里，时光久远的建筑、狭窄的街巷、绿色的院落和白色的房屋随处可见。而慕名而来的满街喧闹游人似乎又与这古老的城有那么点格格不入。时光容易催人老。人们从来恨人生苦短，而对这些沉积了百千年历史的古城，我们却总心向往之。历史和几代文明的沉淀为这些城市增添了独特的色彩，时光留下的痕迹成为了它们的荣光。你甚至可以从这座城的古建筑、布局和风景中读到它的历史。上面描述的这些仅仅是我所推荐的古城，世界上也还有更多这样文化名城。不知你是否曾经到过这些城市？

翻译:敖-有没 审校:烟囱 编辑:旭旭 来源：前十网