Did you know there were mega cities in history that were way ahead of their time? Take Mohenjo-Daro in ancient India—it had an advanced drainage system and grid-like streets 4,500 years ago! Or the Mayan city of Tikal, with its towering pyramids and complex water management systems hidden deep in the jungle. Angkor in Cambodia was another mind-blower—it was the largest pre-industrial city, with an incredible network of canals and reservoirs. These places were bustling hubs of innovation, culture, and trade, long before modern cities were a thing. It’s amazing to think how advanced they were, only for many to vanish under the sands of time!
Credit: PBS / YouTube National Geographic / YouTube CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/: Indus river: by Avani Tanya, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indus_river_near_Leh.jpg Mine Action in Syria: by Mil.ru, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:International_Mine_Action_Center_in_Syria_(2016-04-07)_06.jpg Monks Mound: by Skubasteve834, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monks_Mound_-_Summer_2024.jpg CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/: Ilex vomitoria: by Luteus, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ilex_vomitoria.jpg Mohenjodaro: by Saqib Qayyum, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohenjodaro_-_view_of_the_stupa_mound.JPG Mohenjo-daro: by Saqib Qayyum, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohenjo-daro.jpg Other side of Moenjodaro: by Usman.pg, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Other_side_of_Moenjodaro_by_Usman_Ghani.jpg Kos castle: by kallerna, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kos_castle.jpg Temple of Bel: by Zeledi, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Bel_in_Palmyra.JPG Kos-harbour: by Chris Vlachos, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kos-harbour.JPG Indus Valley: by KennyOMG, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Indus_Valley_near_Leh.jpg Gate of Temple of Bel, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gate_of_the_fortified_Temple_of_Bel_Palmyra_Syria.jpg CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/: Palmyra, Syria: by James Gordon, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palmyra,_Syria_-_2.jpg, https://www.flickr.com/photos/79139277@N08/7435876098 Odeon, Kos Town: by Michal Osmenda, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Odeon,_Kos_Town.jpg, https://flic.kr/p/9BCfR4 CC SA 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/sa/1.0/: Mohenjodaro Sindh: by M.Imran, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohenjodaro_Sindh.jpeg Mohenjo-daro Priesterkönig: by Mamoon Mengal, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohenjo-daro_Priesterk%C3%B6nig.jpeg, http://www.world66.com/asia/southasia/pakistan/moenjodaro/lib/gallery Palmyre Vue Generale: by Eustache Diemert, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palmyre_Vue_Generale.jpg Zanskar rivers: by Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, CC BY-SA 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Confluence_of_Indus_and_Zanskar_rivers.jpg Temple of Bel: by Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, CC BY-SA 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Bel,_Palmyra_02.jpg City of Tadmor: by Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, CC BY-SA 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:City_of_Tadmor,_Syria.jpg Agora of Athens: by DerHexer, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, CC BY-SA 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agora_of_Athens.JPG Temple of Bel: by haitham alfalah, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Temple_of_Bel.JPG Diocletian's camp: by Ulrich Waack, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diocletian%27s_camp_and_Qasr_Ibn_Ma%CA%BFan.jpg Greece kos city: by Arne Müseler / www.arne-mueseler.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greece_kos_city.jpg Animation is created by Bright Side.
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