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
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Indus river: by Avani Tanya, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indus_river_near_Leh.jpg
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Monks Mound: by Skubasteve834, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monks_Mound_-_Summer_2024.jpg
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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
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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
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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
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Odeon, Kos Town: by Michal Osmenda, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Odeon,_Kos_Town.jpg, https://flic.kr/p/9BCfR4
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Mohenjodaro Sindh: by M.Imran, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohenjodaro_Sindh.jpeg
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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
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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
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