Cities have existed for many centuries, but their level of development is always changing. History is an unpredictable thing. Any war, revolution or other shock can completely change its course. Growth and decline replace each other constantly. We will tell in this article about 10 once rich cities that now live their hard days.
Damascus, Syria
This ancient city was founded in the third millennium BC. Throughout its history, 42 different states owned it. He had his own era of prosperity and decline. Damascus turned into a prosperous city of the second century. BC, the famous Great Silk Road passed through it. The settlement became a major center of trade and art. It maintained its status until 634, when Damascus became part of the Islamic caliphate. The city was declared the capital of a huge empire, but already in 762 it was moved to Baghdad. The Silk Road lost its significance, a long period of decline began, from which Damascus never recovered. First, he joined the Ottoman Empire. And only in 1945, together with Syria, the city gained independence. The unstable economic and political situation in the country did not allow Damascus to survive a new heyday. The raging civil war completely turned it into a poor and dilapidated city.
Baghdad, Iraq
Damascus and Baghdad once competed with each other. But today, both cities are in decline. Baghdad was founded in 762 by order of the ruling Abbasid dynasty. They wanted to move the capital from Damascus to a new city. Baghdad was built on the banks of the Tigris River near the ruins of another great settlement - Babylon. The city had a favorable location, so trade developed rapidly in it. As early as 1000, it was considered the largest in the whole world. On its territory lived more than 1 million people. The heyday of Baghdad ended in the 13th century, when the Mongols besieged and plundered the city. He failed to recover from this disaster. For a long time it was considered a small provincial settlement, part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1923, Baghdad became the capital of Iran and experienced a short flowering. But it quickly ended due to a series of destructive military conflicts.
Benin City, Nigeria
Benin City was founded in the XI century, its former name is Edo. By the XV century, it became the largest and richest city in Africa. And in the 17th century, it was larger than Lisbon, which was the capital of the powerful colonial Portugal. But soon Edo fell into decay due to changes in the routes of major trade routes. In 1897, the city was captured by the British, who completely destroyed the city. Its restoration began in the first half of the 20th century. In 1960, Benin City became part of Nigeria. Today it is considered a large city, but for its former greatness it is still far away.
Timbuktu, Mali
It is known that Timbuktu was founded in the XII century. He owes his rapid growth and development to an advantageous position. The city was at the intersection of trade routes. Gold, ivory and salt were sold here. In 1324, he became part of the empire of Mali, and this time became a period of its heyday. For a long time, Timbuktu was considered the spiritual center of Islam. And in the XIII century, there was the largest university in the world. The decline of the city began in the 15th century. Throughout history, Timbuktu was captured and busted several times. Now it is a small settlement, where only 35 thousand people live. In addition, he is threatened by desertification, which could completely destroy him.
Agra, India
Only the amazing Taj Mahal recalls the past greatness of Agra.Now it is an extremely poor and overpopulated city. In official sources, Agra was first mentioned only in 1504. In 1558, it became the capital of the Mughal empire. In the next century, the population of the city reached 800 thousand people. But already in 1653 the capital was moved to Aurangabad. A long recession has begun, which continues to this day. In 1947, Agra, together with India, gained independence, but still remains an extremely poor city.
Potosi, Bolivia
Potosi was the richest city in the world at the beginning of the XVII century. And all thanks to the vast reserves of silver located at the foot of Mount Cerro Rico. The development of industry provoked the rapid growth of the city. But already at the beginning of the XVIII century, the silver rush ended, as the cost of the metal has greatly decreased. Soon, his reserves were almost completely depleted. Today it is a polluted city where tin and zinc are mined.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
The current capital of Argentina was founded by the Spaniards in 1536. The peak of its prosperity came at the end of the 19th century. In 1895, Argentina recorded the highest GDP in the world. Buenos Aires became the center of industry and trade, a huge number of immigrants from Spain and Italy arrived here. But soon economic growth slowed down, and then began to deteriorate altogether. A series of political upheavals only worsened the situation. Today, Buenos Aires is a poor city where corruption and crime flourish.
Havana, Cuba
Havana flourished in the 1960s, when the development of the city was sponsored by the USSR. In Cuba, the sugar industry and tourism were actively developing. But a complete transition to a planned economy greatly undermined the welfare of the city. Havana began to decline, which only intensified after the collapse of the USSR. Today, Cuba is considered one of the poorest states in America.
Detroit, USA
In the 1950s and 60s, Detroit was the center of the US auto industry. The city flourished, and its population increased to almost 2 million. Local residents received large salaries, which they spent on expensive houses, cars and luxury goods. But the heyday of the city ended already in the early 1970s. The automotive industry has declined. Detroit has become a center of unemployment, poverty and crime. Rich residents left the city, which never recovered from the crisis. In 2013, Detroit was declared bankrupt. Now only 650 thousand people live here.
Tehran, Iran
The heyday of the economy of independent Iran came in the 1960s and 70s. Large-scale democratic reforms contributed to this. Tehran grew rich and experienced accelerated modernization. But in 1979, the Islamic revolution began. Shah, investing huge sums in the development of the city, was overthrown. A series of military conflicts began with neighboring states. The Iran-Iraq war lasted until 1988. All this negatively affected Tehran’s economy and led to its decline.