Ur
- Sumerian city-state in Mesopotamia
Uruk
- Sumerian city-state in Mesopotamia
- Said to be ruled by the hero Gilgamesh from the Epic of Gilgamesh
Babylon
- City in Mesopotamia
- Ruled by the ancient King Hammurabi
Jerusalem
- Capital of the kingdom of Israel by the Biblical King David
- Important city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims
- Jerusalem was the ultimate goal of the Crusades
Damascus
- Hebrew city
- Played a large part in the Crusades
Antioch
- Played an important part of the development of Christianity
- Became a spot of contention between Christians and Muslims during the Crusades
Tyre
- Phoenician city
- Center of trade
- Captured by Alexander the Great during his conquest
Sardis
- Persian city in Asia Minor
Persepolis
- Capital of the Persian Empire
Pataliputra
Pataliputra was the capital of the Mauryan Empire and Gupta Empire in India.
Luoyang
- Capital of some Chinese dynasties
- The start of the Silk Road trade route during China's Han Dynasty
Beijing
- Important Chinese city
Karakorum
- Mongol capital
- Karakorum was merely a small collection of yurts during the time of Genghis Khan
- Ögedei Khan made Karakorum a walled capital of the Mongol Empire.
Tokyo
- Formerly known as Edo, Tokyo became the capital city for the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan
Kyoto
- Capital of Imperial Japan during the Heian Period, during which time it was called Keian-kyo
Baghdad
- Built in the mid eighth century to be the capital of the Islamic Abbasid Empire
- Fell to the Mongols in 1258
Troy
Troy was an ancient city on the coast of Asia Minor, right across the Aegean Sea from Greece. It is said to be the setting and inspiration for epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer.
Mecca
- Located in the Arabian Peninsula
- Origins of Islam began here
- The holiest city in the religion of Islam
- Played an important role in Muhammad's life and the beginnings of the religion
Medina
- Located in the Arabian Peninsula
- Origins of Islam began here
- Muhammad had to flee to Medina due to persecution from Mecca's leaders before he returned to overtake the city of Mecca