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Believe it or not, but the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world counts its existence for 11,000 years as of today. The town, Damascus, is the Syrian capital city, and astonishingly enough, not much has changed behind this ancient city's walls. However, not many towns keep the same faces for such a long time, often changing and evolving. Sometimes the city development makes it even more beautiful, but as it is in a more often case, the alluring greenery and historical houses have to make way for skyscrapers in the ever-changing city skyline.
The world has increased over the last 100 years that it's difficult to imagine just how much things have changed during that time. Many of the world's most famous cities and country capitals - like Kuala Lumpur for example, or Hong Kong - bare little resemblance to their earlier selves, and cities such as Dubai didn't even exist at all until relatively recently.
Take a look at these before and after pictures of beautiful cities to see what we mean. Compiled by Bored Panda, they're sure to give you a fresh perspective on how you look at the world's biggest cities and settlements.
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#1
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - 2000 And Now
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#2
Seoul, South Korea - 1900 And Now
#3
Vilnius, Lithuania - 1900 And Now
#4
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - 1970 And Now
#5
Singapore, Republic Of Singapore – 2000 And Now
#6
Tokyo, Japan - 1945 And Now
Robert Bailey 9 years ago
That's impressive. Especially since they've had to rebuild after a dozen Godzilla attacks.
#7
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - 2005 And Now
#8
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - 1930 And Now
#9
Sydney, Australia - 1932 And Now
#10
Shenzen, China - 1964 And Now
#11
Fortaleza, Brazil - 1975 And Now
#12
Bangkok, Thailand - 1988 And Now
#13
Athens, Greece - 1862 And Now
Arjan 9 years ago
They probably want to keep the Acropolis to be the highest point in the city.
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Hugh Cookson 4 years ago
Thankfully, not ruined by bloody awful tower blocks !! Well done Greece x
José Valente 9 years ago
Doesn't seem to have changed quite as much as the others which is excellent. Improvements can be seen only much closer to the ground and the city looks more Levantine than I remembered but quite beautiful then AND now. Which kind of goes against the whole point of this entertaining exercise, surely?
#14
Toronto, Canada - 1930 And Now
#15
Berlin, Germany - 1945 And 1990s
#16
Jakarta, Indonesia 1960 And Now
#17
Melbourne, Australia - 1920 And Now
#18
London, The Great Britain - 1920 And Now
Saima Nisbet 9 years ago
Try to be accurate, this is basic geography. There is no "the" before "Great Britain", it's either "Great Britain" or "The United Kingdom", depending on which parts you are including in the reference.
#19
Istanbul, Turkey - 1905 And Now
#20
New York, Usa - 1962 And Now
#21
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 1920 And Now
#22
Chicago, Usa 1937 And Now
#23
Shanghai, China - 1987 And Now
#24
Los Angeles, Usa - 1940 And Now
Daniel Bailey 9 years ago
The 1940s photo of Los Angeles appears to be a view of the Fairfax district with the Park La Brea residential complex (built in 1944) highlighted in the center. And the "Now" photo is of downtown Los Angeles, several miles away, with several of the more recent buildings missing. The Now photo is at least 5 years old.
#25
San Francisco, USA - 1906 And Now
#26
San Francisco, Usa - 1947 And Now
#27
Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2005 And Now
Anusha Shetty 9 years ago
Every other place has changed over a period of 40, 50, 100 years... But UAE changed drastically over a period of 10 years!
#28
Long Beach, Usa - 1953 And Now
#29
Macau, China - 1964 And Now
#30
Hong Kong, China - 1980 And Now
#31
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 1920 And Present
The transformation of cities over the last century is a testament to human innovation and progress. As we witness these urban landscapes evolve, it's reminiscent of how humanity has progressed in leaps and bounds, especially when considering the contrast between early innovations and modern achievements. Just as cities like Dubai emerged from the desert, the comparison of historical achievements, such as the Wright brothers' initial flight leading to Apollo moon missions, speaks to the impact of change over time.
For deeper insights into these shifts in human achievement, exploring how life transformed within a single century can be illuminating.
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What do you think ?
MadameButterfly 9 years ago
And all this at the cost and suffering of poor Mother Nature and the wildlife,what a cruel world!! :,(
Dan B 9 years ago
In fairness, if you lived in one of those cities during the 1900's you wouldn't have been able to philosophise about Mother Nature because you would be busy stashing up on coal so you could survive the winter. Many of your friends would have died prematurely due to malnutrition, tuberculosis, war or some other disaster that that plagued the world at the beginning of 20th century. Only now, due those megapolises and the life-saving infrastructure they provide one can afford the economic security and intellectual liberty to philosophise about pollution, wildlife and mother nature.
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Tiny Dynamine 9 years ago
I find the changes horrible. The older pictures have a certain peace and quiet about them but with sh1tloads of skyscrapers everywhere, it looks claustrophobic and polluted. That's no development in my opinion.
Inksu Raunio 9 years ago
It would be nice to see more before/after photos from different cities.
Gia Caceres 9 years ago
Panama city in Panama could be in the list , has changed a lot in the last 10 years.
Puddin Tane 9 years ago
Some of the photos look like they were taken from a different direction. That really throws off the perspective.
Woody Wazzo 9 years ago
Planned high density urban development is a far better alternative than sprawl. If you really want to help, don't have any children.
Jakub Szubert 9 years ago
You should definitely make a comparison of Warsaw; just after the war and now.
Goran Šafarek 9 years ago
except cities destroyed by the war and then rebuilt, I prefer BEFORE. Now everything looks the same, and many of that is unsustainable (China, Arabic peninsula...)
MadameButterfly 9 years ago
And all this at the cost and suffering of poor Mother Nature and the wildlife,what a cruel world!! :,(
Dan B 9 years ago
In fairness, if you lived in one of those cities during the 1900's you wouldn't have been able to philosophise about Mother Nature because you would be busy stashing up on coal so you could survive the winter. Many of your friends would have died prematurely due to malnutrition, tuberculosis, war or some other disaster that that plagued the world at the beginning of 20th century. Only now, due those megapolises and the life-saving infrastructure they provide one can afford the economic security and intellectual liberty to philosophise about pollution, wildlife and mother nature.
Load More Replies... Tiny Dynamine 9 years ago
I find the changes horrible. The older pictures have a certain peace and quiet about them but with sh1tloads of skyscrapers everywhere, it looks claustrophobic and polluted. That's no development in my opinion.
Inksu Raunio 9 years ago
It would be nice to see more before/after photos from different cities.
Gia Caceres 9 years ago
Panama city in Panama could be in the list , has changed a lot in the last 10 years.
Puddin Tane 9 years ago
Some of the photos look like they were taken from a different direction. That really throws off the perspective.
Woody Wazzo 9 years ago
Planned high density urban development is a far better alternative than sprawl. If you really want to help, don't have any children.
Jakub Szubert 9 years ago
You should definitely make a comparison of Warsaw; just after the war and now.
Goran Šafarek 9 years ago
except cities destroyed by the war and then rebuilt, I prefer BEFORE. Now everything looks the same, and many of that is unsustainable (China, Arabic peninsula...)
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