List of oldest extant buildings

This is a list of oldest extant buildings.

## Criteria

[edit]

A building is defined as any human-made structure used or interface for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy. In order to qualify for this list, a structure must:

* be a recognisable building;
* incorporate features of building work from the claimed date to at least 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height;
* be largely complete or include building work to this height for most of its perimeter.
* contain an enclosed area with at least one entry point.

This deliberately excludes ruins of limited height and statues. The list also excludes:

* dolmens, a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of three or more upright stones supporting a large flat horizontal capstone. Dolmens were typically covered with earth or smaller stones to form a tumulus (which are included in the list). In many instances, that covering has weathered away, leaving only the stone "skeleton" of the burial mound intact. Neolithic dolmens are extremely numerous, with over 1,000 reported from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany alone.[1]
* cairns, which are simply large piles of loose stones (as opposed to chambered cairns)
* standing stone rings, such as Stonehenge, also do not count because they are not enclosed and do not have roofs.

Dates for many of the oldest structures have been arrived at by radiocarbon dating and should be considered approximate.

## By age

[edit]

The following are amongst the oldest buildings in the world that have maintained the requirements to be such. Occupation sites with older human made structures, such as those in Göbekli Tepe do exist, but the structures are monuments and do not meet the definition of building (which can be seen above). Many of the buildings within the list contain primarily bricks, but most importantly maintain their walls and roofs. There are numerous extant structures that survive in the Orkney islands of Scotland, some of the best known of which are part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.[2] The list also contains many large buildings from the Egyptian Age of the Pyramids.

Building  | Image  | Country  | Continent  | First built  | Use  | Note

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Tell Qaramel (Tel Al-Qaramel)  |  | Syria | Asia | 10,650–9650 BC  | Tower  | Located in Aleppo Governorate, five stone towers were found at Tell Qaramel; dated to the period from the middle of the 11th millennium BCE to about 9650 BC, making them the oldest structures of this type in the world.[3]
Karahan Tepe |  | Turkey | Asia | 10,000–9500 BC  | Settlement  | Located in southern Turkey. Part of a region of similar sites now being uncovered known as the Taş Tepeler.
Göbekli Tepe |  | Turkey | Asia | 9500–8000 BC  | Place of worship | Southern Turkey. The tell includes two phases of use, believed to be of a social or ritual nature by site discoverer and excavator Klaus Schmidt, dating back to the 10th–8th millennium BCE. The structure is 300 m in diameter and 15 m high.
Jerf el Ahmar |  | Syria | Asia | 9500-8700 BC  | Settlement  | Located in northern Syria, Jerf el Ahmar is particularly notable for its communal buildings, a number of which attest to complex community organization and suggest connections between architecture design and rituals or cult practices.[4]
The rectangular buildings of Mureybet |  | Syria | Asia | 9000 BCE  | Settlement  | Located in Raqqa Governorate, northern Syria, Mureybet was first settled in 10,200 BC. As the settlement evolved, rectangular structures composed of several rooms began to emerge at the end of the 10th millennium BCE.[5]
Tower of Jericho |  | West Bank, Palestine | Asia | 8000 BC  | Tower  | An 8.5-metre-tall (28-foot) stone structure, constructed of undressed stones, with an internal staircase of twenty-two steps.
Çatalhöyük |  | Turkey | Asia | 7500–5700 BCE  | Settlement  | A very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city settlement in southern Anatolia
Mehrgarh |  | Pakistan | Asia | 7000 BCE  | Settlement  | A Neolithic archaeological site situated on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan in Pakistan. It is located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River and between the modern-day Pakistani cities of Quetta, Kalat and Sibi.
Aquae Calidae |  | Bulgaria | Europe | 6000-5000 BCE  | Ancient town  | Located in the Bulgarian port city Burgas on the Black Sea coast. Aquae Calidae was also known as Therma and Thermopolis in the Middle Ages and it was an ancient town in Thrace.
Barnenez |  | France | Europe | 4850 BCE  | Passage grave | Located in northern Finistère and partially restored. According to André Malraux it would have been better named 'The Prehistoric Parthenon'. The structure is 72 m (236 ft) long, 25 m (82 ft) wide and over 8 m (26 ft) high.[6][7]
Tumulus of Bougon |  | France | Europe | 4800 BCE  | Tumulus | A necropolis, complex of tombs with varying dates in Deux-Sèvres near Niort and Poitiers, the oldest being E and F0.[6]
Saint-Michel tumulus |  | France | Europe | 4500 BCE  | Tumulus | The tumulus forms what is almost an artificial hillock of more than 30,000 m3 (1,100,000 cu ft) (60 m × 125 m × 10 m (197 ft × 410 ft × 33 ft)).[8][9]
Anu ziggurat of Uruk |  | Iraq | Asia | 4000–3800 BCE  | Ziggurat | A massive White Temple was built atop of the ziggurat. Under the northwest edge of the ziggurat a Stone Temple has been discovered.
Monte d'Accoddi |  | Italy (Sardinia)  | Europe | 3800 BCE[10][11] | Possibly an open-air temple, or a step pyramid.  | A trapezoidal platform on an artificial mound, reached by a sloped causeway. New radiocarbon dating (2011) allow us to date the building of the first monument to 4000–3650 BCE, the second shrine dating to 3500–3000 BCE."[12]
La Hougue Bie |  | Jersey | Europe | 4000–3500 BCE  | Passage grave | An 18.6 m (61 ft) long Neolithic passage grave with 12th century (medieval) chapel above [13] and World War II structures.[14][15]
Knap of Howar |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3700 BCE  | House  | Oldest preserved stone house in north west Europe.[16][17][18]
Dolmen of Menga |  | Spain | Europe | 3700 BCE  | Tomb  | A megalithic burial mound called a tumulus, a long barrow form of dolmen
West Kennet Long Barrow |  | United Kingdom (England)  | Europe | 3650 BCE  | Tomb  | Located near Silbury Hill and Avebury stone circle.[19]
Ġgantija |  | Malta | Europe | 3600 BCE  | Temple  | Two structures on the island of Gozo. The second was built four centuries after the oldest.[20][21]
Wayland's Smithy |  | United Kingdom (England)  | Europe | 3570 BCE  | Chamber tomb  | A barrow constructed on top of an older burial chamber.[22]
Shahr-e Sukhteh |  | Iran | Asia | 3550 BCE  | Settlement  | A rich source of information regarding the emergence of complex societies and contacts between them in the third millennium[23]
Listoghil |  | Ireland | Europe | 3500 BCE  | Passage Tomb  | At the centre of the Carrowmore passage tomb cluster, a simple box-shaped chamber is surrounded by a kerb c.34 m (112 ft) in diameter and partly covered by a cairn. It has been partly reconstructed.[24]
Stoney Littleton Long Barrow |  | United Kingdom (England)  | Europe | 3500 BCE  | Tomb  | Neolithic chambered tomb with multiple burial chambers, belonging to the Severn-Cotswold group located near Wellow, Somerset, England.[25]
Sechin Bajo |  | Peru | South America | 3500 BCE  | Plaza  | The oldest known building in the Americas.[26][27]
Midhowe Chambered Cairn |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3500 BCE  | Tomb  | A well-preserved chambered cairn of the Orkney-Cromarty type on the island of Rousay.[28]
Gavrinis passage tomb  |  | France | Europe | 3500 BCE  | Tomb  | On a small island, situated in the Gulf of Morbihan.[29]
Quanterness chambered cairn |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3400 BCE  | Tomb  | The remains of 157 individuals were found inside when excavated in the 1970s.[30][31][32]
Loughcrew |  | Ireland  | Europe  | 3300 BCE  | Tomb  | It is the site of megalithic burial grounds dating back to approximately 3500 and 3300 BCE
Tarxien Temples |  | Malta | Europe | 3250 BCE  | Temples  | Part of the Megalithic Temples of Malta World Heritage Site.[20][33]
Hulbjerg Jættestue |  | Denmark | Europe | 3250 BCE  | Passage grave  | The grave is concealed by a round barrow on the southern tip of the island of Langeland. One of the skulls found there showed traces of the world's earliest dentistry work.[34][35][36]
Knowth |  | Ireland | Europe | 3200 BCE  | Passage grave  | A Neolithic passage grave and an ancient monument of the World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne
Dowth |  | Ireland | Europe | 3200  BCE  | Tomb  | The cairn is about 85 metres (280 ft) in diameter and 15 metres (50 ft) high.
Tomb of the Eagles |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3200 BCE  | Tomb  | In use for 800 years or more. Numerous bird bones were found here, predominantly white-tailed sea eagle.[37][38]
Skara Brae |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3180 BCE  | Settlement  | Northern Europe's best preserved Neolithic village.[39][40]
Unstan Chambered Cairn |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3100 BCE  | Tomb  | Excavated in 1884, when grave goods were found, giving their name to Unstan ware.[30][41][42]
Newgrange |  | Ireland | Europe | 3100 BCE[43] | Burial  | Partially reconstructed around original passage grave.[44]
Knowe of Yarso chambered cairn |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Tomb  | One of several Rousay tombs. It contained numerous deer skeletons when excavated in the 1930s.[30][45][46]
Tepe Sialk ziggurat  |  | Iran | Asia | 3000 BCE  | Ziggurat  | The oldest settlements in Sialk to date to around 6000–5500 BCE.[47][48] The Sialk ziggurat was built around 3000 BCE.
Dolmen de Bagneux |  | France | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Dolmen  | This is the largest dolmen in France, and perhaps the world; the overall length of the dolmen is 23 m (75 ft), with the internal chamber at over 18 m (59 ft) in length and at least 3 m (9.8 ft) high.[49][50][51]
Grey Cairns of Camster |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Tomb  | Located near Upper Camster in Caithness.[52][53]
Dolmens of North Caucasus |  | Russia | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Tomb  | There are numerous tombs, some perhaps originating in the Maikop culture, in the North Caucasus.[54][55]
Taversoe Tuick chambered cairn  |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Tomb  | Unusually, there is an upper and lower chamber.[56]
Holm of Papa chambered cairn  |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Tomb  | The central chamber is over 20 m (66 ft) long.[57][58]
Barpa Langass |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Tomb  | The best preserved chambered cairn in the Hebrides.[59][60]
Cuween Hill Chambered Cairn |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Tomb  | Excavated in 1901, when it was found to contain the bones of men, dogs and oxen.[61][62]
Quoyness cairn  |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Tomb  | An arc of Bronze Age mounds surrounds this cairn on the island of Sanday.[63]
Maeshowe |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 2800 BCE  | Tomb  | The entrance passage is 36 feet (11 m) long and leads to the central chamber measuring about 15 feet (4.6 m) on each side.[64][65]
Shunet El Zebib |  | Egypt | Africa | 2700 BCE  | Mortuary temple  | Built as a funerary enclosure, a place where the deceased king was worshipped and memorialised.
Pyramid of Djoser |  | Egypt | Africa | 2670–2650 BCE  | Burial  | Earliest large-scale cut stone construction.[66]
Dholavira |  | India | Asia | 2650 BCE  | Settlement  | A complex of ruins with varying dates at Dholavira.[67][68][69]

It has brick water reservoirs, with steps, circular graves and the ruins of a well planned town.

Recent research suggests the beginning of occupation around 3500 BCE (pre-Harappan) and continuity until around 1800 BCE (early part of Late Harappan period).[70]

Harappa |  | Pakistan | Asia | 2600 BCE  | Settlement  | A Bronze Age fortified city with clay sculptured houses located west of Sahiwal.[71]

The Indus Valley civilization had a possible writing system, urban centers, and diversified social and economic system.

Mohenjo-daro |  | Pakistan | Asia | 2600 BCE  | Settlement  | An archeological site near Larkana.[72]

The world's earliest settlement with one and two storied brick houses, public baths, assembly halls, central marketplace and covered drains.

Caral |  | Peru | South America | 2600 BCE  | Pyramid  | Once thought to be the oldest building in South America.[73]
Pyramid of Meidum |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2580 BCE  | Tomb  | Fourth Dynasty structure completed by Sneferu.
Bent Pyramid |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2580 BCE  | Tomb  | A second structure completed by Sneferu.
Red Pyramid |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2580 BCE  | Tomb  | Third large pyramid completed by Sneferu.[74]
Great Pyramid of Giza |  | Egypt | Africa | 2560 BCE  | Tomb  | Mausoleum for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu.[citation needed] World's tallest man-made structure for over 3800 years, until Lincoln Cathedral in 1311.
Pyramid of Khafre |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2550 BCE  | Tomb  | One of the Pyramids of Giza.[75]
Pyramid of Menkaure |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2510 BCE  | Tomb  | Menkaure was probably Khafre's successor.
Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar |  | Portugal | Europe | c. 2500 BCE  | Tomb  | A group of burial tombs that comprise a Calcolithic necropolis.
Capel Garmon |  | United Kingdom (Wales)  | Europe | c. 2500 BCE  | Tomb  | Burial chamber dating from the 3rd millennium BCE that belongs to the Severn-Cotswold Group.[76]
Royal Palace of Mari |  | Syria | Asia | c. 2500 BCE  | Palace  | Located in the ancient Kingdom of Mari in eastern Syria, the Palace covered more than two hectares, and included some 300 rooms, corridors, and courtyards.
Pyramid of Userkaf |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2490 BCE  | Tomb  | Located close to Pyramid of Djoser.[77]
Pyramid of Sahure |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2480 BCE  | Tomb  | Built for Sahure.[78]
Pyramid of Neferirkare Kakai |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2460 BCE  | Tomb  | Built for Neferirkare Kakai.[78]
Pyramid of Neferefre |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2455 BCE  | Tomb  | Never completed but does contain a tomb.[78]
Pyramid of Nyuserre |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2425 BCE  | Tomb  | [79]
Pyramid of Djedkare-Isesi |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2375 BCE  | Tomb  |
Pyramid of Unas |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2350 BCE  | Tomb  | [80]
Pyramid of Teti |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2340 BCE  | Tomb  |
Royal Palace of Ebla |  | Syria | Asia | c. 2400–2300 BCE  | Palace  |
Labbacallee |  | Ireland | Europe | c. 2300 BCE  | Tomb  | The largest wedge tomb in Ireland.[81]
Shimao |  | China (Shaanxi)  | Asia | c. 2300 BCE  | Settlement  | Fortified Neolithic site, centered on a large stepped pyramid with a height of 70 meters.[82]
Pyramid of Merenre |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2280 BCE  | Tomb  | Built for Merenre Nemtyemsaf I but not completed.
Pyramid of Pepi II |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 2250 BCE  | Tomb  |
Crantit cairn  |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 2130 BCE  | Tomb  | Discovered in 1998 near Kirkwall.[83][84]
Ziggurat of Ur |  | Iraq | Asia | 2100 BCE  | Temple  | The Great Ziggurat of Ur was a temple built under King Ur-Nammu in honor of the goddess Nanna. It was partially reconstructed in the 1980s under Saddam Hussein.
Western Deffufa |  | Sudan | Africa | 2000 BCE  | Temple  | The Western Deffufa, built some 4,000 years ago, is a temple rising almost 65 feet high, and built from sun baked mudbricks. It was central to the civilization of Kerma.[85]
Dolmen de Viera |  | Spain | Europe | 2000 BCE  | Tomb  | The Dolmen de Viera or Dolmen de los Hermanos Viera is a dolmen—a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb[86]
Dolmen of Cava dei Servi |  | Italy (Sicily)  | Europe | 2000 BCE  | Tomb  | The dolmen of Cava dei Servi is a semi-oval monument formed by four rectangular slabs fixed into the ground. Three slabs are on top, leaning in such a way they reduce the surface and form a false dome.[87]
Rubha an Dùnain passage grave  |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 2000 BCE or older  | Tomb  | [88][89][90]
Corrimony chambered cairn |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 2000 BCE or older  | Tomb  | A Clava-type passage grave surrounded by a circle of 11 standing stones.[91][92]
Bryn Celli Ddu |  | United Kingdom (Wales)  | Europe | 2000 BCE  | Tomb  | Located on the island of Anglesey.[93]
Balnuaran of Clava |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 2000 BCE  | Tomb  | The largest of three is the north-east cairn, which was partially reconstructed in the 19th century. The central cairn may have been used as a funeral pyre.[90][94][95]
Vinquoy chambered cairn, Eday |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 2000 BCE  | Tomb  | [96]
Pyramid of Amenemhat I |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 1960 BCE  | Tomb  |
Karnak |  | Egypt | Africa | 1971–1926 BCE  | Temple  | Actually a temple complex.
Pyramid of Senusret I |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 1920 BCE  | Tomb  |
Pyramid of Senusret II |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 1875 BCE  | Tomb  |
Knossos |  | Greece | Europe | 1850–1750 BCE  | Palace  | Minoan structure on a Neolithic site.[97]
Pyramid of Senusret III |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 1835 BCE  | Tomb  | Built for Senusret III.
Black Pyramid |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 1820 BCE  | Tomb  | Built for Amenemhat III, it has multiple structural deficits.
Hawara |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 1810 BCE  | Tomb  | Also built for Amenemhat III.
Pyramid of Khendjer |  | Egypt | Africa | c. 1760 BCE  | Tomb  | Built for pharaoh Khendjer.
Daorson | Cyclopean walls of Daorson | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | 17–16th century BCE  | City and citadel  | Illyrian settlement and capital of Daorsi tribe.
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut |  | Egypt | Africa | 15th century BCE  | Temple  |
Hundatorra |  | United Kingdom (England)  | Europe | c.1700-1200 BCE  | Settlement  |
Nuraghe Santu Antine |  | Italy (Sardinia)  | Europe | 1600 BCE  | Possibly a fort  | The second tallest of these megalithic edifices found in Sardinia and tallest still standing.[98]
Sinauli |  | India | Asia | 1800 BCE  | Settlement  | The Sinauli excavation site is located in Sinauli, western Uttar Pradesh, India, at the Ganga-Yamuna Doab.[99][100] Major findings from 2018 trial excavations are dated to c. 2000 - 1800 BCE, and ascribed to the Ochre Coloured Pottery culture (OCP)/Copper Hoard Culture. The rituals relating to the Sanauli burials shows close affinity with Vedic rituals.[101]
Royal Palace of Ugarit |  | Syria | Asia | 1500 BCE  | Palace  | Located in the ancient Kingdom of Ugarit on the Syrian coast, the Palace covers an area of 6,500 square metres.
Adichanallur |  | India | Asia | 1500 BCE  | Settlement  | In 2004, a number of skeletons were found buried in earthenware urns. Some of these urns contained writing in Tamil Brahmi script. While some of the burial urns contained skeletons.[102] In 2018, research on skeletons remains were dated at Manipur University to around 1500 BCE.[103]
Su Nuraxi di Barumini |  | Italy (Sardinia)  | Europe | 1500 BCE  | Possibly a fort or a palace  | The palace of Barumini is formed by a huge quatrefoiled nuraghe, whose central tower is its oldest construction. Originally it was almost 20 m (66 ft) high and divided into three floors.[104][105]
Luxor Temple |  | Egypt | Africa | c.1400 BCE  | Temple  | Actually a temple complex.
Nuraghe La Prisciona |  | Italy (Sardinia)  | Europe | 1400 BCE  | Possibly a fort  | The monument has a central tower and 2 side towers, the former with an entrance defined by a massive lintel of 3.20 m (10.5 ft). The central chamber has a false dome, which is more than 6 m (20 ft) high.[106]
The King's Grave |  | Sweden | Europe | 1400 BCE  | Tomb  | Near Kivik is the remains of an unusually grand Nordic Bronze Age double burial.[107]
The Ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu |  | Iraq | Asia | 14th century BCE  | Probably religious rituals  | Built for the Kassite King Kurigalzu I.[108]
Treasury of Atreus |  | Greece | Europe | 1250 BCE  | Tomb  | The tallest and widest dome in the world for over a thousand years.[109]
Chogha Zanbil |  | Iran | Asia | 1250 BCE  | Temple  | One of the few extant ziggurats outside of Mesopotamia.[110]
Mortuary Temple of Seti I |  | Egypt | Africa | 13th century BCE  | Temple  |
Ramesseum |  | Egypt | Africa | 13th century BCE  | Temple  | Mortuary temple of Ramses II.
Naveta d'Es Tudons |  | Spain | Europe | 1200–750 BCE  | Ossuary | The most famous megalithic chamber tomb in Menorca.[111]
Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III |  | Egypt | Africa | 1186–1155 BCE  | Temple  |
Dún Aonghasa |  | Ireland | Europe | 1100 BCE  | Fort  | Dún Aonghasa, also called Dun Aengus, has been described as one of the most spectacular prehistoric monuments in western Europe. The drystone walled hillfort is made up of 4 widely spaced concentric ramparts.[112][113]
Cuicuilco Circular Pyramid  |  | Mexico | North America | 800–600 BCE  | Ceremonial center  | One of the oldest standing structures of the Mesoamerican cultures. First steps in the creation of a sun based calendar.[114]
Van Fortress |  | Turkey | Asia | 750 BCE  | Fortress  | Massive Urartean stone fortification overlooking Tushpa.
Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia |  | Italy | Europe | 700 BCE  | Tombs  | These Etruscan necropolises contain thousands of tombs, some organized in a city-like plan.[115]
Temple of Cyrene |  | Libya | Africa | c. 630 BCE  | Temple  | The temple was destroyed and rebuilt around 115 CE and was damaged in the 4th century CE.
Keezhadi excavation site |  | India | Asia | 580 BCE  | Settlement  | Keezhadi (also as Keeladi) excavation site is a Sangam period settlement that is being excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India and the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department.
Temple of Hera |  | Italy | Europe | 550 BCE  | Temple  | Part of a complex of three great temples in Doric style.[116]
Tomb of Cyrus |  | Iran | Asia | 530 BCE  | Tomb  | Tomb of Cyrus the Great, located in Pasargadae
Persepolis |  | Iran | Asia | 522 BCE  | Ceremonial capital  | Ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire
Yeha Temple |  | Ethiopia | Africa | 500 BCE  | Temple  | Temple of the sun and moon.
Parthenon |  | Greece | Europe | 432–447 BCE  | Temple  | In the Acropolis of Athens
Tomb of Seuthes III |  | Bulgaria | Europe | 450–400 BCE  | Tomb  | The tomb was originally a monumental temple at Golyama Kosmatka Mound, built in the second half of the 5th century BCE. After extended use as a temple, at the later part of the 3rd century BCE the Thracian king Seuthes III was buried inside.
Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak |  | Bulgaria | Europe | 300–400 BCE  | Tomb  | Located near Seutopolis, the capital city of the Thracian king Seuthes III, and part of a large necropolis.[117]

It is one of the most elaborate tombs in the Valley of the Thracian Rulers where the first use of brickwork in Europe was established.

Sanchi Stupa |  | India | Asia | 300 BCE  | Buddhist temple  | In the village of Sanchi
Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari |  | Bulgaria | Europe | 300–280 BCE  | Tomb  | Discovered in 1982 in a mound, this 3rd century BCE Getic tomb reflects the fundamental structural principles of Thracian cult buildings. The tomb's architectural decor is considered to be unique, with polychrome half-human, half-plant caryatids and painted murals.
Dhamek Stupa |  | India | Asia | 249 BCE rebuilt c. 500 CE  | Buddhist Temple  | In Sarnath, Varanasi
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor |  | China | Asia | Began construction 246 BCE, finished 208 BCE  | Tomb  | Commonly known as the Terracotta Army, this is one of the largest tombs ever built. It does not only contain the entire stone army, but a complex of halls and of the resting place of Qin Shi Huang.
Ruwanwelisaya |  | Sri Lanka | Asia | 140 BCE  | Stupa | In Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Broch of Mousa |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 100 BCE  | Broch  | Located in Shetland it is among the best-preserved prehistoric buildings in Europe.[118][119]
Dun Carloway |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 100 BCE  | Broch  | Built in the first century BCE[120]
Masada |  | Israel | Asia | 37 BCE  | Fortress  | Herod the Great built two palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE.
Maison Carrée |  | France | Europe | 4–7 CE  | Temple  | one of the best preserved Roman temples, in Nîmes
Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum |  | China (Hong Kong)  | Asia | 25 CE  | Tomb  |
Temple of Garni |  | Armenia | Asia | c. 77 CE  | Temple  |
Colosseum |  | Italy | Europe | 70–80 CE  | Amphitheatre  |

## By continent

[edit]

The following are amongst the oldest known extant buildings on each of the major continents.

Building  | Image  | Country  | Continent  | First built  | Use  | Notes

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Towers of Tell Qaramel |  | Syria | Asia | 10650–9650 BCE  | Tower  | Located in Aleppo Governorate, five stone towers were found at Tell Qaramel; dated to the period from the middle of the 11th millennium BCE to about 9650 BCE, making them the oldest structures of this type in the world.
Durankulak (archaeological site) |  | Bulgaria | Europe | 5500—4100 BCE  | Settlement  | The Durankulak Archaeological Complex unites three sites: Tell Golemija ostrov - the Big Island, Durankulak - the necropolis and Durankulak - the fields. On the Tell Golemija ostrov (Big Island) there are settlements from the Early Eneolithic - Hamandjia III-IV culture, the Late Eneolithic - Varna culture, ritual pits and sacrificial pylons from the Proto-Bronze and Bronze Ages - Chernavoda I and III cultures, fortified Late Bronze Age settlement - Koslogeni culture (Sabatinovka-Noua-Coslogeni "cultural complex"), ancient buildings with a cave temple of the goddess Cybele and an early medieval proto-Bulgarian settlement with several rotundas, which existed from the 9th to the beginning of the 11th century CE. The total thickness of the cultural strata is 3.20 - 3.50 m. The settlement mound has seven stratigraphic horizons.
Solnitsata |  | Bulgaria  | Europe  | 5500 BCE [121] | Settlement | Believed to be the oldest town in Europe, Solnitsata was the site of a prehistoric fortified (walled) stone settlement (prehistoric city) and salt production facility approximately from the 6th – 5th millennia BCE;[122] it flourished ca 4700–4200 BCE.[123][124][125] A large collection of the oldest gold objects in the world was found nearby, in the Varna Necropolis[122]
Shunet El Zebib |  | Egypt | Africa | 2700 BCE  | Mortuary temple  | Built as a funerary enclosure, a place where the deceased king was worshipped and memorialised.
Los Naranjos |  | Honduras | North America | 2000 BCE  | Temples  | Oldest extant buildings in Honduras, constructed by ancestors of the Lenca people.[126]
Nan Madol |  | Federated States of Micronesia | Oceania | 700s CE  | City  | City constructed by the Pohnpeians in the 700s CE on human-made islands (also created by the Pohnpeians). Nan Madol contains the oldest known extant buildings in Oceania.
Cape Adare huts  |  | Ross Dependency | Antarctica | 1899 CE  | Explorers' huts  | Wooden buildings constructed by Carsten Borchgrevink in Victoria Land.[127]

## By country

[edit]

The following are among the oldest buildings in their respective countries.

Building  | Image  | Country  | Continent  | First Built  | Use  | Notes

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|
|
|

Towers of Tell Qaramel |  | Syria | Asia | 10650–9650 BCE  | Tower  | Located in Aleppo Governorate, five stone towers were found at Tell Qaramel; dated to the period from the middle of the 11th millennium BCE to about 9650 BCE, making them the oldest structures of this type in the world.
Göbeklitepe |  | Turkey | Asia | 9500-7500 BCE  | Unknown/likely temple  | Oldest temple in the world.
Durankulak |  | Bulgaria | Europe | 5500—4100 BCE  | Settlement  | The Durankulak Archaeological Complex unites three sites: Tell Golemija ostrov - the Big Island, Durankulak - the necropolis and Durankulak - the fields. On the Tell Golemija ostrov (Big Island) there are settlements from the Early Eneolithic - Hamandjia III-IV culture, the Late Eneolithic - Varna culture, ritual pits and sacrificial pylons from the Proto-Bronze and Bronze Ages - Chernavoda I and III cultures, fortified Late Bronze Age settlement - Koslogeni culture (Sabatinovka-Noua-Coslogeni "cultural complex"), ancient buildings with a cave temple of the goddess Cybele and an early medieval proto-Bulgarian settlement with several rotundas, which existed from the 9th to the beginning of the 11th century CE. The total thickness of the cultural strata is 3.20 - 3.50 m. The settlement mound has seven stratigraphic horizons.
Solnitsata |  | Bulgaria  | Europe  | 5500 BCE [121] | Settlement | Believed to be the oldest town in Europe, Solnitsata was the site of a prehistoric fortified stone settlement and salt production facility approximately six millennia ago;[122] it flourished ca 4700–4200 BCE.[123] The settlement was walled to protect the salt, a crucial commodity in antiquity.[124] Although its population has been estimated at only 350,[124] archaeologist Vassil Nikolov argues that it meets established criteria as a prehistoric city.[128] A large collection of the oldest gold objects in the world find nearby, on the site of the Varna Necropolis, has led archaeologists to speculate that this trade resulted in considerable wealth for the town's residents.[122]
L'Anse aux Meadows |  | Canada | North America | c. 1000 CE  | Settlement  | Located on the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland, the Norse settlement is widely accepted as evidence of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact.
Shimao |  | China | Asia | 2300–2000 BCE  | Settlement  | Fortified Neolithic site, centered on a large stepped pyramid with a height of 70m.[82]
St. George's Basilica, Prague |  | Czech Republic | Europe | c. 920 CE  | Church  | Located within Prague Castle in the Czech Republic capital Prague. The building now houses the 19th century Bohemian Art Collection of National Gallery in Prague.
Hulbjerg Jættestue |  | Denmark | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Passage grave  | The Hulbjerg passage grave is concealed by a round barrow on the southern tip of the island of Langeland. One of the skulls found there showed traces of the world's earliest dentistry work.[34]
West Kennet Long Barrow |  | United Kingdom (England)  | Europe | 3650 BCE  | Tomb  | Located near Silbury Hill and Avebury stone circle.[19]
Yeha Temple |  | Ethiopia | Africa | 500 BCE  | Temple  | Oldest standing structure in Ethiopia
Barnenez |  | France | Europe | 4850 BCE  | Passage grave  | Located in northern Finistère and partially restored. The structure is 72 m long, 25 m wide and over 8 m high.[6][7] The oldest known building in Eurasia.
Porta Nigra |  | Germany | Europe | 180 CE  | Roman city gate  | It is today the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps.[129]
Knossos |  | Greece | Europe | 2000–1300 BCE  | Palace  | Minoan structure on a Neolithic site.[97]
Dholavira |  | India | Asia | 3500 BCE  | Reservoir  | A planned urban settlement comprising reservoirs, pottery artifacts, seals, ornaments, vessels, etc.
Chogha Zanbil |  | Iran | Asia | 1250 BCE  | Temple  | One of the few extant ziggurats outside of Mesopotamia.[110]
The Ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu |  | Iraq | Asia | 14th century BCE  | Probably religious rituals  | Built by the Kassite King Kurigalzu I.[108]
Newgrange |  | Ireland | Europe | 3200–2900 BCE  | Burial  | Partially reconstructed around original passage grave.[44]
Monte d'Accoddi |  | Italy (Sardinia)  | Europe | 4000–3600 BCE  | Possibly an open-air temple, a ziggurat, or a step pyramid, mastaba.  | "A trapezoidal platform on an artificial mound, reached by a sloped causeway."[12]
Ġgantija |  | Malta | Europe | 3700 BCE  | Temple  | Two structures on the island of Gozo. The second was built four centuries after the oldest.[20][21]
Cuicuilco Circular Pyramid  |  | Mexico | North America | 800–600 BCE  | Ceremonial center  | One of the oldest standing structures of the Mesoamerican cultures.[114]
Hunebed (Dolmen)  |  | Netherlands  | Europe  | 4000–3000 BCE  | Burial  | Common theory states Hunebedden of dolmen are prehistoric burial chambers.
Mission House |  | New Zealand |  | 1822 CE  | Religious  | Built by Māori and missionary carpenters.[130]
Mehrgarh |  | Pakistan | Asia | c. 2600 BCE  | Mud brick storage structures  | A complex of ruins with varying dates near Bolan Pass.[131][132]
Sechin Bajo |  | Peru | South America | 3500 BCE  | Plaza  | The oldest known building in the Americas.[26]
Dolmens of North Caucasus |  | Russia | Europe | 3000 BCE  | Tomb  | There are numerous tombs, some perhaps originating in the Maikop culture, in the North Caucasus.[54][55]
Knap of Howar |  | United Kingdom (Scotland)  | Europe | 3700 BCE  | House  | Oldest preserved stone house in north west Europe.[16][17][18]
Naveta d'Es Tudons |  | Spain | Europe | 1200–750 BCE  | Ossuary | The most famous megalithic chamber tomb in Menorca.[111]
The King's Grave |  | Sweden | Europe | 1000 BCE  | Tomb  | Near Kivik is the remains of an unusually grand Nordic Bronze Age double burial.[133]
Hattusa |  | Turkey | Asia | c. 1600 BCE  | Ramparts and ruined buildings  | Capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age located near modern Boğazkale.[134]
Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv |  | Ukraine | Europe | 1037 CE  | Cathedral  | Orthodox cathedral, partially rebuilt
Ancestral Puebloan communities  |  | United States | North America | 750 CE  | Villages  | Pueblo construction began in 750 CE and continues to the present day. These buildings have been within the United States since 1848.
Bryn Celli Ddu |  | United Kingdom (Wales)  | Europe | 2000 BCE  | Tomb  | Located on the island of Anglesey.[93]
Great Zimbabwe |  | Zimbabwe | Africa | 1000 CE  | Palace  | Capital of the medieval kingdom

## By function, structure and building material

[edit]

The following are probably the oldest buildings of their type.

Building  | Image  | Location  | First built  | Use  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

Towers of Tell Qaramel |  | Syria | 10650–9650 BCE  | Tower  | Located in Aleppo Governorate, five stone towers were found at Tell Qaramel; dated to the period from the middle of the 11th millennium BCE to about 9650 BCE, making them the oldest structures of this type in the world.
Göbekli Tepe |  | Turkey | 9500–7500 BCE  | Unknown, likely temple  | Located in southern Turkey. The tell includes two phases of use, believed to be of a social or ritual nature by site discoverer and excavator Klaus Schmidt, dating back to the 10th–8th millennium BCE. The structure is 300 m in diameter and 15 m high.
Mehrgarh |  | Pakistan | 7000 BCE  | Settlement  | A Neolithic archaeological site situated on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan in Pakistan. It is located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River and between the modern-day Pakistani cities of Quetta, Kalat and Sibi.
Durankulak (archaeological site) |  | Bulgaria | 4800–4100 BCE  | Settlement  | Durankulak is located in Bulgaria, on the west coast of the Black Sea, Dbruja district. The earliest stone architecture in continental Europe was discovered here.
Pyramid of Djoser |  | Saqqara, Egypt | 2667–2648 BCE  | Tomb  | Oldest large-scale cut stone construction[66]
Luxor Temple |  | Luxor, Egypt | 1400 BCE  | Religious  | The oldest standing building partly in use. There is an active mosque within the main structure, visible in the picture, that stands on the ancient pillars of the Egyptian temple.
Sanchi Stupa |  | India | 300 BCE  | Buddhist temple  | Oldest extant Buddhist temple.
Temple of Concordia |  | Italy | 440 BCE  | Temple  | Oldest fully preserved temple from Antiquity.
Mundeshwari Temple |  | Bihar, India | 105–320 CE  | Hindu Temple  | May be the oldest extant (not rebuilt) Hindu temple in the world[135][136] An information plaque at the site indicates the dating of the temple at least to 625 CE and Hindu inscriptions dated 635 CE were found in the temple.[137]
Pantheon, Rome |  | Italy | 125 CE  | Religious  | Oldest standing building still in regular use.[138]
Aula Palatina |  | Germany | 306 CE  | Palace basilica  | Contains the largest extant hall from antiquity.[129]
Jokhang |  | Lhasa, Tibet, China | c. 639 CE  | Buddhist temple  | Perhaps the world's oldest timber-frame building.[139]
Hōryū-ji |  | Nara, Japan | 670 CE  | Buddhist Temple  | Oldest wooden building still standing.[140]
Nanchan Temple |  | Wutai, China | 782 CE  | Buddhist Temple  | Its Great Buddha Hall is currently China's oldest extant timber building.
Greensted Church |  | United Kingdom (England)  | c. 1053 CE  | Church  | May be the oldest, extant wooden church in the world and the oldest, extant wooden building in Europe.[141][142]
Roykstovan in Kirkjubø |  | Faroe Islands | No clear date, middle of 11th century CE  | Farmhouse  | May be the oldest continuously inhabited wooden building in the world[143]
Ditherington Flax Mill |  | United Kingdom (England, Shrewsbury)  | 1797 CE  | Industrial  | The oldest iron framed building in the world.[144]
Manhattan Building |  | Chicago, United States | 1888 CE  | Skyscraper  | Oldest skyscraper still standing.

## See also

[edit]

Lists

* List of oldest buildings in Scotland
* List of oldest buildings in the Americas
* List of oldest buildings in the United Kingdom
* List of oldest church buildings
* List of oldest continuously inhabited cities
* List of oldest synagogues
* List of the oldest buildings in the United States
* List of the oldest mosques

Sites

* Los Millares, a Chalcolithic site in Almería, Spain including both ruins and reconstructions
* Antequera Dolmens Site, Antequera Málaga Spain, a cultural heritage ensemble comprising 3 cultural monuments.

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[edit]

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* t
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Prehistoric technology

* Prehistory
* Timeline
* Outline
* Stone Age
* Subdivisions
* New Stone Age
* Technology
* history
* Glossary

Tools

| Farming|

* Neolithic Revolution
* Founder crops
* New World crops
* Ard / plough
* Celt
* Digging stick
* Domestication
* Goad
* Irrigation
* Secondary products
* Sickle
* Terracing

|

Food processing
(Paleolithic diet)|

* Fire
* Basket
* Cooking
* Earth oven
* Granaries
* Grinding slab
* Ground stone
* Hearth
* Aşıklı Höyük
* Qesem cave
* Manos
* Metate
* Mortar and pestle
* Pottery
* Quern-stone
* Storage pits

Hunting|

* Arrow
* Boomerang
* throwing stick
* Bow and arrow
* history
* Nets
* Spear
* spear-thrower
* baton
* harpoon
* Schöningen
* woomera

Projectile points|

* Arrowhead
* Transverse
* Bare Island
* Cascade
* Clovis
* Cresswell
* Cumberland
* Eden
* Folsom
* Lamoka
* Manis Mastodon
* Plano

Systems|

* Game drive system
* Buffalo jump

Toolmaking|

* Earliest toolmaking
* Oldowan
* Acheulean
* Mousterian
* Aurignacian
* Clovis culture
* Cupstone
* Fire hardening
* Gravettian culture
* Hafting
* Hand axe
* Grooves
* Langdale axe industry
* Levallois technique
* Lithic core
* Lithic reduction
* analysis
* debitage
* flake
* Lithic technology
* Magdalenian culture
* Metallurgy
* Microblade technology
* Mining
* Prepared-core technique
* Solutrean industry
* Striking platform
* Tool stone
* Uniface
* Yubetsu technique

Other tools|

* Adze
* Awl
* bone
* Axe
* Bannerstone
* Blade
* prismatic
* Bone tool
* Bow drill
* Burin
* Canoe
* Oar
* Pesse canoe
* Chopper
* tool
* Cleaver
* Denticulate tool
* Fire plough
* Fire-saw
* Hammerstone
* Knife
* Microlith
* Quern-stone
* Racloir
* Rope
* Scraper
* side
* Stone tool
* Tally stick
* Weapons
* Wheel
* illustration

Architecture

| Ceremonial|

* Kiva
* Pyramid
* Standing stones
* megalith
* row
* Stonehenge

|

Dwellings|

* Neolithic architecture
* long house
* British megalith architecture
* Nordic megalith architecture
* Burdei
* Cave
* Cliff dwelling
* Dugout
* Hut
* Quiggly hole
* Jacal
* Longhouse
* Mudbrick
* Mehrgarh
* Pit-house
* Pueblitos
* Pueblo
* Rock shelter
* Blombos Cave
* Abri de la Madeleine
* Sibudu Cave
* Roundhouse
* Stilt house
* Alp pile dwellings
* Stone roof
* Wattle and daub

Water management|

* Check dam
* Cistern
* Flush toilet
* Reservoir
* Well

Other architecture|

* Archaeological features
* Broch
* Burnt mound
* fulacht fiadh
* Causewayed enclosure
* Tor enclosure
* Circular enclosure
* Goseck
* Cursus
* Henge
* Thornborough
* Megalithic architectural elements
* Midden
* Oldest extant buildings
* Timber circle
* Timber trackway
* Sweet Track

Arts and culture

| Material goods|

* Baskets
* Beadwork
* Beds
* Chalcolithic
* Clothing/textiles
* timeline
* Cosmetics
* Glue
* Hides
* shoes
* Ötzi
* Jewelry
* amber use
* Mirrors
* Pottery
* Cardium
* Cord-marked
* Grooved ware
* Jōmon
* Linear
* Unstan ware
* Sewing needle
* Weaving
* Wine
* winery
* wine press

|

Prehistoric art|

* Art of the Upper Paleolithic
* Art of the Middle Paleolithic
* Blombos Cave
* List of Stone Age art
* Bird stone
* Cairn
* Carved stone balls
* Cave paintings
* Cup and ring mark
* Geoglyph
* Hill figure
* Golden hats
* Guardian stones
* Gwion Gwion rock paintings
* painting
* pigment
* Megalithic art
* Petroform
* Petroglyph
* Petrosomatoglyph
* Pictogram
* Rock art
* Rock cupule
* Stone carving
* Sculpture
* Statue menhir
* Stone circle
* list
* British Isles and Brittany
* Venus figurine

Prehistoric music|

* Evolutionary musicology
* music archaeology
* Alligator drum
* Paleolithic flute
* Divje Babe flute
* Gudi

Prehistoric religion|

* Evolutionary origin of religion
* Paleolithic religion
* Spiritual drug use

Burial|

* Burial mounds
* Bowl barrow
* Round barrow
* Mound Builders culture
* U.S. sites
* Chamber tomb
* Cotswold-Severn
* Cist
* Dartmoor kistvaens
* Clava cairn
* Court cairn
* Cremation
* Dolmen
* Great dolmen
* Funeral pyre
* Gallery grave
* transepted
* wedge-shaped
* Grave goods
* Jar burial
* Long barrow
* unchambered
* Grønsalen
* Megalithic tomb
* Mummy
* Passage grave
* Rectangular dolmen
* Ring cairn
* Simple dolmen
* Stone box grave
* Tor cairn
* Unchambered long cairn

Other cultural|

* Archaeoastronomy
* sites
* lunar calendar
* Behavioral modernity
* Origin of language
* Prehistoric counting
* Prehistoric medicine
* trepanning
* Prehistoric warfare
* Symbols
* symbolism

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