Letter 19 |The Great Cities Of The Ancient World (In English)| Letters From a Father to His Daughter

 In this letter Jawaharlal Nehru explains how ancient civilizations often developed along the banks of rivers, where water and fertile land were abundant. He mentions famous old cities like Babylon, Nineveh, and Asur in Mesopotamia, which no longer exist, having been buried under layers of sand and dust over thousands of years. Nehru describes how these cities became deserted, were covered by sand, and forgotten, only to have new cities built over them. He reflects on the cyclical nature of history, where cities rise, flourish, and eventually fall into ruin, with new cities taking their place. He contrasts this with the city of Damascus in Syria, which is still thriving and possibly the oldest city in the world. Nehru also mentions ancient Indian cities like Indraprastha, near Delhi, which no longer exists, and Kashi (Benares), which is still one of the oldest surviving cities. He notes that many great Indian cities, like those in China, were also built along rivers.