32 Ancient Cities That Are Older Than the Pyramids

30. Rakhigarhi, India: Indus Valley Metropolis

While Mohenjo-Daro is renowned, Rakhigarhi in India may have been the largest urban center of the vast Indus Valley Civilization (flourishing c. 2600-1900 BCE), contemporary with early Giza. Ongoing excavations reveal a massive, meticulously planned city with wide streets, advanced sanitation, fire altars, distinct craft areas (like bead-making), and extensive cemeteries. Its scale underscores the incredible reach and organizational capacity of this civilization across ancient South Asia, rivaling Egypt and Mesopotamia during the period when the first great pyramids were being constructed.