Iraq

Iraq holds the oldest urban record in the atlas and the least accessible. Ur and Babylon are where the city as an idea can be dated; Najaf and Karbala are among Shia Islam's principal destinations and receive pilgrim numbers that would rank them with the largest gatherings on earth. Erbil's citadel claims six thousand years of continuous habitation, and during its restoration one family was left living inside expressly so the claim would not be broken.