Beirut is old, in fact it's about 5000 years old. One of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, it has seen civilizations come and go, leaving behind cultural traces in their wake. From its Phoenician and Roman ruins to its Ottoman, French and Arab architecture, Beirut is a historical canvas just waiting to be explored.

Originally a central trading hub in Phoenician times, the first known mention of Beirut, or 'Berytus' as it was known back then, is found in the archives of Ancient Egypt, dating back to the 15th century BC. Back then, Beirut was one of the region's largest, most sprawling metropolises in terms of size and population, and is historically significant in that it has been continuously inhabited ever since.

However, so many civilizations have lived in and left Beirut that there is an undefined amount of history beneath its streets. This, while being an archeologist's dream come true, makes it kind of hard to precisely map out Beirut's history and time line. But what we do know is that Beirut is a survivor – despite 5000 years of experiencing natural disasters, foreign occupations, international conflicts and civil wars, Beirut has persevered and rebuilt itself over and over to maintain its undeniable attraction.

Impress your friends with Beirut History Trivia:

- Just some of the civilizations/people that have inhabited Beirut: Phoenician, Canaanite, Ottoman, Mamluke, Abbassid, Umayyad, Byzantine, Roman, Persian, French, Arab and the Crusaders.

- Talk about a bad year. In 551AD, an earthquake, tidal wave and a fire nearly all but destroyed Beirut.

- Beirut was first passed on to its current inhabitants, the Lebanese-Arabs, in 635 AD, though