01.

Introduction

Independent city states are the most ancient form of social organization. Their disappearance in the 16th century is a recent - and modern - phenomenon. Now, with the re-emergence of charter cities, studying the past of city states is more important than ever.

02.

Tangier

The city of Tangier is located on the Maghreb coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, half the city faces the Atlantic Ocean, while the other half faces the milder and warmer Mediterranean.

03.

Alexandria Arachosia

For over 1,600 years goods moved along the Silk Road between Europe and Asia, and Alexandria Arachosia, once run by Alexander the Great, now Kandahar, was right in the middle of it.

04.

Venice

Venice is a city seemingly built from the sea in northeastern Italy, but it is really built on small islands with wooden reinforcements, separated by canals and connected by bridges.

05.

Bandar Abbas

06.

Ayutthaya

There are only a handful of countries that have never experienced Western colonization: Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Ethiopia, and Thailand, home to Ayutthaya.

07.

Canton

For millennia, China was the world’s most prosperous region. Chinese attitudes about trade and openness to foreigners cycled between open and closed as various dynasties rose and fell.

08.

Coba

Long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, the Yucatan Peninsula in modern-day Mexico was home to the Mayan civilization, one of the greatest ancient civilizations.

09.

Athens

Attica, the region of east-central Greece around Athens, is home to one of the oldest civilizations, with a recorded history of over 3500 years.

10.

Lübeck

Lübeck is a city in northeastern Germany, which during the Middle Ages, was considered the de facto capital of the mercantile Hanseatic League and was one of the largest commercial centers in Europe.

11.

Garama

12.

Kilwa

Kilwa Kisiwani, located on the southern coast of today’s Tanzania, is a prime example of how city-states in Africa developed and became wealthy while maintaining sovereignty.

13.

Kano

Kano, the capital city of Kano State in northern Nigeria, located on the Jakarta River, originated around the 7th century CE when it was founded by hunter-gatherer Nok peoples.

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Contact

Adrianople Group

The Adrianople Group is a business advisory and research firm that provides the world’s most up to date information on Special Economic Zones and new city projects. We provide three types of services: business intelligence, marketing, and data. The world of tomorrow is powered by competitive governance.

Charter Cities Institute

The Charter Cities Institute is a nonprofit that empowers new cities with better governance to lift tens of millions of people out of poverty. To achieve this mission, we conduct both practical and academic research, produce popular media, provide technical assistance to new city developments and governments, and engage relevant stakeholders through a variety of partnerships and events.