Faiyum, Egypt

Continuously inhabited since: 4000 BC
Faiyum is a city in Middle Egypt, located 130 km southwest of Cairo. Founded in around 4000 BC, it is the oldest city in Egypt and one of the oldest cities in Africa. The town occupies part of the ancient site of Crocodilopolis, the most significant centre for the cult of Sobek—the crocodile-god. The city worshipped a sacred crocodile, named Petsuchos, which was embellished with gold and gems. The crocodile lived in a special temple, with sand, a pond and food. When Petsuchos died, it was replaced by another.
After the city passed into the hands of the Ptolemies, the city was renamed Ptolemais Euergetis. The city was renamed Arsinoe by Ptolemy Philadelphus to honour Arsinoe II of Egypt, his sister and wife, during the 3rd century BCE.