可與紐約媲美的十大古城
10 Cities That Were the New York of Their Time
可與紐約媲美的十大古城
New York City is a world capital in every sense of the word — it’s a cultural and economic powerhouse, and arguably the most influential city on the planet. But it wasn’t always this way, as the following cities once dominated the world around them.
無論以什麼標準衡量，用什麼眼光來看，紐約城都堪稱世界中心。她文化深厚，經濟實力強盛，說是地球上最具影響力的城市一點也不誇張。但從前的紐約並不能高居榜首，因爲以下十大古城曾傲視羣城。
1. Djenne-Djenno
1.傑內（Djenne-Djenno）
In the flood lands of the Niger delta people have been building houses and other structures with clay for centuries. The town of Djenne-Djenno is made entirely out of clay. It was inhabited as far back as 250 BC, and became an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. Constructed on hills called “toguere,” the city managed to escape the marshy landscape and annual floods produced by the rainy season. Djenne-Djenno is believed to be one of the earliest settlements in the sub-Saharan region, and is considered by some to be “the typical African City.”
幾個世紀以來，在尼日爾三角洲的河灘上，人們一直用粘土建設房屋和其他建築。傑內古城就是完全由粘土建成的。早在公元前250年，傑內就有人居住了，併成爲跨撒哈拉黃金交易的一個重要交通樞紐。建在山上的“摩爾式”房子使得傑內成功擺脫了因雨季而造成的沼澤地形和每年的洪水。傑內被認爲是撒哈拉以南地區最早的聚居地之一，更有甚者認爲它是個“典型的非洲城市”。
Archeological evidence shows us a continuous human presence in the area up until the 14th century AD, when people moved to the nearby town of Djenne, founded in the 11th century. Further evidence points out that even before the city’s construction, the Bozo people were growing wild rice in the region. In the 13th century AD, with King Koumboro’s conversion to Islam, its palace transformed into a mosque.
考古證據顯示，居民於11世紀（傑內城建成後）搬遷到其附近的城鎮，並在這裏生活繁衍，一直持續到14世紀。進一步的證據則指出，早在城市建成前博若人就已經在此種植野生稻了。公元13世紀，國王Koumboro皈依伊斯蘭教，宮殿也隨之被改造成一座清真寺。
This mosque stood until 1830, but was rebuilt in 1907 and is the largest mud-brick building in the world. Because clay is easily washed away during the rainy season, the Grand Mosque needs to be maintained. And so each year at the beginning of April, the people of Djenne gather for a local ritual of adding a fresh layer of mud, covering it from top to bottom.
這座清真寺一直支撐到1830年，1907年重建後成爲了世界上最大的泥磚建築。粘土在雨季很容易被沖刷掉，因此大清真寺需要悉心的維護。每年四月初，傑內人就會聚集到一起，從上到下給大清真寺加上一層新的粘土保護層。
2. Sukhothai
2.素可泰（Sukhothai）
Around the 13th century AD, in the area we now know as Thailand, the first Siam Kingdom was formed, and its political and administrative capital was Sukhothai. This is considered to be the first ever Thai state, and under King Ramkhamhaeng the first ever centralized Thai language and alphabet were created. A set of codified laws and a powerful military and administrative organization, all held together by strong Buddhist religious beliefs, have led modern people to consider Ramkhamhaeng “the Founding Father of the Thai Nation.”
約公元13世紀，在現如今的泰國土地上，第一個暹羅國形成了，素可泰就是它的政治行政首都。它是公認的有史以來第一個泰王朝，並且在蘭甘亨大帝的統治下首次創建了高度統一的泰文及字母。由深厚的佛教信仰緊緊結合在一起的成文法及強有力的軍事行政機構使得蘭甘亨大帝被現代人奉爲“泰國民族之父”。
In the city of Sukhothai we see the first evidence of a pure Thai culture and architecture, as well as Thai hydraulic engineering. They managed to build canals, reservoirs and dams to prevent flooding and aid in agriculture, as well as part of the city’s sewer and water provision systems. Sukhothai kings were acknowledged for their ability to seize and control the kingdom’s water.
在素可泰，我們看到了純泰式文化和泰式建築以及泰國水利工程的第一證據。他們設法開通運河，修建水庫和堤壩，來防治洪水並促進農業發展，同時，這也構成了城市排水及供水系統的一部分。素可泰君王們也因爲他們對水的把控力得到了普遍的認可。
With the death of Ramkhamhaeng, the Sukhothai kingdom dissolved as vassal states broke away one by one. The city of Sukhothai fell under Ayutthayan control in 1378 AD, and by 1583 was deserted because of both a powerful earthquake and a Burmese conflict in the area. Sukhothai and other cities were later repopulated, but not to the extent they previously were.
素可泰王朝在蘭甘亨逝世後開始由盛轉衰，各屬國紛紛脫離中央的控制。公元1378年，在那萊大帝的統治下素可泰城開始衰落，到1583年，在大地震以及緬甸衝突的雙重作用下，素可泰最終難逃覆滅。雖然後來素可泰等城市又陸續重建了起來，但再也找不回曾經的繁華了。
3. London
3. 倫敦
Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam and Lisbon can all be considered good candidates for a spot on this list, but as far as the race for Empire building goes, London is the winner simply because English is the most widespread language of them all.
巴黎、馬德里、阿姆斯特丹和里斯本本都是能上榜的城市，但是就“帝國”這一詞而言，只有倫敦能配得上，原因很簡單：英語是全世界傳播最廣的語言。
London was built by the Romans in 50 AD and bears a Celtic name derived from the word “Londinios” meaning “the place of the bold one.” The city had a rocky start, being invaded by the Celts and the Vikings on several occasions. It was abandoned a couple of times, but people managed to find their way back. By the 1800s the population grew to over 950,000.
倫敦是公元前50年羅馬人建造的，名字來源於凱爾特詞語“Londinios”，意思是“英勇人的家鄉”。倫敦剛建立就命途多舛，多次被凱爾特人及維京海盜侵佔，也被遺棄過數次，但最終還是重建了起來。並且其人口也在19世紀初增長到了95萬多。
During the expansionist era France, Spain, England, Portugal and the Netherlands were no longer fighting for European territories, but over colonies. Each Empire had its successes and mishaps throughout the centuries, but with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and with the French Revolution and later the Napoleonic Wars, England came out ahead. With the help of their colonies and their wealth, London reached a population of six million by the beginning of the 20th century. The influence it exerted on the whole world was enormous. By 1939, at the start of World War II, the population was 8.7 million. Only after the end of the war did the country relinquish most of its colonies and steadily slip from the number one spot in favor of New York City.
在擴張主義時期，法國、西班牙、英國、葡萄牙和荷蘭停止了對歐洲領土的爭奪，開始爲殖民地而戰。之後的幾個世紀，各個帝國有過輝煌也有過衰敗，但是在經歷了大戰西班牙無敵艦隊（1588），法國大革命以及拿破崙戰爭之後，英國走到了前頭。有了殖民地和財富，倫敦的人口也在20世紀初期達到了六百萬。倫敦對整個世界的影響是巨大的。1939年，第二次世界大戰開始時，倫敦的人口是八百七十萬。在戰爭結束後，英國不得不放棄多數殖民地，倫敦最終也把“第一城”的寶座讓給了紐約。
4. Tenochtitlan
4．特諾奇提蘭（Tenochtitlan）
Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the Aztec Empire. It was built on an island surrounded by Lake Texcoco deep inside the jungles of Central America. By the time the Spanish Conquistadors were aware of its existence, the population was around 200,000. This was a city very different from what the Europeans were used to. Founded in 1325 AD, the Aztec capital was joined to the mainland by three causeways. It was laid out in straight street grids and encompassed enormous pyramids at its center, which were surrounded by the skulls of the dead and elaborate ceremonial sculptures.
特諾奇提蘭曾是阿茲臺克帝國（Aztec Empire）的首都。它位於中美洲叢林深處的一個島上，周圍環繞着特斯科科湖（Lake Texcoco）。當時西班牙征服者已經知道它的存在，它的人口大約是20萬。特諾奇提蘭與歐洲城市大不相同。阿茲臺克首都建立在公元前1325年，由三座堤道連接到大陸。城市街道筆直，縱橫交錯，中心是巨大的金字塔，金字塔周圍佈滿了死人頭骨和精心製作的祭祀雕塑。
With only a handful of men, Herman Cortez managed to take over the city in 1521. It’s true that they were wielding firearms and had help from other local tribes, but if it hadn’t been for the frenzy of human sacrifice to appease the gods and the scourge of smallpox, it’s likely they would have never succeeded. In any case, the capital city was conquered and razed to the ground by the Spanish, only for them to build present-day Mexico City on the same spot.
1521年，帶着寥寥幾個士兵，赫爾曼·科爾特斯（Herman Cortez）佔領了這座城市。儘管他們火力全開，獲得了當地部落的支持，但活人祭祀引起的憤恨以及天花的肆虐卻是他們取得勝利的關鍵因素。無論如何，西班牙人攻佔了特諾奇提蘭並且將它夷爲平地，只是爲了在同一地點建立現在的墨西哥城而已。
5. Rome
5．古羅馬
Rome was considered by its citizens to be the center of the world. In a time when explorers hadn’t yet discovered the Americas, Australia or the Pacific Ocean, the view of the Earth was much smaller and a lot flatter. The “boot” that is the Italian peninsula, surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, made the city of Rome look like it was right in the middle of everything.
在羅馬居民看來，他們所在的城市就是世界的中心。在探險家們到達美洲、澳洲和太平洋以前，世界在人們眼中確實要狹小且平坦得多。靴子形狀的意大利半島正好位於地中海中央，這也使得羅馬看起來更像世界的中心。
Starting off as a small town on the Tiber River, Rome gathered all the skills required to thrive from its neighbors. From the Greeks to the south it received a model of religion and architecture, while the Etruscans to the north offered the gift of trade. This small town steadily flourished into a magnificent metropolis, mostly through the exchange of goods, but the Italian peninsula was soon too small and these neighbors and benefactors had to go.
羅馬起源於臺伯河畔的小村莊，從臨邦學到了各種發家致富的方法。它從希臘等南部地區學會了宗教和建築，從伊特魯里亞等北部地區汲取了貿易的精髓。就這樣，這個小城邦在貿易中逐漸成長爲繁榮的大都市。小小的意大利半島就無法滿足羅馬人了，它曾經的鄰居和恩人也都變得無足輕重。
War was the next step into Rome’s evolution, and not long after both the Greeks and Etruscans were gone from the mainland. One after the other, neighboring states fell in the face of this new superpower. The Greeks, Carthaginians, Egyptians, Gauls, the Germanic tribes… all bent the knee to Rome, giving way to the saying “All roads lead to Rome.” But everything has to end eventually, and so did the glory of Rome. But even after 2000 years the lives of people around the world are influenced by this once mighty city.
戰爭成了羅馬發展進程中的下一步，沒多久，希臘和伊特魯里亞都在大陸中消失了。另一方面，附近的城邦在羅馬強大的攻勢面前紛紛淪陷。古希臘人、迦太基人、古埃及人、高盧人、日耳曼人紛紛向羅馬俯首稱臣，於是，“條條大路通羅馬”這句話也由此產生。但是，一切都會有盡頭，羅馬亦復如是。不過，即使是2000年後的今天，我們的生活中還是能看到羅馬的影子。
6. Carthage
6．迦太基（Carthage）
Legend has it that Carthage was founded by Queen Dido of the Phoenicians. She fled the city of Tyre located in present-day Lebanon in order to escape the wrath of her brother Pygmalion, who was her contestant to the throne. Along with a group of settlers, she traveled a great distance by sea and landed in North Africa, where she met King Iarbas. He offered to give them land in order to build a settlement, but no bigger than the surface covered by the hide of an ox. They cleverly cut the hide into thin strips and were able to enclose a fairly large area of land. On this land, the mighty city of Carthage was built.
相傳，腓尼基的黛朵（Dido）女王建立了迦太基城。爲了躲避一同競爭皇位的哥哥——庇格瑪裏翁（Pygmalion）的迫害，她逃離了現在位於黎巴嫩的腓尼基城邦泰爾。經過長途跋涉，她們一行人登陸北非，在那裏，他們遇到了柏柏人部落首領馬西塔尼求（King Larbas）。然而，他僅同意給他們一塊兒牛皮大小的土地。但是聰明的腓尼基人把牛皮切成了許多細條，然後把它們連在一起，圈出了一塊兒不小的地皮。後來，他們就這兒在建起了迦太基城。
These stories are most likely just that, but the fact that the Phoenicians built the city around 760 BC is true. Located in such a good position — in the middle of the Mediterranean, close to Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, and a pretty good distance from Egypt — helped make Carthage a leading trade center and military power. The population soon reached half a million citizens and, in order to house them all, buildings were all built five or six stories tall. Carthage was the first city in Antiquity to have a centralized sewage system, linking all buildings within the city walls. The most notable of structures among the ruins was the “Thophet,” which is believed to be an altar for child sacrifice.
相傳的故事大致就是這樣，但是腓尼基人在公元前706年建造了迦太基城這件事兒的確是事實。迦太基城位於地中海中部，緊鄰西西里島、撒丁島和科西嘉島，毗鄰古埃及，區位優勢造就了其在貿易和軍事上的強勢地位。城市建立後不久，其人口數量就激增至50萬。爲了滿足住房需求，人們建起了五六層的高樓。迦太基是古代世界第一個擁有統一下水道系統的城市，這些管道把城市裏所有建築連接在一起。在遺址中，最引人注目的是一個名爲Thophet的建築，該建築很可能是一個生祭兒童的祭壇。
The Carthaginians inevitably encountered the Romans, and soon after that a series of battles known as the Punic Wars took place. Following the loss of Sicily and other territories, Cartage itself came under attack and was ultimately destroyed in 146 BC. Even though the Romans vowed to never rebuild it, Julius Caesar founded the “Colonia Junonia” in 44 BC on the grounds of the old city. In only five years it was named the capital of the African province. Today this city is known as Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, and is home to over two million people.
迦太基人不可避免的受到了羅馬人的進攻。很快，他們之間爆發了一系列的戰爭，歷史上稱之爲布匿戰爭（the Punic Wars）。在失去西西里島和其他領土後，迦太基背腹受敵，最終在公元前146年走向滅亡。儘管羅馬人通過公投決定不再重建迦太基城，但是尤利烏斯·愷撒還是於公元前44年在這座城的原址上建立了一塊凱撒王朝的殖民地。僅僅五年，它就成了非洲城邦的首都。它就是今天的突尼斯首都突尼斯市，一座有着超過兩百萬居民的城市。
7. Persepolis
7. 波斯波利斯（Persepolis）
Built some 2500 years ago by King Darius the Great, Persepolis was known as “the richest city under the sun” and the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. Founded by a nomadic branch of the Indo-European family who settled the Iranian plateau, no empire before it had ever been as large. It stretched all the way from the borders of present day India to Greece, Egypt and Russia. Regarded as “the King of Kings,” Darius the Great ruled over 28 other kingdoms within his realm, and together with his successors were quite tolerant and accepting of different cultures and religions.
波斯波利斯，約2500年前由國王大流士(King Darius the Great)大帝建造，是阿契美尼德王朝的都城，被世人稱爲“天底下最富有的城市”。波斯波利斯是當時最大的王國,起源於定居伊朗高原的印歐語系的遊牧民族分支，它從現今的印度一路延伸到希臘，埃及和俄羅斯的邊界。大流士大帝，被稱爲“王中之王”，統治了28個王國，連同他的繼任者也都是相當寬容，接受不同的文化和宗教。
The city of Persepolis currently lies in ruins, pillaged and burnt down by Alexander the Great in 330 BC, but back in its heyday this metropolis was like no other. The Apadana, the centerpiece of the entire palace complex, was the chamber in which the emperor received envoys and ambassadors from all corners of his realm. This structure alone had over 72 columns 82 feet high, which held together the beautifully adorned rooftop. Before entering this forest-like chamber, foreigners first had to pass the “Gate of All Nations” which was guarded on both sides by huge stone bull-bodied bearded men representing the might of the Empire.
波斯波利斯這座城市如今已成了一片廢墟，公元前330年被亞歷山大大帝掠奪並燒燬，但在其鼎盛時期這個大都市遠比其他城市繁榮富足。阿婆陀那大殿（Apadana），是波斯波利斯的正殿，也是整個宮殿建築羣的核心，它是帝王用來接見朝貢團的地方。單這一座大殿裏，82英尺高的石柱就不止72根，碩大的石柱撐起了華麗的屋頂。在進入這片森林般的宮殿之前，外國使者首先必須通過“萬國之門”，此門由身壯如牛，鬍子濃郁的侍衛把守兩邊，象徵着帝國的巨大威力。
The majority of buildings we can still see at Persepolis are the work of Emperor Xerxes, the son of Darius, and his son Artaxerxes I. Some still argue that the defeat of the Persians in 490-480BC by the city-states of Greece wasn’t a good thing, since the Persians had a much more open society. They offered freedom of religion for all cultures within their domain, while their own religion, Zoroastrianism, forbid the practice of slavery. Not to mention the fact that women had many more rights and liberties than most world cultures at the time, especially compared to the Greeks.
我們今天能看到的波斯波利斯的多數殘垣斷壁，都是大流士大帝的兒子薛西斯國王（Emperor Xerxes）和薛西斯的兒子亞達薛西一世（Artaxerxes I.）建造的。有些人仍然認爲，公元前490-480年波斯人在希臘城邦的失利不是一件好事，因爲波斯人有一個更加開放的社會。他們在領域範圍內提倡宗教自由，而且他們自己的宗教——瑣羅亞斯德教（Zoroastrianism）一直禁止奴隸制。與此同時，當時的波斯婦女相較於其他大多數文明（尤其是希臘文明）來說，有更多的權利和自由。
8. Palmyra
8.巴爾米拉（Palmyra）
Trade has always been a great source of wealth and knowledge for human civilization. Cities like Palmyra (“place of palms”), situated in the desert of present day Syria, are perfect examples. Built by the Romans when they seized control of the region in the first century AD, Palmyra acted as a central hub for trade within the Silk Road network.
貿易一直是人類文明的遺產和知識的主要來源。像巴爾米拉（Palmyra又譯：帕爾米拉Place of palms：棕櫚樹之城）這樣坐落在沙漠裏的城市（如今的敘利亞所在地），就是完美的例證。公元1世紀，羅馬人控制這片地區的時候建立了巴爾米拉，那時的巴爾米拉是古絲綢之路上最繁榮、最有文化底蘊的一座綠洲城市，也是地中海地區和古代東方的貿易中轉站。
All goods coming to the West from China and India went through this city, which charged the traders as much as 25% for this privilege. Palmyra offered in return security, water, food, shelter and shade for travelers who were happy to pay to have access. Its design and architecture show the mercantile nature of the city — by connecting the Temple of Ba’al, Diocletian’s Camp, the Theater and the Agora with colonnaded streets some 1100 meters long, shade was provided for all sorts of traders and craftsmen.
所有中國和印度的商品要運輸到西方都必須經過巴爾米拉，於是巴爾米拉便收取貿易者25%的中轉費。當然，作爲回報，巴爾米拉也會替支付中轉費的商隊保護貨物的安全，爲商隊提供水，食物，暫住居所以及乘涼的廕庇。這座城市的設計和建築也彰顯了它的商業性質——用大概1100米長的廊柱街道連接起巴力寺（Temple of Ba’al），戴克裏先營（Diocletian’s Camp），劇院和集市，爲來往的商人和工匠們提供廕庇。
Palmyra had been a semi-independent city state influenced by Roman rule. When the city’s ruler, Odaenathus, was assassinated, his wife Zenobia came to power. Under her dominion, the city began to expand its rule throughout the Middle East, triggering a conflict with Rome. After Zenobia’s defeat and capture in 272 AD, she was paraded in golden shackles by Emperor Aurelian through the city of Rome, while Palmyra was sacked and never truly recovered.
巴爾米拉曾是羅馬帝國統治下的一個享有自治權的城市。巴爾米拉的統治者，奧登納圖斯（Odaenathus）被暗殺後，他的妻子塞諾維婭（Zenobia）掌權。在她的帶領下，巴爾米拉開始拓展在整個中東地區的統治，從而引發了與羅馬的衝突。塞諾維婭戰敗並於公元272年被捕，她被皇帝奧勒利安（Aurelian）用金鎖鏈銬着在羅馬城中游行，從此巴爾米拉就被遺棄了，並且再也不復往日的繁榮。
9. Constantinople
9.君士坦丁堡（Constantinople）
After the split of the Roman Empire into two, the city of Rome gradually lost almost all of its former glory. In 330 AD, Emperor Constantine moved the seat of power from Rome to the small town of Byzantium and then transformed it into Constantinople. The capital of the Byzantine Empire for over 1000 years, this mighty city became the wealthiest and most influential metropolis in Europe.
羅馬帝國一分爲二後，羅馬城逐漸喪失昔日光環。公元330年，君士坦丁一世把王座由羅馬移到小鎮拜占庭，後來移至君士坦丁堡。拜占庭帝都有超過1000年的歷史，是歐洲最富裕，最具影響力的大城市。
It had the largest walls the continent had ever seen, the Theodosian Walls, sparing the city from many attacks across the centuries. The imposing cathedral of Hagia Sophia, built by Emperor Justinian I in 537 AD, was one of the Wonders of Late Antiquity, and the Hippodrome, where horse races were held, surpassed even the Coliseum of Rome.
帝都擁有歐洲大陸最雄偉城牆——特奧多修斯牆，幾個世紀以來成功阻擋多次進攻。雄偉的聖菲亞大教堂（由東羅馬帝國君主渣士丁尼一世於公元537年修建）是古代奇蹟之一。羅馬鬥獸場（可舉行賽馬）的規模甚至超過羅馬大劇院。
Situated on the strait of Bosphorus, which seperates the Mediterranean from the Black Sea and Europe from Asia, Constantinople helped, among other things, turn future European empires into world dominating forces. Not even after the fall of the Byzantines in 1453 did the city lose its power; it simply changed its name to Istanbul under the new rule
君士坦丁堡瀕臨博斯普魯斯海峽，將地中海和黑海分開，並把歐洲和亞洲隔開。後來的歐洲列強成爲世界主導力量，與君士坦丁堡（當然也有其他因素）是分不開的。直到1453年，拜占庭衰落，帝都也失去了影響力。帝都更名爲伊斯坦布爾，受奧斯曼土耳其人統治。
10. Vijayanagara
10.毗奢耶那伽羅王朝（Vijayanagara）“勝利城”
The city of Vijayanagara (“the city of victory”), located in Southern India, was the capital of an empire by the same name. This empire held power in the 14th to 17th centuries and covered much of the Indian subcontinent. Its existence is due to the power vacuum left behind by the Delhi Sultans, who wreaked havoc and then abandoned the region. Using the threat of encroaching Muslims as an incentive to bring all the Hindu people together, the first Vijayanagaran rulers managed to create an empire capable of holding rival Sultanates in check.
毗奢耶那伽羅城（“勝利城”），坐落於印度南部，是毗奢耶那伽羅王朝的首都。14世紀到17世紀，毗奢耶那伽羅王朝執政，其權利延伸到印度次大陸大部分地區。此王朝的建立，源於德里蘇丹國（the Delhi Sultans）留下的權力真空期。德里蘇丹國的統治造成浩劫後，君主主動放棄此領域統治權。而毗奢耶那伽羅王朝首位統治者，爲了制約蘇丹國，不惜以殘害穆斯林爲代價，來團結所有印度教信徒。
The capital of the empire, as described by Dr. George Michell, “Was perhaps the most complete example of an imperial city… situated in one of the most extraordinary landscapes to be found in Asia, not just in India…” A granitic landscape through which the Tungabhadra River flows allowed the people to build irrigation canals, while at the same time offering natural protection from surprise invasions. The region also holds tremendous religious importance for the locals.
喬治·米歇爾博士筆下的王朝首都是這樣的，“毗奢耶那伽羅城可能是保存最完整的古都……地理位置得天獨厚——在印度如此，在整個亞洲也如此……”棟格珀德拉河(Tungabhadra）河水流經堅硬的花崗岩大地，流域兩岸人民修建起運河，不僅用於灌溉，還具有防護自然災害功能。在該區域，宗教信仰對當地人民來說至關重要。
Eyewitness accounts, provided to us by Persian and European visitors, paint a picture of life in Vijayanagara as well as the magnificence of the local Maha Navami festival. Among the lavish palaces and temples, archeologists have found the remnants of army garrisons and elephant stables. With the major defeat of its army in 1565 AD at the hands of the Muslims, the city was abandoned and burned to the ground. Unlike most Indian settlements, Vijayanagara was never repopulated, despite multiple attempts to do so.
根據波斯和歐洲遊客描述，我們畫了一幅毗奢耶那伽羅民生圖，和當地節日（ Maha Navami festival ）盛況圖。在這些奢華的宮殿和寺廟中，考古學家已經發掘出了軍隊駐守要塞遺物和大象棚。公元1565年，毗奢耶那伽羅王朝遭遇滑鐵盧，兵敗穆斯林軍，此城被付諸一炬。毗奢耶那伽羅城和印度其他城市不同，多次嘗試振興，卻均以失敗告終，逐漸變爲荒城一個。
