The oldest photos of major cities

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

When you take a photo, the world stands still. The moment you captured stays the same forever, offering future generations a glimpse at what life was like at the time. Old photos of cities are specifically fascinating, featuring people, buildings, and society that has been lost to the past. From Tokyo's canal-riding past to Rio without Christ the Redeemer, here are the some of the oldest photos of the world's major cities.

Moscow, Russia

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

A snap of Moscow's Cathedral of the Assumption, also known as Dormition Cathedral, taken back in 1869.

Berlin, Germany

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

A view of the Berlin cityscape, featuring the Unter Den Linden and Stadtschloss. The photo was taken in 1870.

London, UK

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

A Victorian gentleman is photographed on a park bench in 1850s London.

Madrid, Spain

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

Madrileños may recognize Sol, the city's traditional center. Here are horse-drawn trams carrying goods around in 1880.

Beijing, China

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

The Summer Palace looks onto the lake, located in former Peking (Beijing). It was built back in 1750, and the photo was taken roughly 100 years later.

Mumbai, India

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

Muhammadan women wear middle-class attire, standing by a wall in Mumbai, then known as Bombay. Photo taken in 1863.

Mexico City, Mexico

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

Here's a view of the sprawling city, showing the entry of Mexican President Benito Juarez in 1867.

Los Angeles, California

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

Laborers pose for the cameras, during a construction in Los Angeles, taken in the early 1900s.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

Raiders with King Abdulaziz make their way into Riyadh to recapture the Saudi city, in 1910.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

Dubai is one of the world's newest cities. Here's a photo taken in the mid '60s, showing the Al Ras district and Dubai's saltwater creek.

Jerusalem

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

Jerusalem is one of the world's oldest cities, but this snap was taken in 1870, when the city was under Ottoman control. You can spy a Russian church on the left horizon.

Brussels, Belgium

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

A view of the sublime Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, a series of glazed shopping arcades, taken around 1890.

Sydney, Australia

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

An early look at Manly, a beachside suburb in the Australian city. Photo taken circa 1880.

Vienna, Austria

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

Taken back in 1864, this photo offers an alternative view of Vienna's famed Danube Canal.

Prague, Czech Republic

Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Mexico City, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jerusalem, Brussels, Belgium, Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic

Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge reflect in the Vltava river. Photo taken in 1898.

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