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What's the oldest building in the world that is still in use (i.e. used for something other than a tourist spot).

MCW
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Opt
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    I like the question. My first thought is a church or government building I would imagine. I don't see how anything else would still be used for a non tourist spot. Maybe refine it a bit? Are tombs considered "Still in use"? – sealz Feb 27 '12 at 21:29
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    The Dunster castle(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunster_Castle) is still in use despite being almost a 1000 years old. It has been modified and expanded extensively though so I'm not entirely sure whether it should count. Also by use, I meant active use so tombs wouldn't count. – Opt Feb 28 '12 at 00:45
  • How about ancient churches in Ireland, for example? – Meike Mar 02 '12 at 18:20
  • If tombs still in use is a viable answer then the state of Washington has an estimated 8000 year old tomb. Actually, not sure if the occupant known as Kennewick Man is still there or moved to a museum (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennewick_Man). – K7PEH Jul 19 '16 at 17:47
  • I'm not sure why the pyramids are not a posted answer given they are still acting in their primary role as a tomb? – gktscrk Nov 30 '20 at 05:59
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    We definitely need a definition of a building (do you require a roof? walls? protection from the elements?). What about things that fell down and were rebuilt? And what does "in use" mean - I'd argue a tomb is only in use if it's being used for burials; many tombs are still in use as tourist attractions, but that is excluded; although a church/temple built as a place of pilgrimage is intended as a type of tourist attraction. – Stuart F Dec 01 '20 at 12:51

10 Answers10

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The Epidaurus Theatre (ca. 300-340 BC), the Delphi theatre (4th century BC) and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (161 AD) in the Acropolis of Athens (known locally as the the Herodeon), still fulfil their original purpose, all three are constantly used as venues for various festivals. The ancient theatre in Dion is also used occasionally.

The Colosseum (completed in 80 AD) could also qualify, while not in constant use as with the Pantheon that DVK already mentioned, it is used by the catholic church for the Via Crucis ceremony on Good Friday. Furthermore in July 2000 the National Theatre of Greece performed Oedipus Rex in the Colosseum.

Lastly, the remains of the Temple of Hera (590 BC, destroyed by an earthquake in the 4th century BC) in Ancient Olympia is the location where the torch of the Olympic flame for the Modern Olympics is lit. A continuous flame was maintained at the sanctuary of the temple during the Ancient Olympics, and the temple was also the location where the olive wreaths for the victors were displayed during the games.

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yannis
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    I think the problem with the Colosseum and other venues such as Verona Arena (built AD 30) is that performances happen outdoors, while one of the main features of a building is that it's indoors? If some of the original indoor/covered spaces are still used, you could legitimately claim parts of the building remain in use. (The Pantheon in Rome still has a roof.) – Stuart F Dec 01 '20 at 12:47
  • Moreover, the pantheon is still a functioning church building. https://www.pantheonroma.com/celebrations/ Masses are regularly scheduled there. – Luiz Dec 02 '20 at 16:09
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Pantheon in Rome (126 AD).

Most of the older buildings in the Wiki list ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_oldest_buildings_in_the_world ) are either not in use, or used as tombs only, or were reconstructed significantly.

DVK
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The upper story of the Theater of Marcellus (ca 13 BC) in Rome is a block of apartments.

Opt
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Victor Sonkin
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    Could you provide a link, please? – o0'. May 06 '12 at 21:10
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    @Lohoris http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084555/Palazzo-Orsini-Palace-resembles-Colosseum-sale-Rome-26m.html I'm not sure that using ruins as a foundation to build something else really counts as "in use". though. – Lennart Regebro Nov 14 '13 at 07:14
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While not exactly a building, the Western Wall in Jerusalem ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Wall ) is a site in which daily praying takes place. It was constructed around around 19 BCE.

the L
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The Roman theatre in Caesarea.

Felix Goldberg
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    Is this in still in constant use? Also, when was it constructed? – Luke_0 Dec 06 '12 at 19:19
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    It's very much in use. In fact, it's probably the top performance venue for singers in Israel. The phrase "doing Caesarea" is common in the show business in Israel, a bit like "performing in Carnegie Hall". As to when it was constructed, wikipedia wasn't very clear. I would hazard a guess that it was constructed by Herod who built much of the Roman city, but it might have been at a later stage. I'll try to look up the construction date. – Felix Goldberg Dec 06 '12 at 20:36
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    Goes to show that the Romans were really good engineers. – Felix Goldberg Dec 06 '12 at 20:37
  • Is something without a roof legitimately a building? It's a matter of definition, but there are certainly older outdoor theatres. – Stuart F Dec 01 '20 at 12:49
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I think is possible that only Roman buildings are still in use. In Spain we have the Theatre of Mérida, inaugurated 15 B.C and today it is used to play Roman tragedies, and Hercules' Tower, a Roman lighthouse in A Coruña, still in use.

MCW
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Pedro
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The tomb(s) in the Valley of the Kings that we have not found yet.

Over the period from the 16th to 11th century BC high ranking Egyptians were buried in rock cut tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. The purpose was to hold the remains and grave goods of these individuals in perpetuity. These building continue to perform this purpose until they are looted.

While many tombs have been discovered and their contents removed, it is a statistical certainty that at least one remains undiscovered. Any that are still undiscovered will still be performing their original role.

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Stonehenge and other megalithic sites in Britain are still, or pehaps more accurately, once again used for religious purposes.

jamesqf
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Sumiyoshi-taisha in Osaka, Japan was built in 211 AD. It is a full building (rather than say, a bridge), it is not in ruins, it is not a tomb, and it is still functioning today in its original usage (as a Shinto shrine). Pretty sure only the Pantheon is an older building still in use. I've seen a much older thing, but it's a tree - Te Matua Ngahere in New Zealand

Lars Bosteen
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    The date of founding is given as "the 11th year of Empress Jingū's reign", which makes the age rather uncertain -- dating of Japanese Emperors prior to about 500 AD is currently unverifiable. The Wikipedia article also doesn't give an age for any of the buildings of the shrine, just the shrine itself. – Mark Jul 29 '21 at 02:16
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    Many of those wooden buildings in Japanese shrines and temples are rebuilt from the ground up every 20 years or so, not sure if that's the case with this specific one but it wouldn't surprise me. – jwenting Jul 29 '21 at 06:38
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    @jwenting: rebuilding every 20 years is done for exactly one shrine, the Ise Grand Shrine. Those that use bark or reed roofs (like the Sumiyoshi-taisha appears to) typically need to have those redone on a similar schedule. But the buildings are rebuilt much less frequently, often after they burn down - which does tend to happen to wooden buildings over the centuries. The generally acknowledged oldest temple in Japan is the Hōryū-ji in Nara, which dates to about 700 AD, so this answer is definitely wrong in any case. – Michael Borgwardt Jul 30 '21 at 11:23
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Adaptation of old buildings for new purposes does that count? The oldest building still in use for it's intended purpose... The church Santa Sabina in Rome, built in 422 AD, hasn't been changed since it was built, and is still in use by the Catholic Church.

Most of the thousand-year-old temples in Angkor, Cambodia, still serve religious function among the locals.

The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse near A Coruña, Galicia, in north-western Spain. The structure is almost 1,900 years old and still in use today.

MCW
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