Around the world and throughout history, numerous peoples have built large fortified walls to protect themselves from their enemies.  Whether built out of stone, like the medieval French bastion of Carcassonne or out of red mud like in Morocco’s Taroudant, these walls were designed to ward off invaders. Today, many of these impressive cities have endured the test of time. “If walls survive, it’s because they’re well built and well maintained,” Marc Morris, historian and presenter of the UK television series Castle, told Weather.com. “Cities in the Middle Ages and early modern period did spend a lot of money, sometimes up to half their annual budget, maintaining their walls.”
Maintaining the walls can be constantly demanding. In Yemen, preservation involves constantly applying fresh layers of mud, while in France it required the hiring of an architect to conduct an expensive renovation. For cities, like Dubrovnik, preservation involved rebuilding after numerous sieges and two earthquakes.
Here are 15 surviving fortified cities across the globe.
1. San Gimignano, Italy
Located in Italy, San Gimagnano is a medieval walled city perched on a hill that famous for 15 tall towers that loom over the town and make the city resemble a medieval Manhattan.The town was originally an Etruscan village that grew in prominence and wealth in the 12th century, before its population was decimated by a 1348 plague. Today, it is an extremely popular tourist destination in Tuscany.
2. Itchan Kala, Uzbekistan
Located on the Amu Darya River in Uzbekistan, Itchan Kala is the inner town in the Khiva oasis, once the last resting place for caravans before crossing the desert into Persia, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Itchan Kala has a history that city that spans over 2000 years, and its walls - built of clay and brick - are 33-feet-high in places. Most of the surviving most surviving structures date only back to the seventeenth century. Still, according to the Organization of World Heritage Cities, it represents one of the best-preserved examples of Muslim architecture in Central Asia and it is well known for its Djuma Mosque, mausoleums, madrasas and palaces.
3. Carcassonne, France
Set high on a hill in the Languedoc region of Southern France, the ancient walled city of Carcassonne is the largest former fortress in Europe. It renowned for its stout fortified walls, spiky turrets, drawbridges and cobbled streets, which also served as one of the film locations of the 1991 “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” movie.  The hill on which Carcassone stands has been a fortified settlement for centuries. It was originally an Iron Age Oppidum, reports Atlas Obscura. Later, it was transformed into a Roman town in the first century BCE. The Visigoths ruled it in the fifth century, and it invaded first by Arabs then Charlemagne in the eighth century. However, according to the website Crème-de-Languedoc, it wasn't until the late 12th century that it really flourished. The city's outer wall and inner rampart were constructed in the 13th century, reports Atlas Obscura. Due to its geographical location, it played an important role throughout French history. Today, the walled city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is in such good condition, according to the organization, because the famous architect Viollet-le-Duc restored it in the 19th century.
4. Xi’an, China
With a history spanning more than 3,100 years, Xi’an was once called Chang’an (meaning eternal city). It is one of the four ancient capitals of China, ruled for over a thousand years by several dynasties. It was also an eastern terminal of the Silk Road, but it is perhaps best known for being the site of the 8,000 buried terra-cotta warriors.  Xi’an’s city wall is the most complete city wall surviving in China, spanning eight-and-a-half miles. The wall has been restored three times throughout its history: first in 1568 (when its dirt and lime wall was rebuilt with bricks), then in 1781 and recently in 1983.  
5. Veliky Novgorod, Russia
Located in near the Volkhov river and Lake Ilmen in North-West Russia, Velikiy Novgorod was founded in the 9th century and was the first capital of Russia. It was one of the most important artistic and political centers in the country for about 600 years, and at its peak, the medieval city had one of Europe’s largest populations. The red brick walls fortifying of the Kremlin of Novgorod still standing today were built in the 15th century and enclose St. Sophia’s Cathedral and the Gothic Archbishop’s Palace.
6. Shibam, Yemen
Surrounded by a fortified clay wall, Shibam is a city located on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen.  Known as the  “Manhattan of the desert,” the city is comprised of 500 “skyscrapers” made entirely out of mud ranging from five to eleven stories high, reports Atlas Obscura. The walled city is built on a hillock, allowing it to escape floods. Most of the building date back to the 16th century, but there are some older houses and monuments remaining, such as the Friday Mosque dating back to 904. All of the town’s structures demand continual maintenance to keep them from crumbling due to the erosion caused by wind, rain and heat, reports Atlas Obscura.  Fresh layers of mud are constantly applied to the walls.
7. Avila, Spain
The walled city of Ávila was founded in the 11th century to protect the Spanish territories from the Moors. Located in the Castile-Léon region in northwestern Spain, this fortified city is the one of the best-preserved medieval bastions in the country, inspite of its decline in importance in the 15th century when the nobility gradually departed. The walls span over 8,200 feet and feature 88 semi-circular watchtowers, more than 2500 turrets, and nine gates.
8. Pingyao, China
Humans have settled the Pingyao region of China since Neolithic times, but the walled city still standing today was founded in the 14th century. The fortified city was laid out according to the principles of feng shui, reports The Telegraph, and it remains one of the best-preserved cities in the country.  Its walls were built of grey bricks and were constructed under the Emperor Hongwu. These fortifications span about four miles in circumference and include 72 watchtowers, six gates and a moat outside them.
9. Dubrovnik, Croatia
Situated on the beautiful Dalmatian Coast, Dubrovnik is a walled city founded in the seventh century by refugees from Epidaurum, an ancient Greek colony. Once an independent State and an important seaport in the 13th century, this UNESCO World Heritage site remains remarkably well preserved despite two earthquakes (in 1667 and 1979) and being heavily shelled during the Yugoslavia war in the early 1990s. Today, the coastal town remains a popular tourist destination, and, reports the Huffington Post, it as one of the film set locations of the popular TV show “Game of Thrones.”
10. Gradara, Italy
Located along the border of Le Marche and Emilia Romagna in Italy, Gradara is a medieval walled city that is home to one of the best preserved castles in Italy. The city walls were built between the 13th and 14th centuries by the Malatestas, a family who ruled over the city until 1463. The city is also home to one of the best preserved castles in the country. Today, the city is a popular destination for tourists.
11. Harar, Ethiopia
The historic walled city of Harar (formerly written as Harrar) lies in the eastern part of Ethiopia, surrounded by deserts and savannah on a plateau with deep gorges.  This UNESCO World Heritage Site packs 368 alleyways into just 1 square kilometer, according to Lonely Planet, and its walls were built between the 13th and the 16th century to protect its inhabitants from harm. Harar is one of Islam’s holiest cities, containing 82 mosques and 102 shrines. It is also the location from which the Muslim leader Ahmed The Left-Handed led many fierce battles during the 16th century, reports the BBC.
12. Tallinn, Estonia
The Old Town of Tallinn is a UNESCO World Heritage site situated on the northern coast of the country on the Baltic Sea. Although it is believed that the first stronghold existed there in the 10th or 11th century, the city developed between the 13th and 16th centuries. Over its history, the city saw many battles and wars, but it was when it fell under Swedish rule between the 16th and 18th century that its defensive walls were established. Today, many of the walls and gates to the old town are still standing, making it an interesting visit.
13. Obidos, Portugal
Located on a hill about 62 miles north of Lisbon, Obidos is an eighth century Moorish fortified town that was conquered by the first king of Portugal, King Alfonso Henriques in 1148.  The town was given as a wedding gift by King Dinis to Queen Isabel in 1282, reports the town’s tourism website. The walled city remained the property of the queens of Portugal until 1832, according to Fodors. Obidos was also once a strategic seapor, but today, because of the silting of the harbor, the former docks are dry and filled with cottages and cultivated fields.
14. Taroudant, Morocco
Taroudant (also spelled “Taroudannt”) is an authentic Berber town that was once their ancient Souss capital. Located in the middle of a valley, it is located south of the snow-peaked High Atlas Mountains and about 50 miles away from Agadir.  This town is sometimes called “Little Marrakesh,” according to Lonely Planet, and it is surrounded by red-mud walls that were built in the 16th and 17th century under the Saadi Dynasty, reports Complete Morocco. The fortified-walls are about 3.7 miles long.
15. York, England
Located in northern England, York’s city walls were built in the 13th century on the remains of earlier Roman walls. The city walls are the most complete example of medieval city walls still standing in England today, according to HistoryOfYork.org.uk, since most other cities, including London, destroyed their medieval walls in the 19th century.  
(For More Travel, Follow us on Facebook)