Iraq : the cradle of civilization: Man built the first cities 5,000 years ago on the banks of the Euphrates in southern Iraq. Civilization began. City life transformed the human race with the glorious cultures of Mesopotamia such as Ur and Babylon. India : the empire of the spirit: Ancient India is with us today in the living tradition of the Hindu religion, the basis of Indian culture. The traditions that are honored by millions of Hindus in the present were born in the Indus valley 5,000 years ago.