Sights

The Citadel

Abraham is said to have camped on this hill and milked his red cow there on his journey from Ura to Hauran. But from even earlier the remains of more ancient civilizations have raised the level of this acropolis beneath which so many bloody events have taken place. Fifty meters above the city a ring of crenellated walls and towers rises from a steep glacis, encircling a mass of ruins of every period. On the north and south sides great moat, some 20 meters deep and 30meters wide emphasize the proud isolation of the whole fortress. This impression has been rather spoiled by more..

type:	Historic Buildings
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The Great Mosque

The Great Mosque was founded in the early Islamic period but there is little to see that dates from that time. Its somewhat heavy style shows it to be mainly Mamluk, but its beautiful minaret, which rises straight from the street, dates from 1090 and is with its fine proportions and Kufic inscriptions a good example of the great period of Islamic architecture in Syria. The north facade of the Great Mosque forms one side of the square crowded with hawkers and peddlers.

type:	Religious Buildings
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The Archaeological Museum

Great museum with artefacts from Hittite, Greek and Roman times.

type:	Museums
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al Fardaws Madrassa

The school of Paradise is one of the loveliest and most moving religious buildings in Aleppo. A dark twisting passageway brings us to a light and beautifully proportioned courtyard. It is a wonderfully peaceful spot; all harmony, sobriety and purity. The high pointed arches are supported on small columns with palm-leaf capitals. There is a great iwan on the north side. The sky is reflected in a pool in the center. In a double domed chamber Mamluks lie buried under the floor in unmarked graves. The bustle of the city seems miles away...

type:	Religious Buildings
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Sights:Castles & Forts

type:	Historic Buildings
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Bab Antakia

The Antioch Gate leada directly into the central axis through the souks; the street behind it is covered by vaulted roof for most of its 800 meters and brings us out as the foot of the mound on which the Citadel stands. Bab Antakia can be reached by going through an archway on the northwest corner of the ramparts and taking the first narrow street to the right. This leads up to the rampark walk, lined today with houses; there is a good view down onto the crowded esplanade.

type:	City Gates
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el Atroush Mosque

Facing away from the Citadel and the Seraglio stands a fine octagonal minaret, which is part of the al Atroush (or Otrouch) mosque which dates from the 15th century. Its courtyard is reminiscent of a church cloister, with trees - figs, olives and pines - and a scattering of graves.

type:	Religious Buildings
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Khan al Joumrok

One hundred meters further on, a short passage (on the right hand side of the main souk which is called at this point al Sakatiah) leads to the largest khan in the old city: the al Joumrok (or Gomrok) khan , literally the "customs caravansary". It dates from the 17th century. French, English and Dutch merchants traded here and their consuls were obliged to live here. Two windows have attractively carved string courses. Unfortunately, as in most of these warehouses, secondary buildings in quite unsuitable materials, as well as heaps of wrappings and rubbish, spoil the general more..

Royal Palace

Dating back to the 13th-century, the royal palace is anothe rmajor sight. With its fine stalactite and honeycomb entrance porch, inlaid with white marble. The throne room, dating from the Mamluk period (15th - 16th centuries) has been most tastefully restored. Syrian artists and craftsmen have here recreated the luxurious setting of the court: the ceiling with its decorated beams and caissons, the lighting, the windows, the polychrome columns - all are a tribute to their skill. It also illustrates the way the Department of Museums and Antiquities are going about their vast task more..

El Jedeide

We now come the Jedeide, which is full of historic houses. The quarter is bounded by the street al Gassaniyin on the west and the al Kouwatly on the south. All the houses here are built of fine limestone, lining narrow streets with no shops and sometime vaulted. They are all most beautifully kept by their owners. A guide is useful here to point out the courtyards which are completely invisible from the street. Little anonymous doorway lead into courts whose general style and decoration exemplifies the Epicurean tastes of the bourgeois of Aleppo in the 16th and 17th centuries. more..

Bab Qinnesrin

The most impressive of all the fortified gates: Bab Qinnesrin. From here a long narrow street brings you to the central part of the covered souks and to the Great Mosque. South of Bab Qinnesrin, half-hidden by an expanse of cemeteries, lies the beautiful madrassat al Fardos.

the al Bharamyah Mosque

al Nahasian khan

Littered with bales and shaded by some scrawny trees in the center this khan is occupied by shoemakers. In a corner a staircase leads up to a private house which was the Venetian consulate from the 15th to the 19th century when it became the residence of the Belgian consul. The present owner, rarely refuses to show visitors this typically Venetian house, in which many generations of men of taste have built up a priceless collection of works of art from every country between China and Egypt- yet another sign of Aleppo's transcontinental role.

Charafyah Madrassa

On the square, to the right on leaving the mosque, a two-colored gateway with a honeycomb vault and heavily studded doors beneath, leads into the ancient al Charafyah Madrassa which used to be a library. Unfortunately its lovely decorated windows are half-hidden by ugly accretions, which it would be fairly easy to remove.

St. George Cathedral

Nassiri Hamam

The 14th century al Nassiri Hammam is functional again and open to tourists. Nigel Rowe: This hammam must be one of the most splendid in the Middle East. It looks fabulous inside after being renovated in the 1980s. The staff are used to tourists so it is a good place to experience your first hammam. It is not particularly cheap so few local people can afford to use it but for those with the money it is highly recommended.

Bab el Makkam

The street Bab al Makkam, lined with warehouses and enclosures containing sheep and even dromedaries, leads to an open-air morning market near the ancient town gate or Bab.

Popular art and traditions

Almost opposite the al Wazir khan a little doorway leads into the Museum of Popular Art and Traditions , installed in the 18th century Ageckbash palace. The side rooms are furnished with decorated chests, sofas and chairs inlaid with pearl-shell, ebony and ivory. There are many mirrors, lamps, samovars and other objects in 19th century Ottoman taste. The displays in the glass cases are more interesting: blue and brownish glassware, ewers, plates and dishes of steel or damascened bronze, finely-chased silver. There is jewelry too.