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
World66 rating:	[rate it]

Sights:Castles & Forts

type:	Historic Buildings
World66 rating:	[rate it]

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..

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.

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.