© Lonely Planet Publications 172 lonelyplanet.com ALEPPO •• History 173

HISTORY the flood of cheap goods from Europe in ALEPPO Aleppo vies with Damascus for the title of the wake of the Industrial Revolution, and the world’s oldest continually inhabited the increasing use of alternative trading city. In fact, a handful of other Middle East- routes, slowly killed off a lot of Aleppo’s ﺣﻠﺐ ALEPPO Aleppo ern towns make this claim too, but texts trade and manufacturing. Today the major from the ancient kingdom of Mari on the local industries are silk-weaving and cot- Euphrates River indicate that Aleppo was ton-printing. Products from the surround- already the centre of a powerful state as ing area include wool, hides, dried fruits While Damascus was always the ‘holy’ city, the seat of rulers and wary of foreigners, Aleppo long ago as the 18th century BC, and the and, particularly, pistachios, for which (or Halab as it is known), Syria’s second city, has been one of commerce since Roman times. site may have been continuously inhabited Aleppo is justly famous. While both cities claim the title of ‘oldest continually inhabited city in the world’, it’s in for the past 8000 years. Its pre-eminent role Aleppo that the legacy of history feels more immediate. in Syria came to an end with the Hittite ORIENTATION invasions of the 17th and 16th centuries There are two distinct parts to central Aleppo today retains that air of an Arabian bazaar city, with people going about business BC, and the city appears to have fallen into Aleppo: the New City, with the bulk of the as they have done for centuries. The streets speak a rhythm of sounds – from horse-drawn obscurity thereafter. places to stay and eat; and the Old City, carts over cobblestones to the more frenetic pace of donkey-riding couriers, still the fast- During the reign of the Seleucids, who with its many sights. est way through the atmospheric, labyrinthine souq that’s fragrant with olive soap, exotic arrived in the wake of Alexander the Great’s The New City centre lies south of the campaign, Aleppo was given the name large public park, focused on the vast public spices, roasting coffee and succulent grilled shwarma. Beroia, and with the fall of Palmyra to the plaza of Saahat Saad Allah al-Jabri. West While Aleppo may not bustle as it did when it was a key stop on the Silk Road, the rela- Romans became the major commercial link of this square is the modern commercial tive lack of big investment has actually done the city a favour. The World Heritage–listed between the Mediterranean and Asia. The centre – seen by very few visitors – while town was destroyed by the Persians in AD east is the main travellers area, bounded by Old City was saved from irreparable damage by not succumbing to modernisation. Today 611 and fell easily to the Muslims during Sharia al-Baron, Sharia al-Quwatli, Sharia it is without doubt a fragile treasure, but a new breed of local investors and entrepreneurs their invasion in 637. The Byzantines over- Bab al-Faraj and Sharia al-Maari. In this have been wisely spending money to immaculately restore some old city treasures. A plan whelmed the town in 961 and again in 968 tightly hemmed quadrilateral are myriad is in place to restore all of the historic buildings in the Old City – still a thriving centre with but they could not take the Citadel. budget hotels and eateries. Sharia al-Baron more than 100,000 residents. This new wave of preservation has brought boutique hotels Three disastrous earthquakes also shook is home to many travel agents, airline of- and restaurants and has not only saved some classic buildings, but has also given the visitor the town in the 10th century and Nureddin fices, banks and cinemas. a real feel for the city as it once was. (Nur ad-Din) subsequently rebuilt the town The Old City lies southeast of the New and fortress. In 1124 the Crusaders under City, a 10-minute walk away. The two are Baldwin laid siege to the town. separated by a couple of drab, wide ave- HIGHLIGHTS After raids by the Mongols in 1260 and nues (Sharia al-Mutanabi and Sharia Bab 1401, in which Aleppo was all but emp- Antakya) that feel more Murmansk than Haggle beside the locals in Aleppo’s souq tied of its population, the city finally came Middle East. The heart of the Old City is ( p191 ), arguably the most vibrant and into the Ottoman Turkish orbit in 1516. the compress of streets that make up the authentic in the whole Middle East It prospered greatly until an earthquake city’s famed souq. Its main thoroughfares Lose yourself in the labyrinthine alleys of in 1822 killed over 60% of the inhabitants run east–west, slipping by the south face of charming Al-Jdeida ( p181 ) and wrecked many buildings, including the the Great Mosque and terminating at the Qala'at Live like a pasha for a night at one of Samaan Citadel. massive earthen mound of the Citadel. To Aleppo’s Arabian Nights–style boutique As long as four centuries ago European the north of the Old City is the Christian- hotels (p187 ) and try to stop yourself Aleppo merchants – particularly French, English Armenian quarter Al-Jdeida, an area with extending your booking and those of the various city-states of Italy – its own distinct character and charm, and a had established themselves here. However, buffer between old and new Aleppo. Explore Qala’at Samaan ( p195 ), the hilltop remains of a sumptuous Byzantine cathedral dedicated to an ascetic who ALEPPO AND THE SILK ROAD

lived his life on top of a pillar Dead Aleppo, Palmyra and Damascus were all notable stops on the Silk Road linking China to the Middle Cities Tiptoe around the Dead Cities ( p198 ), East and Europe. The Silk Road didn’t only carry goods for sale: the road (actually a route that the eerie shells of abandoned ancient had several variations) transported knowledge, ideas and religions along its path. From before towns and villages scattered across the the birth of Christ through to the late Middle Ages, the route included Aleppo, which became a landscape commercial hub due to its strategic position between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates. As Savour Aleppo’s deliciously complex cuisine at beautiful Beit Sissi ( p189 ) the Roman Empire declined, the route became less travelled, but after the Mongol invasion it was revived and Aleppo prospered once again as a market city during the Ottoman Empire. To this day Aleppo attracts travellers and traders from the Middle East and Africa to its souq. AREA CODE: 021 POPULATION: 2 MILLION 174 ALEPPO •• Information lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com ALEPPO •• Sights 175

0 1 km Tourist Information ALEPPO GREATER ALEPPO Ὀ 0 0.5 miles Automobile & Touring Club Syria (x224 7272) A B C D E F Train Station Look out for the publications, brochures and maps Al-Aziziah ALEPPO Sh 9 (Baghdad ibn Station) produced by this organisation, available from some hotels, K See Enlargement aab cafés and museums. 0 100 m Sh Pennsilvanya ὇὇὇὇὇ To Lake al-Assad (70km); 0 0.05 miles 1 University Raqqa (180km) 1 Tourist office (Map pp182-3 ; x212 1228, 223 0000; District Public Sh an-Nayal ὇὇὇὇὇ Sh Georges & Sh OsmanPark Pasha Sharia al-Baron; h8.30am-8pm Sun-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat) ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈMathilde Salem ὈὈὈὈSh al-Malek Faisal ὈὈ ὇὇὇὇὇ In the gardens opposite the National Museum. There’s little

Sh al-Abbassiyya 4 information; the best you’ll get is a free map. 3 5 See Aleppo: New City Map (pp182–3) ὇὇὇὇὇ 6 Batuta ibn ὇὇὇὇὇ Visa Extensions Sh ὇὇὇὇὇ Immigration office (Map p176 ; Sharia al-Qala’a; Sh Saad al-Tilal Allah al-Jabri h8am-1.30pm Sat-Thu) On the 1st floor of the gov- Sh Yousef al-Azmeh Al-Jdeida ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈSh al-QuwatliὈ ernment building just north of the Citadel. Bring four 2 2 passport photos and then fill out forms in quadruplicate. The processing takes around 1½ hours and there’s a fee Sh al-Qudsi Sh al-Khandak

aj of S£25. Extensions of up to two months are possible. Get

Sh al-Baron Sh Bab an-Nasr your photos done at one of the shacks on the road across

Bab al-Far from the office. 1 ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈSh Ibrahim HananoὈ Sh al-Mutanabi Hanano's 2 Bab SIGHTS To Damascus Tomb al-Hadid اﻟﻤﺪﻳﻨﺔ اﻟﻘﺪﻳﻤﺔ (353km) Stadium Old City 8 At one time walled and entered only by one of 3 3 eight gates, the Old City has long since burst

Great Citadel its seams and now has few definable edges. Mosque Sh Bab al-Hadid Exploring its seemingly infinite number of ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈSh Souq al-Hal Ὀ alleys and cul-de-sacs could occupy the better 7 Souq part of a week, depending on how inquisi- tive you are. We recommend visiting at least

Sh Bab Antakya INFORMATION DRINKING twice: once on a busy weekday to experience Chahba Cham Palace...... 1 A3 Arabica...... 5 B1 T-Square...... 6 B1 the all-out five-senses assault of the souq, and SLEEPING a second time on a Friday when, with all the Beit Salahieh...... 2 F3 SHOPPING ohsen ὈὈὈὈ4 ὈὈὈὈSh Sheikh M 4 Fruit & Vegetable Market...... 7 D3 See Aleppo: Old City Map (p176) shops closed, the lanes are silent and empty. EATING Relieved of the need to keep flattening your- Al-Challal...... 3 B1 TRANSPORT To Airport Beit Salahieh...... (see 2) City Bus Station...... 8 D3 (6.5km) self against the wall to let the overladen don- Cordoba...... 4 B1 Europcar...... 9 C1 Bab al-Maqam keys and little minivans squeeze by, you’re free to appreciate architectural details. Begin your exploration of the Old City ὈὈὈὈINFORMATION Concord Internet Café (Map pp182-3 ; Sharia al-Quwatli; by a big sign in English but the entrance is hidden at the at Bab Antakya, one of only two remain- Bookshops per 30min S£50; h9am-11pm) Above a pastry café. back of an arcade. ing city gates, which is on the street of the Chahba Cham Palace (Map pp174-5 ; Sharia al-Qudsi) Exchange office (Map pp182-3 ; cnr Sharia al-Quwatli same name about 500m south of Amir Pal- The best bookshop in Aleppo is at this hotel. It has a reason- Medical Services & Sharia Bab al-Faraj; h9am-7.30pm) Convenient but ace Hotel. From here the sight descriptions able selection of books about Syria and the Arab world, some There are pharmacies all over Aleppo, with doesn’t accept travellers cheques. below follow a route eastward. The area is locally produced guidebooks, and a handful of novels in both several congregated around the junction of just as easily approached from the north via English and French. There’s also a limited range of interna- Sharia al-Quwatli and Sharia Bab al-Faraj. Post the Great Mosque or from the east starting tional newspapers available. It’s a S£50 taxi ride out there. Dr Farid Megarbaneh (x221 1218) This doctor, who DHL (Map pp182-3 ; x444 0322; off Sharia al-Quwatli; at the Citadel. Librairie Said (Map pp182-3 ; cnr Sharia Qostaki al-Homsi speaks excellent English and French, is recommended. h9.30am-9pm) ﺑﺎب أﻧﻄﺎﻛﻴﺔ Sharia Litani) Has a small selection of dusty old novels as Main post office (Map pp182-3; Saahat Saad Allah BAB ANTAKYA & well as the odd Syria coffee-table book. Money al-Jabri; h8am-5pm) On the southwest side of the main The 13th-century Bab Antakya (Antioch There are ATMs all over Aleppo, so leave square. The parcels office is around the corner to the left of Gate; Map p176 ), the western gate of the old Internet Access the travellers cheques at home – you’ll be the main entrance. walled city, is all but completely hidden by Aleppo has few internet cafés. You’re more hard-pressed to find a bank that will change the swarm of busy workshops surrounding likely to find wireless internet access in the them. Telephone it, but you definitely get a sense of ‘entering’ modern cafés in the New City, as young Alep- Commercial Bank of Syria (Map pp182-3 ; Sharia Telephone office (Map pp182-3 ; Saahat Saad Allah as you pass under its great stone portal and pans prefer to use their own laptops. Yousef al-Azmeh; h8.30am-1.30pm Sat-Thu) It’s marked al-Jabri; h8am-10pm) At the post office. through the defensively doglegged vaulted 176 ALEPPO •• Old City lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com ALEPPO •• Sights 177

ALEPPO KEEPING IT REAL 400 m More damage was done in the 20th century to the precious historic fabric of our urban spaces ALEPPO than at any other time in history, according to Anthony M Tung in Preserving the World’s Great Cities 0.2 miles

F (2001). Tung blames concrete and steel, industrialisation and the automobile, but in these respects 18 Aleppo has been lucky. The city enjoyed its greatest period of prosperity under the Mamluks Al-Atrush Mosque

1 and early Ottomans, when cash from commerce furnished it with the grandest of architecture, To Bab an-Nasr Amphitheatre

Gravestone Carvers but Aleppo was well into decline by the end of the 19th century and languished in the 20th 10 Bastion

Citadel century, subsequently missing out on many of the most destructive aspects of modernism. As a

(500m) consequence, few cities anywhere in the world have a medieval heritage as rich as Aleppo’s. 7

Sh al-Qala'a Photo Shops

Building

Sh al-Qala'a Sh Sh Mousalam ibn Abdel Malek Abdel ibn Mousalam Sh Governorate Passport Unfortunately, misguided planning in the 1950s ploughed major new roads through the Old To Bab al-Maqam

15 City, causing considerable damage, compounded by the new building construction that went with 27

13 al-Maqam Bab Sh them. Since then, Aleppo’s Old City has been listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site – keep- 25 12 0 0

E ing company with monuments such as the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids and Machu Picchu. Ὀ More significantly, it has been the subject of an ongoing rehabilitation programme managed by the municipality in conjunction with the German government (via the offices of the German 5 35 32 Agency for Technical Cooperation or GTZ – see www.gtz-aleppo.org). There are 240 classified historical monuments in the Old City and a strategy for the restoration and rehabilitation of all of them. Tourism is part of the plan, but a balance between this, the privacy of the residents B2 C2 E3 D2 E3 A1 33 and the preservation of authenticity is paramount. The aim is to nurture local communities and ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

al-Umawi businesses and create more community spaces in the hope that the Old City will survive as a Sh al-Jamaa Tomb of Marouf bin Jamer historic but living entity, and not become just another open-air museum piece. The Old City has more than 100,000 residents. About one third of its houses currently require D 24 urgent structural repairs while another third need maintenance or rehabilitation. Financial and technical help has been made available for residents to achieve this. Traffic management and Adasi Souq al-Zarb Sh al- renewal of the water supply and sewer networks are also underway. While much more fund-

21 ing is needed, at least there is a plan in place to preserve what is one of the real gems of the 34 Middle East. Dar Halabia...... Ahlildar...... Al-Attar...... Sebastian...... Souq al-Shouna...... City Bus Station...... Shops Selling Nargileh...... D1 SLEEPING EATING SHOPPING TRANSPORT 2 20 16

14 passageway. Once through here you emerge KHAN AL-JUMRUK & OTHERS 11

ﺧﺎن اﻟﺠﻤﺮك و ﻏﻴﺮ Great

Mosque onto Souq Bab Antakya, the bazaar’s bust- C 4

29 ling main thoroughfare, which runs due Beyond Al-Kamiliyya mosque, a corru-

Qinnesrin Sh Bab Sh east to halt abruptly at the foot of the Cita- gated-iron roof blots out the sunlight and 19 31 26 del, some 1.5km away. the souq proper starts. To the left are en-

To

8 Until the development of the New City tranceways to two adjacent khans, or trav- New City in the 19th century, this was Aleppo’s main ellers’ inns, Khan al-Tutun Sughayyer (Map

See Aleppo Souq Map (p191) street, tracing the route of the decumanus, p176 ) and Khan al-Tutun Kebir (Map p176 ), the principal thoroughfare of the Roman the little and big khans of Tutun, although 3

17 city of Beroia. A great triumphal arch is in fact they’re both fairly modest in scale. A thought to have stood on the site of Bab few steps along on the right is Al-Bahramiyya B 30

22 Antakya and part of its remains were used Mosque (Map p176 ), built in early Ottoman in the construction of nearby Mosque of al- style in the late 16th century. From here on, 23

Souq Bab Antakya

C3 B2 C3 E3 A2 E2 C4 A2 C3 E3 E2 C2 E1 C2 B2 F3 C2 C2 D1 B2 B2 D1 E3 C2 E2 B2 C3 Kamiliyya (Map p176 ), 200m ahead on your virtually every building is a khan and there 28 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 left. First, take a quick detour left, immedi- are a few in particular worth investigating. ately after the gate, up a flight of stone steps At the point at which the street again beside a hammam (often flagged by towels becomes spanned by stone vaulting, slip off drying outside), to a street that follows the to the right, then take an immediate left to 6 Hammam al-Maleki line of the old city ramparts. In addition to reach the great gateway of the magnificent fascinating views, there’s the little Al-Qaiqan Khan al-Jumruk (Map p176 ). Completed in 9

A Sh Bab Antakya Bab Sh Mosque (Crows’ Mosque; Map p176 ) with its 1574, this is the largest and most impressive doorway flanked by basalt Byzantine col- of Aleppo’s khans. At one time it housed Immigration Office...... F1 INFORMATION Bastion...... F2 Halabia Travel & Tourism...... (see 30) Al-Adliyya Mosque...... Al-Bahramiyya Mosque...... Al-Joubaili Soap Factory...... Al-Khosrowiyya Mosque...... Al-Qaiqan Mosque...... Ayyubid Palace...... Bab al-Qinnesrin...... Bab Antakya...... Bimaristan Arghan...... Entrance Gateway to Citadel...... Fortified Keep...... Great Mosque...... Great Mosque (Citadel)...... Hammam al-Nahaseen...... Hammam Na'eem...... Hammam Yalbougha an-Nasry..... Khan al-Jumruk...... Khan al-Nahaseen...... Khan al-Sabun...... Khan al-Tutun al-Kebir...... Khan al-Tutun al-Sughayyer...... Khan al-Wazir...... Madrassa as-Sultaniyya...... Madrassa Halawiyya...... Mosque of Abraham...... Mosque of al-Kamiliyya...... Shibani School...... SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES

36 umns, a façade studded with column seg- the consulates and trade missions of the ments, and a block inscribed with Hittite English, Dutch and French, in addition to ALEPPO: OLD CITY ALEPPO: OLD 2 3 1 4 script embedded in the south wall. 344 shops. Its days as a European enclave 178 ALEPPO •• Sights lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com ALEPPO •• Sights 179

one of the most atmospheric in the Mid- Inside the prayer hall is a fine 15th- longer houses coppersmiths), and it runs ALEPPO ALEPPO’S TOP HISTORIC HOUSES dle East. Its appeal derives largely from the century carved minbar (pulpit). Behind down to Bab al-Qinnesrin, the surviving Aleppo has an embarrassment of riches fact that it’s still the main centre of local the grille to the left of this is supposedly southern Old City gate. It’s been a prime ALEPPO when it comes to traditional houses. While commerce. If an Aleppan housewife needs the head of Zacharia. The padlocks fastened beneficiary of the attentions of the GTZ they all look like fortresses from the ex- some braid for her curtains, a taxi driver to the grille are placed here temporarily by and the Old City rehabilitation project (see terior, a peek inside reveals an oasis of needs a new seat cover, or the school kids locals who believe that a few days soaking Keeping It Real, p177). It only stretches for calm. All are in the Al-Jdeida quarter (Map need backpacks, it’s to the souq that they all up the baraka (blessings) from the tomb a little over 500m, but in that stretch there’s pp182–3 ). come. Little seems to have changed here in will give them strength. quite a lot to see. Beit Kebbeh hundreds of years, and while recent years The Rehabilitation of the Old City of Aleppo, a permanent exhibition in the اﻟﻤﺪرﺳﺔ اﻟﺤﻠﻮﻳﺔ have seen an increase in tourism, the local MADRASSA HALAWIYYA Beit Sader trade has yet to be displaced by sightseers. Opposite the western entrance of the splendid 16th-century Shibani School (Map Beit Mariana Marrache Parts of the souq date from the 13th mosque, this former theological college p176 ; x331 9270; Al Jaloum quarter; h9am-4pm Wed- Beit Balit century, but the bulk of what stands today (Map p176 ) was built in 1245 and stands Mon), illustrates the work underway to make Beit Basil belongs to the Ottoman era (largely 16th- on the site of what was once the 6th-century the city more liveable. The guide Mustapha to 19th-century). A walk through the souq Cathedral of St Helen. The prayer hall op- may even take you to the rooftop to enjoy Beit Dallal could take all day, particularly if you accept posite the entrance incorporates all that the spectacular views. Beit Wakil invitations by the stall owners to stop for tea. remains of the cathedral, which is a semi- You’ll find towards the bottom of Souq Beit Altounji For tips on what to buy where, including a circular row of six columns with intricately al- Nahaseen, just before it becomes Sharia detailed map, see Shopping ( p191). decorated, acanthus-leaved capitals. For Bab Qinnesrin, a short passageway leading Beit Ghazzali several hundred years the cathedral and the to Al-Adliyya Mosque (Map p176 ), built in -Great Mosque (built in the cathedral’s gar- 1555 and one of the city’s major Ottoman اﻟﺠﺎﻣﻊ اﻟﻜﺒﻴﺮ Beit Ashiqbash (Museum of Popular GREAT MOSQUE Tradition) On the northern edge of the souq is the Great dens) stood next to each other, serving their era mosques. It’s worth a quick look inside Mosque (Al-Jamaa al-Kebir; Map p176 ), or respective faiths, which worshipped side by for the fine tiling. To the south, the street Umayyad Mosque, the younger sibling (by side in harmony. The cathedral was only doglegs round the jutting corner of a small are now long gone but the khan is still in 10 years) of the Umayyad Mosque in Da- seized by the Muslims in 1124 in response khan, now used by shoe wholesalers, be- use, serving as a cloth market. The decora- mascus. It’s also known as Al-Jamaa Zach- to atrocities committed by the Crusaders. yond which noses are set twitching by the tion on the interior façade of the gateway aria after Prophet Zacharia, the father of St fragrant smells emanating from Al-Joubaili is splendid. John the Baptist. Started by Caliph Al-Walid AROUND THE GREAT MOSQUE Soap Factory (Map p176 ), ages old and still Next to Al-Jumruk (but entered from (r AD 705–15), who earlier founded the The souq is at its most atmospheric imme- producing soaps the traditional way using the east side) is the much smaller Khan al- Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the work diately south and east of the Great Mosque. olive oil and bay laurel. Nahaseen (Khan of the Coppersmiths; Map was completed by his successor Caliph Sulei- This is where you’ll find gold and silver, Directly across the street, behind rail- p176 ), dating from the first half of the 16th man (r AD 715–17). However, aside from carpets and kilims (see p191 ). ings, is the splendid Bimaristan Arghan (Map century. Until the 19th century, rooms on the plan, nothing survives of the original Away from the shopping temptations, p176 ), one of the most enchanting build- the 1st floor housed the Venetian consul, mosque as the building has been destroyed there are another couple of khans well ings in the whole of Aleppo. Dating from and during the 20th century they were the and rebuilt countless times. worth your time. In the block east of the the 14th century, it was converted from a residence of the Belgian consul, Adolphe Miraculously, the mosque’s freestanding Great Mosque is the early-16th-century Khan house into an asylum, a role it continued Poche, and his family. Madam Jenny Poche, minaret has managed to survive in exactly its al-Sabun (Soap Khan; Map p176 ), largely to perform until the 20th century. The main descended from the last of the Venetian con- original form, as built from 1090 to 1092, obscured by a clutter of shops but with a entrance gives access to a beautifully kept suls, maintains the property, which may well although it does have a pronounced lean as distinctive, richly decorated Mamluk façade, courtyard with a central pool overhung qualify as the oldest continuously inhabited a result of an earthquake. Standing 45m high, considered to be one of the best examples of by greenery. Diagonally across, a doorway house in Aleppo. Its rooms are filled with a it’s majestic, rising up through five distinct Mamluk architecture in the city. Internally leads through to a series of tight passages, beguiling variety of collections gathered by levels, adorned with blind arches, to a wooden it’s one of the prettiest of khans, with vine- one of which terminates in a small, oc- family members over the centuries, includ- canopy over a muezzin’s gallery from where hung trelliswork and the brightly hued wares tagonal, domed courtyard. Off this are 11 ing archaeological finds, antiquities, mosaics the call to prayer was announced. of carpet sellers draped over the balconies. small cells; these are where the dangerous and precious early photography, and there’s While it’s not possible to climb the mina- The 17th-century Khan al-Wazir (Minis- patients were confined. a fine library where Madam Poche’s father ret, visitors are allowed inside the mosque. ter’s Khan; Map p176 ), a block further east, Continuing south, you reach the huge, once waltzed with Agatha Christie. Visitors There’s no admission fee but footwear also has a beautifully decorated gateway. wonderfully preserved and tunnel-like Bab (no large groups) are welcomed only by ap- must be removed and women must hire an It’s one of the grandest such structures in al-Qinnesrin (Map p176 ), which, like Bab An- pointment; phone the current Belgian con- abeyya (hooded cloak) to wear for S£50. Aleppo and largely unaltered by modern takya, incorporates a defensive dogleg. sulate (x362 2666). Entrance is directly into the courtyard, development. ا ﻟﻘﻠﻌﺔ the floor of which is decorated by black- CITADEL Rising up on a high mound at the eastern ﺑﺎب ﻗﻨﺴﺮﻳﻦ and-white marble geometric patterns. BAB AL-QINNESRIN اﻟﺴﻮق SOUQ Not as extensive as Cairo’s Khan al-Kha- Under a strong sun, the reflected light is so Sharia Bab Qinnesrin is the southern end of the souq, the Citadel (Map p176 ; x362 4010; lili or as grand as Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, harsh it hurts the eyes, while the hot marble continuation of Souq an-Nahaseen (Cop- adult/student S£150/10; h9am-6pm Wed-Mon summer, to Aleppo’s souq (Map p191 ) is nonetheless scorches shoeless feet. persmiths’ Souq, which unfortunately no 4pm winter) is Aleppo’s most famous and most 180 ALEPPO •• Sights lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com ALEPPO •• Sights 181

spectacular landmark. Dominating the city, it The first great gate was set to the right At the northern end of the path, opposite private investors have been encouraged to ALEPPO has long been the heart of its defences. rather than dead in front of the bridge to what is now a café, is the 13th-century great purchase and renovate properties in the The mound it stands upon is not, as it prevent charges with a battering ram. Note mosque, a rather grandiose title for a build- quarter and convert them to commercial ALEPPO first seems, artificial: it’s a natural feature the beautiful calligraphy and entwined drag- ing of such humble dimensions. The café usage. As a result there are myriad bou- that originally served as a place of worship, ons above the gate and the door decorated is housed in an Ottoman-era barracks, and tique hotels occupying former merchants’ as evidenced by two basalt lions unearthed with horseshoes. Once through the gate, a it’s from here that you are gifted with ex- mansions and an ever-growing number of and identified as belonging to a 10th- succession of five right-angle turns and three traordinary views over the collage of roofs, restaurants and bars sprouting in striped- century-BC temple. sets of steel-plated doors formed a formida- domes and minarets. stone courtyards and cellars. It’s thought the first fortifications were ble barrier to any would-be aggressors. Some erected at the time of the Seleucids (364– of the doors still remain; one is decorated SOUTH OF THE CITADEL AROUND SAAHAT AL-HATAB ﺳﺎﺣﺔ اﻟﺤﻄﺐ وﺣﻮاﻟﻴﻬﺎ -BC), but everything seen today dates with a pair of lions, echoing the millennia- Opposite the Citadel entrance is the Ayyu 333 from much later. The Citadel served as a old use of lions as guardians against evil, as bid Madrassa as-Sultaniyya (Map p176 ). The If there’s a heart to Al-Jdeida, then it’s Saa- power base for the Muslims during the seen in the National Museum. prayer hall has a striking mihrab (niche in- hat al-Hatab (Hatab Sq) in the oldest area 12th-century Crusades, when the moat, Take the path north. On the right is a series dicating the direction of Mecca) with eye- of Salibeh, lined with shops selling oriental 20m deep and 30m wide, was dug and the of doorways, one of which has steps leading catching ornamentation achieved through jewellery. To the north is Sharaf Mosque (Map lower two-thirds of the mound were en- down to two sunken chambers that served as multicoloured marble inlays. Unfortu- pp182–3 ), one of the neighbourhood’s ear- cased in a stone glacis. Much rebuilding a cistern and prison. Beyond is a set of stairs nately this part of the building is often liest monuments, built in the reign of the and strengthening occurred during Mam- doubling back to lead up to the remains of an locked. Also here is the mausoleum of Al- Mamluk sultan Qaitbey (r 1468–96). At luk rule from 1250 to 1517 and it’s largely Ayyubid Palace dating from the 13th century. Malek az-Zaher Ghazi, a son of Saladin (Salah the western corner, just the other side of their work that survives. The most striking remains are of a soaring ad-Din), and one-time occupant of the Orient House Antiques ( p192 ), a stylised entrance portal with stalactite stone decora- Citadel. sculpture of two robed women marks the Touring the Citadel tion. To the rear of the palace is a recently Across the road to the west is a low, turn for Sharia al-Sissi. Along here on the To enter, cross the moat by a stepped bridge renovated Mamluk-era hammam. multidomed mosque set in gardens. Known right, Beit Sissi (Sissi House; Map pp182–3 ) on the south side. Any attacking forces A path from the hammam leads back as Al-Khosrowiyya Mosque (Map p176 ), it’s is a 17th-century residence that was one of would have been dangerously exposed on towards the fortified keep and its heavily notable for being one of the earliest works the first of the area’s many historic houses the bridge as they confronted the massive restored throne room, with a magnificent, of the famed Turkish architect Sinan, dat- to be restored; it’s now a renowned res- fortified keep, from which defenders could intricately decorated wooden ceiling. ing to 1537. It still serves as the main place taurant (p189 ). About 50m further on the rain down arrows and pour boiling oil Back on the main path, off to the left is of worship for the neighbourhood and each left, Beit Wakil (Map pp182–3 ) is two 18th- through the row of machicolations. The the small 12th-century Mosque of Abraham, Friday streams of men and young boys century houses lovingly transformed into bastion, off to the right, was added in the attributed to Nureddin and one of several make a beeline here to assume their places a stunning boutique hotel and courtyard 14th century to allow for flanking fire on legendary burial places for the head of John for noon prayers. restaurant ( p189 ). the bridge. the Baptist. To the east of Madrassa as-Sultaniyya is Backtrack across Saahat al-Hatab and Hammam Yalbougha an-Nasry ( p185). make a beeline south along Sharia al- Kayyali. On the right is a door with a plaque .( announcing Beit Ghazzali (Map pp182–3 اﻟﺠﺪﻳﺪة DIY ALEPPO Al-Jdeida Yep. Keep that guidebook closed and just wander. Aleppo is one of the best cities in the Mid- Al-Jdeida quarter is the most charming This is the largest house in the quarter. It dle East (perhaps in the world) to just let your curiosity guide you. We’ll give you some starting part of Aleppo. It’s a well-maintained was built in the 17th century and served as points first, of course: warren of narrow, stone-flagged lanes with an Armenian school for much of the 20th Northeast of the Citadel via the Bayada quarter to Bab al-Hadid – this ramshackle area sees walls like canyons. The façades that line century. It’s now owned by the city coun- few foreigners exploring its fascinating streets. Follow the main thoroughfare past Souq al- the alleys are blank because the buildings cil and is undergoing restoration until its Haddadin (Blacksmiths’ Market) with diversions through the mazelike Bayada quarter to im- all look inwards onto central courtyards. fate is decided. Some of the walls have fine posing Bab al-Hadid. Along the way you’ll pass some of Aleppo’s oldest madrassas, mosques, Every so often one of the studded wooden painted decoration and there’s a splendid hammams and palaces. There’s been little renovation and no signs exist, so look out for fine doors with their clenched fists for knock- private hammam. architectural details and peak through doors and windows when you can. ers will open and passers-by can get a glimpse inside. MUSEUM OF POPULAR TRADITION ﻣﺘﺤﻒ اﻟﺘﻘﺎﻟﻴﺪ اﻟﺸﻌﺒﻴﺔ Bab al-Hadid to Al-Jdeida – instead of taking the main route along Sharias Bab al-Hadid and Much of the architecture dates from the Bab al-Nasr to Al-Jdeida, take the backstreets through the living breathing lanes of this old Ottoman era, making the quarter younger A little further down from Beit Ghazzali neighbourhood. People are focused on their everyday life, so you’ll be pleasantly ignored, but than the Old City (hence its name Al- is yet another house, Beit Ajiqbash (built while it’s easy to get lost in the tangle of streets, rest assured someone will point you in the Jdeida, ‘the new’), but it’s equally fascinat- 1757), now a home for the Museum of Popular right direction if you can’t find your way. ing. It developed as an area for Christian Tradition (Map pp182-3 ; x333 6111; Sharia Haret al- Northwest of the Citadel via the Farafra quarter to Bab al-Nasr – another old area ignored by refugees (largely Maronite and Armenians), Yasmin; adult/student S£75/5; h8am-2pm Wed-Mon), tourists, who tend to stick to the main roads en route between the Old City and Al-Jdeida, who became prosperous traders. with fascinating artefacts relating to every- these dusty streets are home to dilapidated khans, mosques, the Masbanat al-Zanabili (two The quarter has been undergoing some- day life in bygone times. The splendid ar- 19th-century soap-making factories), hammams, palaces and even a synagogue. thing of a rebirth in recent years. With chitecture and intricate decoration make the backing of an enlightened city mayor, this a must-visit. 182 ALEPPO •• New City lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com ALEPPO •• New City 183

0 200 m ALEPPO ὈὈALEPPO:ὈὈ NEW CITY 0 0.1 miles A B C D E F 34 G H Latin ALEPPO Cathedral INFORMATION SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Beit Sader...... 18 F2 Commercial Bank of Syria...... 1 C2 Sh Fares al-Khoury Armenian Cathedral of the 40 Beit Sissi...... (see 43) 1 Concord Internet Café...... 2 C3 Martyrs...... 10 F3 Beit Wakil...... (see 29) 1 DHL...... 3 C3 Al-Aziziah Beit Altounji...... 11 G2 Clock Tower...... 19 D5 Exchange Office...... 4 D4 Beit Balit...... 12 F2 Greek Catholic Church...... 20 F3 ὈὈὈὈὈ 5 Librairie Said...... 5 E1 Beit Basil...... 13 F2 Greek Orthodox Church...... 21 F3 Main Post Office...... 6 A3 Sh Qostaki al-Homsi Beit Dallal...... 14 F2Maronite Cathedral...... 22 F3 Parcels Office...... 7 A3 Beit Ghazzali...... 15 F3 Museum of Popular Tradition.....23 F3 Police...... 8 E3 Beit Kebbeh...... 16 F3 National Museum...... 24 C5

Telephone Office...... (see 6) Beit Mariana Marrache...... 17 F2 Sharaf Mosque...... 25 G2 Sh Litani Sh Sh al-Malek FaisalTourist Office...... 9 B5 Syrian Catholic Church...... 26 F3

Sh Jbrail Dalal Sh al-Ayyubi Sh ash-Shohada Public Park

ὈὈ63 ὈὈ Sh al-Raheb Buhayrah 11 2 2 18 Sh as-Sissi 13 Sh Saad Allah al-Jabri 35 30 Sh Yousef al-Azmeh 1 48 17 14 25 12 29 43 56

Saahat Saahat ὈὈὈὈ Ὀ 22 al-Hatab 36 Farhat Saahat Saad Allah al-Jabri 20 6 53 16 15 7 47 al-Tilal 3 3 Sh 44 Al-Jdeida Kayyali Sh al-Quwatli 50 Souq 23 Sh al- 55 51 21 26 ὈὈὈ 2 Ὀ 10 3 8 Sh Haret al-Yasmin

62 4 58 38 Sh Zaki al-Arsuzi 39 Sh al-Khandak

28 SLEEPING Haj Abdo Al-Fawwal...... 48 G2 32 33 4 Ὀ Al-Yarmouk Hotel...... 27 C5 Juice Bars & Liquor Stores...... 49 D4 4 Baron Hotel...... 28 C4 Kan Zaman...... 50 F3

Sh Rashid Sh al-Walid Sh Yarmouk Sh al-Jalaa Sh Beit Wakil...... 29 F2 Yasmeen House...... 51 F3 al-Faraj 60 Dar Zamaria Martini...... 30 G2 Sh al-Baron 61 37 Hanadi Hotel...... 31 D5 DRINKING 49 Sh Bab Hotel al-Faisal...... 32 C4 Al-Sahel...... Sh Bab an-Nasr 52 D5 59 Hotel Somar...... 33 C4 Al-Shams...... 53 B3

Sh ad-Dala Mandaloun Hotel...... 34 F1 Baron Hotel...... (see 28) 27 40 54 19 Tourath House...... 35 F2 Museum Café...... 54 C5 Sh al-Maari Tourism Hotel...... 36 B3 ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈ Tourist Hotel...... 37 C4 ENTERTAINMENT Cinemas...... 55 C3 24 41 52 EATING Al-Andalib...... 38 C4 SHOPPING 9 Sh 5 Al-Kindi Restaurant...... 39 D4 Orient House Antiques...... 56 F2 5 Hamma Aleppo Dairy Qattib...... 40 C5 Sh al-Adasi...... 57 G6 Amman Supermarket...... 41 C5 31 Bazar Al Charq...... 42 E6 TRANSPORT

m al-Tal m Souq Beit Sissi...... 43 F2 Air France...... 58 B4 Beit Wakil...... (see 29) International Bus Station...... 59 B4 ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈ Cantara...... 44 F3 KLM...... 60 B4 Fountain Café...... 45 C6 Lufthansa...... 61 B4 42 Fruit & Vegetable Market...... 46 D6 SyrianAir...... 62 B4 Fruit Stall...... 47 D3 SyrianAir...... 63 A2

Sh al-Mutanabi 45 46 Mirage Sh Bab Antakya 6 Assad Palace 6 Statue ὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈ 57 Sh al-Adasi

To Bab Antakya To Old City; ὈὈὈ (500m) Great Mosque (250m) 184 ALEPPO •• Sights lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.comBook your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotels ALEPPO •• Activities 185

long hours and is still a local favourite de- ALEPPO ﺗﻞ ﺣﻠﻒ CHURCHES & CATHEDRALS the backs of stylised creatures are wide-eyed Tell Halaf Al-Jdeida is home to five major churches, characters, replicas of pillars that once sup- This hall is dominated by figures similar to spite increasingly attracting tourists. each aligned to a different denomination. ported the 9th-century-BC temple-palace the replicas at the museum entrance; how- Hammam Na’eem (Map p176 ; hammam only ALEPPO Immediately west of the museum is the complex at Tell Halaf, near the border with ever, these are millennia old. The figures are S£350, complete massage & scrub S£425), also known Syrian Catholic Church (Mar Assia al-Hakim; Turkey in the northeast of the country. believed to represent gods and a goddess; as Hammam al-Jedida, is a quiet, clean, Map pp182–3 ), built in 1625 and happy From the entrance hall the exhibits were the central one is thought to be Haddad, friendly, men-only place north of the main to admit visitors who come knocking. displayed chronologically in an anticlock- the weather god, symbolically linked to souq street. To find it, coming from Bab Next stop is the 19th-century Greek Or- wise direction, but at the time of research the bull (on which he stands). The colossi Antakya along Souq Bab Antakya, take the thodox Church (Map pp182–3 ) and further the museum was undergoing extensive were originally flanked by two wide-eyed first left after the start of the corrugated-iron beyond that, still on Haret al-Yasmin, is ‘renovation’, which was being conducted sphinxes; a replica of one is here. The large roofing and it’s just ahead on the right. the entrance to the 17th-century Armenian with scant concern for safety and little re- panels are plaster casts of originals that Cathedral of the 40 Martyrs (Map pp182–3 ). spect for the artefacts. We hope your visit once adorned Tell Halaf’s palace walls – the TOURS If possible, it’s worth visiting on a Sunday will be more pleasant than our last one. originals were destroyed during WWII in a Halabia Travel & Tourism (Map p176 ; x224 8497; to observe the Armenian mass performed Below is the route through exhibit rooms bombing raid on a German museum. www.halabia-tours.com) Run by the friendly and know- here, which is still pervaded with a sensu- at the time of research. ledgeable Abdel Hay Kaddar. They can organise visas and .meet you at the Turkish, Jordanian and Lebanese borders ﺗﻞ ارﺳﻼن ﻃﺎش ous aura of ritual. It starts at 10am and Tell Arslan Tash .The astonishing collection of ivory carving A variety of tours are on offer ﺗﻞ ﺑﺮاك lasts two hours. North of these three, on Tell Brak Saahat Farhat, are the Maronite Cathedral Tell Brak, 45km north of Hassake in far was discovered in the remains of a palace at Tahhan Tourism (x263 5178) Offers a variety of tours (Map pp182–3 ) and a smaller Greek Catholic northeastern Syria, was excavated by Sir Tell Arslan Tash, an Aramaean city (ancient in and around Aleppo, from Qala’at Samaan (US$55) to Church (Map pp182–3 ), which date to the Max Mallowan, husband of Agatha Chris- name Hadatu) in the northeast of the country, Qala’at al-Hosn (Krak des Chevaliers; US$80), in new air- 19th century. tie. Most of the exhibits in this room are excavated by the French in 1928. They are not conditioned vehicles with multilingual tour guides. finds from his digs, although many of the Syrian in origin and have been identified as New City best pieces went to the British Museum in coming from Phoenicia, and are dated to the SLEEPING Most visitors’ experience of modern Aleppo London. 9th century BC. There is a series depicting the The accommodation scene in Aleppo has is limited to the Bab al-Faraj area, a low-rise birth of the god Horus from a lotus flower, improved at the top end, with a slew of which is similar to an alabaster carving of Tu- new boutique hotels. The midrange options ﻣﺎري (ﺗﻞ اﻟﺤﺮﻳﺮي) neighbourhood of cubbyhole shops, small Mari businesses, mekaniki (car repair work- This room contains some of the muse- tankhamen emerging from a lotus on display are a little limited but Aleppo’s good-value shops) and, east of the baroque clock tower, um’s best pieces, unearthed at Tell Hariri, in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. boutique hotels are a good excuse to spend the swish new Sheraton hotel. the site of the 3rd-millennium-BC city of a couple of nights in higher-priced digs. Good, clean budget lodgings are thin on the ﺗﻞ اﺣﻤﺮ However, the most pleasant part of the Mari (p223 ), on the Euphrates River near Tell Ahmar New City is northwest of here, in and the present-day Iraqi border. Look for the Tell Ahmar is the site of another ancient ground and the handful of recommended around the upmarket Al-Aziziah neighbour- tableaux of delicate carved-shell figurines Aramaean city, and is near what is now the places fill up fast. Book in advance. hood, developed during the 19th century of a general and his fettered prisoners and Syrian-Turkish border, 20km south of the and home to Aleppo’s moneyed families, chariots, which attest to the high level of crossing point of Jarablos. The wall paint- Budget most of whom are Christian. The busy artistry at this early time, and the wonderful ings displayed in this room were removed Hanadi Hotel (Map pp182-3 ; x223 8113; Bab al- streets are lined with splendid mansions, greened bronze lion with a doleful expres- from the remains of a palace excavated Faraj; s/d/tr S£350/1000/1500; a) Once you get modern fashion boutiques, lively contem- sion. Along with a twin, now in the Louvre by the French in the 1920s and date from past the shock of the Barbie-esque colour porary cafés and swish new restaurants, and in Paris, it was discovered flanking a temple around the 8th century BC. scheme (think pink), this excellent budget the area has a real buzz about it that other doorway. hotel has the makings of a backpacker fa- parts of Aleppo lack. ACTIVITIES vourite. It has the friendliest multilingual Originally constructed in 1491, Hammam Yal- reception staff in Aleppo, pleasant rooms ﺣﻤﺎ There’s a large public park, prettily laid Hama out with pathways meandering through The exhibits of finds from excavations in bougha an-Nasry (Map p176 ; x362 3154; near Citadel facing an enormous shady sun terrace, and well-tended greenery and an impressive 1931–38 at the Hama citadel, dating back to entrance) was one of Syria’s finest working a long list of services. It’s well located 100m fountain entrance off Sharia Saad Allah al- 1000 BC, were no longer on display at the bathhouses and something of a city show- south of the clock tower. Jabri. If you’re through with walking for time of research but may reappear. piece, yet was closed for maintenance when Tourist Hotel (Map pp182-3 ; x221 6583; Sharia the day this is a great place to bring a book we visited with no opening date fixed. If you ad-Dala; s/d/tr without bathroom S£400/700/900, d/tr with -can manage to get in to take a look around, bathroom S£800/1200) Aleppo’s best budget op اوﻏﺎرﻳﺖ (رأس ﺷﻤﺮ) and picnic. Ugarit Many of the finds display evidence of the there’s a splendid sun clock inside the dome tion is more akin to a homely European- links between the one-time busy port of above reception. If it is operational again, style pension than a hotel. The staff are اﻟﻤﺘﺤﻒ اﻟﻮﻃﻨﻲ NATIONAL MUSEUM Aleppo’s National Museum (Map pp182-3 ; x212 Ugarit (Ras Shamra; p149 ) and Egypt. The don’t leave Aleppo without having a mas- warm, friendly and multilingual, the décor 2400/1; adult/student S£75/10; h9am-5.30pm), in the bronze Egyptian figures were probably gifts sage and scrub here. is delightfully old-fashioned and the place middle of town opposite the tourist office, from a pharaoh to the king of Ugarit. An The renovated, men-only Hammam al- is immaculate. Some rooms have shared is rather nondescript apart from the ex- alabaster vessel bears the name of Ramses Nahaseen (Map p176 ; hammam only S£300, complete bathrooms; others have private bathrooms. traordinary colonnade of giant granite fig- II in hieroglyphs, and there’s also a lime- massage & scrub S£500), in the heart of the souq Booking in advance is essential. Breakfast ures that fronts the entrance. Standing on stone obelisk. just south of the Great Mosque, is open is S£100. 186 ALEPPO •• Sleeping Book your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotelslonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.comBook your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotels ALEPPO •• Eating 187

Hotel Somar (Map pp182-3 ; x211 3198, 212 Midrange rooms, it’s still hard to justify the room walled lanes of the old Al-Jdeida quarter ALEPPO 5925; Sharia ad-Dala; s/d/tr US$13/19/23, without bath- Hotel al-Faisal (Map pp182-3 ; x211 4434, 211 2618; fax rate given the austere facilities and woe- in a painstakingly restored 18th-century room US$11/16/21; a) A rather old-fashioned 221 2573; Sharia Yarmouk; s/d/tr US$30/35/40; a) With ful breakfasts. Those looking for a place to merchant’s residence, Beit Wakil was one ALEPPO but well-kept little hotel; the walls had more than a touch of Oriental chintz and have a decent kip should look elsewhere. of Aleppo’s first boutique hotels. With its been freshly painted when we visited. The grandma-approved décor, this three-star is History buffs shouldn’t stay anywhere else. high vaulted ceilings, elegant courtyards, simple rooms open onto a couple of leafy popular with European tour groups. The The atmospheric bar is worth a visit. intricately carved stone and Mamluk-era covered courtyards dripping with vines. rooms have recently been refreshed with a Tourath House (Map pp182-3 ; x211 8838/48/58; horizontal stripes, it’s wonderfully authen- Satellite TV and air-conditioning/heating splash of pastel paint, new carpets and floral www.tourathhouse.com; Sharia al-Raheb Buhayrah; tic. The tranquil vine-filled courtyard with cost US$1 extra. duvets, and they’re extremely clean. Break- s/d US$50/70; a) This tiny boutique hotel, lo- bubbling fountain is a wonderful spot for a Al-Yarmouk Hotel (Map pp182-3 ; x211 6154, 211 fast is filling and there are fascinating views cated in a splendid 260-year-old stone resi- drink, and the restaurant is probably Alep- 6155; fax 211 6156; Sharia al-Maari; s/d/tr S£600/1000/1400; from the breakfast room. The staff are multi- dence, has some of the friendliest and most po’s best after Beit Sissi. The suite is worth a) The Yarmouk may not see too many lingual and helpful. It’s a safe choice. professional young staff in Aleppo. There the extra cash. Western tourists – it mainly hosts Arab and Dar Halabia (Map p176 ; x332 3344, 224 8497; is a beautiful courtyard with an attractive Dar Zamaria Martini (Map pp182-3 ; x363 6100; Russian traders – but the chain-smoking www.halabia-tours.com; Sharia Lisan ad-Din al-Khatib; liwan (summer room) and decorative ceil- www.darzamaria.com;off Saahat al-Hattab; d US$110; English- and Russian-speaking staff are wel- s/d/tr US$34/48/60; a) Enchantingly situated in ing that has been turned into a traditional a) This captivating hotel in Al-Jdeida coming and it’s a decent fallback if the other an 18th-century stone house a short stroll majlis (reception room). The rooms, while now sprawls across several grand court- budget places are full. Having benefited from from Bab Antakya, Dar Halabia is a pleas- boasting mother-of-pearl inlaid furniture yard houses dating from the 17th and 18th a makeover, each of the hotel’s three floors ant retreat and still the only hotel in Alep- and wooden shutters, are rather austere, but centuries, leveraging off the success of the has been painted a different colour, so take po’s Old City – for now at least. Spread over compared to some of the other Al-Jdeida original, more intimate property. While the your pick from glossy lavender, pink and two levels, rooms face a sunny plant-filled sleeps, it’s great value. renovations are wonderful, the hotel lacks lemon. Rooms with bathrooms come with courtyard – a wonderful spot to chill on Beit Salahieh (Map pp174-5 ; x332 2222; www the simple elegance of Beit Wakil, although fridges, TVs, clean sheets and towels. a starry evening. All rooms are individu- .beitsalahieh.com; off Sharia al-Kawakibi, btwn Citadel & Bab the rooms are significantly more comfort- Tourism Hotel (Map pp182-3 ; x225 1602/3/4/5; ally decorated with traditional décor (some Al-Hadid; s/d US$61/82; a) This attractive hotel, able. There are pretty plant-filled courtyards fax 225 1606; Saahat Saad Allah al-Jabri; s/d/tr US$20/25/30) more atmospheric than others) and it’s formerly known as Diwan Rasmy, is secreted and beautiful spacious rooms decorated This retro 1970s-style hotel, opposite the good value – if a little quiet at night. away down a narrow stone-walled alleyway with inlaid furniture, traditional textiles and main square in the New City, is a time- Baron Hotel (Map pp182-3 ; x221 0880/1; www near the Citadel, in the Al-Jibelah quarter. Oriental carpets. While the rooftop restau- machine trip. But go beyond the wood panel- .the-hotel-baron.com; 8 Sharia al-Baron; s/d/ste US$44.40/ Housed in a converted 15th-century palace, rant does a roaring trade, service could be ling, kitsch chandeliers and tinted mirrors of 55.50/88.80; a) Aleppo’s legendary Baron is it features a grand central courtyard, sprawl- improved – the same goes for the hotel. the lobby, and you get clean modern rooms a museum piece – see The Baron Hotel, ing rooftop terraces and covered arcades, that represent the best-value sleeps in Aleppo. below . But just like Syria’s museums, it’s beautifully lit by Oriental lamps at night. EATING The spacious, comfortable rooms have small suffering from a combination of neglect While there are four traditionally decorated Known for its richness and use of spices, balconies, spotless private bathrooms, satel- and indifference. Even with a ‘renovation’, suites, the remaining rooms were unwisely Aleppan cuisine is distinctive within Syria lite TV, air-conditioning and fridges – all for which appears to have been little more than renovated in a bland modern style, but these and, in turn, the Middle East. Dining here is a a remarkable price. a lick or two of paint and upgraded bath- were soon to be transformed. While the loca- real pleasure. Although street-food joints are tion is fine for daytime exploration, at night ubiquitous, the good restaurants are mostly the area is very quiet. concentrated in Al-Jdeida and Al-Aziziah. THE BARON HOTEL Mandaloun Hotel (Map pp182-3 ; x228 3008, 219 Crammed together on Sharia Georges and Built at a time when travel invariably involved three-week sea voyages, a set of garden-shed-sized 944; www.mandalounhotel.com; Sharia al-Tilal Hazazeh Mathilde Salem in Al-Aziziah are half a trunks to be carried by porters, and a letter of introduction to the local consul, the Baron Hotel (Old Fire Station St); s/d US$67/78; a) Travellers dozen restaurants and cafés with pavement ( above ) belongs to a very different era. When it went up (1909–11), the hotel was on the outskirts love the Mandaloun, a beautiful courtyard tables occupied by young Aleppans sipping of town ‘in gardens considered dangerous to venture into after dark’, and from the terrace guests hotel in Al-Aziziah that provides oodles of imported beer and toying with their mobile could shoot ducks on the neighbouring swamp. atmosphere without producing a massive phones, while inside groups of bejewelled The Baron quickly became known as one of the premier hotels of the Middle East, helped bill when you leave. It’s a dramatic three- women chatter and pick at mezze. by the fact that Aleppo was still a busy trading centre and staging post for travellers. The Near storey property, and all rooms face the ex- Most Aleppo restaurants, unless otherwise Eastern extension of the Orient Express used to terminate in Aleppo, and the rich and famous quisite light-filled centre courtyard. Rooms stated, open around 11am for lunch and serve travelling on it generally ended up staying in the Baron. The old leather-bound visitors book turns feature intricately carved wooden shutters through until well after midnight – usually up names such as aviators Charles Lindbergh, Amy Johnson and Charles Kingsford-Smith, as well and are decorated in a simple but elegant until the last diners are ready to leave, which as TE Lawrence (see Lawrence of Arabia, p188 ), Theodore Roosevelt and Agatha Christie, who style with wrought-iron beds, local textiles can be 2am or even 3am. Remember, locals wrote the first part of Murder on the Orient Express while staying here. Kept securely stashed in and tiny tables. Air-conditioning/heating, dine late and most places don’t get busy until the safe, the visitors book sadly isn’t available for viewing, but you can see a copy of Lawrence’s satellite TV and minibar are provided. 10pm or later. Reservations are rarely neces- bar bill displayed in the lounge. sary, except where noted. Today, however, it’s fair to say that the poorly maintained hotel trades heavily on its history Top End and the nostalgia for an era when travel to the Middle East was a far more exotic affair – that oBeit Wakil (Map pp182-3 ; x211 8169, Old City alone makes it worth a toast in the bar. 211 7083; www.beitwakil.com; Sharia as-Sissi; s/d/ste There are few decent restaurants in the Old US$77.70/111/144.30; a) Nestled in the stone- City and its immediate surrounds. 188 ALEPPO •• Eating lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com ALEPPO •• Eating 189

S£150) and kebabs (S£150) to French dishes House (in another grand old courtyard ALEPPO LAWRENCE OF ARABIA like cordon bleu (S£225). house) seems a little more formal than the Has there ever been a movie that gives such a strong sense of a man as David Lean’s 1962 movie There are several felafel sellers in the other restaurants, but its enormous round ALEPPO Lawrence of Arabia? The Orientalist fantasies, the emotive soundtrack by Maurice Jarre – it’s a souq, in the area immediately south of the tables make it ideal for groups. Expect de- true epic. But was the man as immense as the film that he inspired? Great Mosque, along with a couple of fresh licious Syrian and Arabic food. Wine is Born in 1888 into a wealthy English family, Thomas Edward Lawrence (or TE Lawrence as he’s juice stalls. also served – try the excellent Lebanese more commonly known) studied archaeology, gaining a keen interest in Crusader castles that Ksara. saw him set out on a three-month tour of Syria in 1909, covering more than 1600km. On foot. Al-Jdeida He then studied Arabic in Byblos, Lebanon, and worked on excavations in Syria between 1911 RESTAURANTS QUICK EATS and 1914 and then at the Hittite settlement at Carchemish on the Turkish side of the border Cantara (Map pp182-3 ; x225 3355; just off Sharia Haj Abdo al-Fawwal (Map pp182-3 ; off Saahat al- on the Euphrates River. al-Kayyali; pizzas S£160-260, pastas S£200; hnoon-mid- Hatab) Opening early every morning, this With the outbreak of WWI, Lawrence became an intelligence agent in Cairo. Highly regarded night) A courtyard restaurant, although not is the best place to get Aleppan-style foul in this capacity, he adopted an attitude that was both unobtrusive and nonconformist. In 1915, in the same league as Beit Wakil or Beit (fava bean soup), delicately seasoned with as a specialist on Middle Eastern military and political issues, he recorded his ideas on the Arab Sissi, Cantara offers an Italian-influenced cumin, paprika, garlic, lemon juice and question and these were taken into consideration by British intelligence. Supporting the cause menu with plenty of pastas and pizzas made fresh parsley. Crowds gather around the of the Arab revolt and manifesting his own hostility towards French politics in Syria, Colonel in a proper stone oven. Credit cards are ac- tiny shop from 7am, bearing empty con- Lawrence favoured the creation of a Sunni and Arab state and in 1916 went to Arabia to shore up cepted and they serve beer and wine. tainers of every size and description, push- the support of the dissident Arabs. Working behind Turkish lines, Lawrence and the Arabs became Kan Zaman (Map pp182-3 ; x331 1299; Sharia al- ing and shoving their way to the front for more of an irritant than an outright fighting force, but their successful guerrilla incursions – in no Kayyali; meal per person S£600; hnoon-1am) Close to their share of this aromatic dish. Don’t small part due to Lawrence’s brilliance as a tactician – cost the Turks precious resources. Cantara and across the lane from Yasmeen leave Aleppo without trying some for In November of 1917, Lawrence was captured and claimed he was flogged for rebuffing the House, Kan Zaman’s beautifully de corated yourself. sexual advances of a Turkish commandant. This was meant to have occurred at Der’a, which rooms sprawl over several levels, with a most travellers pass through on the way to the ruins at Bosra. While his version of events is dis- couple of romantic nooks for couples. New City puted by several of Lawrence’s biographers, it’s clear that whatever occurred had a long-lasting There’s a long list of cold and hot mezze RESTAURANTS psychological effect on him. (S£35 to S£200), fresh salads (S£75 to S£150) Al-Andalib (Map pp182-3 ; Sharia al-Baron; meal per It was the desert revolt of October 1918, however, that etched Lawrence’s name into legend. and succulent grills (S£160 to S£250). Credit person S£350; hnoon-late) This rooftop restau- At the side of Emir Faisal, whom he made the hero of the Arab revolt, and of the English Gen- cards are accepted and alcohol is served. rant on the same block as the Baron Hotel eral Allenby, Lawrence conquered Aqaba. He then entered Damascus in triumph, marking the oBeit Sissi (Map pp182-3 ; x213 007, is popular with travellers who eat early, final defeat of the Ottoman forces. But due to infighting by the Arabs and a cynical reneging of 93-500 500; Sharia as-Sissi; meal per person S£700; around 6pm to 7pm. Later on, after 10pm, promises by the English and the French through the Sykes-Picot Agreement, a chance of Arab hnoon-late) Splendidly set in a restored it tends to be locals only – mostly male, so unity was lost. A disillusioned Lawrence turned down the honours of the Order of the Bath and 17th-century house with dining in an ele- women may feel uncomfortable. The menu the Distinguished Service Order in the presence of King George V – who apparently was holding gant courtyard (or a cosy interior room in includes kebabs, salads, fries, hummus and the awards at the time. the colder months), Beit Sissi is Aleppo’s a baba ghanoug that’s a purée of aubergines In 1921, following the conference in Cairo in which both Lawrence and Churchill participated, finest restaurant. Expect Syrian, Aleppan with tahini and olive oil. The food is fresh Lawrence was sent to Transjordan to help Emir Abdullah – the great-grandfather of the current and French cuisine of the highest quality. and beer is served. King Abdullah II of Jordan – to formulate the foundations of the new state. Nevertheless, he Don’t miss the delicious green beans in Bazar Al Charq (Map pp182-3 ; x224 9120; btwn later left this position and enrolled with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1922, under the assumed olive oil, the tasty ratatouille aubergine, the Sharia al-Mutanabi & Sharia Hammam al-Tal; meal per name of Ross, first as a pilot, then as a mechanic under yet another assumed name. During this sujok (spicy sausage rolled in Arabic bread, person S£400; h11am-late) Delicious food is time he worked on his memoir, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. He left the RAF in February 1935, sliced into snail-like pieces and then fried served in a cavernous, atmospheric restau- aged 46, and despite looking forward to writing more, all that he achieved at such an early age – the best we’ve tasted!) and the signature rant decorated to resemble a bazaar. The weighed heavily on him. Lawrence, who had already lived enough life for several men, wasn’t dish, cherry kebab. There’s a wonderful oud toshka (S£150) is particularly tasty and the to see old age. He died in May 1935 in a motorcycle accident. (lute) player most nights. Alcohol is served succulent kebabs (S£200) are popular. No and credit cards are accepted. alcohol. Beit Wakil (Map pp182-3 ; x221 7169; Sharia as- Al-Challal (Map pp174-5 ; x224 3344; Sharia Georges Beit Salahieh (Map pp174-5 ; x332 2222; www freshest. On offer are mezze (S£50), grills – Sissi; meal per person S£700; hnoon-late) Similar in & Mathilde Salem; meal per person S£450; h9am-late) .beitsalahieh.com; off Sharia al-Kawakibi, btwn Citadel & try the shish taouk (marinated chicken grilled quality and cuisine to Beit Sissi, and just This modern eatery attracts an affluent Bab Al-Hadid) As Diwan Rasmy, this boutique on skewers) with chips (S£150) – and fresh across the alley, Beit Wakil also delights (mainly male) Aleppan crowd. The menu hotel had a well-regarded restaurant with juices (S£50). with some equally interesting and tasty combines mezze and Middle Eastern grills stunning Citadel views. At the time of our Ahlildar (Map p176 ; x333 0841; Souq ibn al- dishes. The cherry kebab is a must, along (S£220) with international dishes such as visit its reincarnation, Beit Salahieh, had Khashab, opposite Grand Mosque exit; h8.30am-10pm) with the toshka (Armenian toasted meat escalopes and steaks (S£250). Alcohol is not yet reopened the restaurant. In an elegant, restored old house with a and cheese sandwiches). Alcohol is served served. Al-Attar (Map p176 ; x333 9033; Sharia al-Qala’a; somewhat disconcerting flat-screen TV and credit cards are accepted. Cordoba (Map pp174-5 ; x224 0868; Sharia Georges h9am-late) One of several sheesha cafés in decorating the downstairs wall, Ahlildar Yasmeen House (Map pp182-3 ;x222 4462/5562; & Mathilde Salem; meal per person S£450; h9am-late) a row facing the Citadel, Al-Attar’s touts is the only eatery in the souq serving full Sharia al-Kayyali; meal per person S£800; hfrom 8pm) This long-standing local favourite is easily are the least annoying and its food is the meals, everything from mezze (S£35 to With its white tablecloths, elegant Yasmeen the best restaurant on this strip, with some 190 ALEPPO •• Drinking lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com ALEPPO •• Entertainment 191

SELF-CATERING and the clock tower. The place is grungy ENTERTAINMENT ALEPPO ALEPPAN CUISINE The Amman supermarket (Map pp182-3; Sharia al- (in an old Aleppan sort of way) and the There is no shortage of cinemas (Map One of the delights of Aleppo is its unique Maari) is a good place for purchasing basics entrance is in the side street, through the pp182–3 ) along Sharia al-Baron and its ALEPPO cuisine. Primarily influenced by the ex- such as bread, cheese and biscuits, along reception of the Al-Sahel Hotel. northern extension Sharia Yousef al- change between Aleppan and Ottoman with toiletries. For fresh food, there’s a Al-Shams (Map pp182-3 ; Saahat Saad Allah al-Jabri) Azmeh. Most of what they screen is martial chefs, but also influenced by Armenians fruit and vegetable market (Map pp182-3 ; Sharia On the corner of the big main square, this arts, soft porn and trashy B-movies. More and Jewish settlers, it’s more complex, Bab Antakya) and an excellent fruit stall (Map men’s coffee shop is a popular haunt of entertaining are the airbrushed posters out- richer and spicier than your classic Mid- pp182-3 ; Sharia Jbrail Dalal), 200m north of Bab Aleppo’s chess players. side advertising the movies. These slightly dle Eastern cuisine. Some dishes you must al-Faraj. risqué posters, used to entice the almost try are mouhamara, a traditional dip of Across the road from the National Mu- Bars exclusively male customers, generally de- walnuts, pomegranate molasses, toasted seum, Aleppo Dairy Qattib (Map pp182–3 ) Aleppo is Al-Chark territory, which is the pict the very scenes that have been removed bread crumbs, olive oil, roasted peppers stocks a range of delicious cheeses, olives less appealing of Syria’s two local brews, by the censor. and spices; sujok, spicy sausage rolled in and pickles; look for the red-and-white mir- and there’s not exactly a wealth of venues in Arabic bread, sliced into snail-like pieces rored ‘happy cow’ sign. which to drink it. The atmospheric interior SHOPPING and then fried; and the famous cherry If you take an empty mineral-water bottle bar or the front terrace at the Baron Hotel (Map The best place to shop in Aleppo is without a kebab, a lamb kebab with a tasty cherry to the juice bars on Sharia Yarmouk, they’ll pp182-3 ;x221 0880/1; 8 Sharia al-Baron; beers S£100) is doubt the souq. This is the place to shop for sauce. Beit Sissi ( p189 ) is a favourite for fill it up for you to take away. Among the a must, at least once. olive soap, textiles and traditional dress. these dishes (and the Syrian president juice bars there are two liquor stores (Map There are also a couple of underground agrees). In Damascus, Al Hallabi (p107 ) at pp182–3 ) where you can buy Al-Chark beer cave bars at Beit Sissi (p189 ) and Beit Shopping the Aleppo Souq the Four Seasons Hotel might not be to for S£50. Wakil (p189) in Al-Jdeida. The one at Beit Aleppo’s souq (Map p191 ) is significantly everyone’s budget, but the chef is Syria’s Sissi is buried deep in former cellars, with less touristy than the markets in Damascus, best. He’s from Aleppo, of course! DRINKING goblin faces leering out of the rock walls, although the pressure to spend is still there. Aleppo is not a late-night city and there’s while the one at Beit Wakil has colourful Great buys include textiles, brocade, gold, not much going on beyond midnight. The décor. Beit Sissi also has a moody low-lit silver, carpets and olive soap. of the tastiest Aleppan food you’ll find in best places for a drink are the restaurant- bar upstairs, with a piano player playing Like any Middle Eastern souq, Alep- Syria. There’s no menu in English, but try cafés of Al-Aziziah or the bar-restaurants tunes in winter. po’s bazaar is broken down into the usual the toshka and maajouka (meat, cheese, pis- in Al-Jdeida. 0 200 m tachios and peppers shaped into a patty). ALEPPO SOUQ 0 0.1 miles Beer and arak are served. Cafés & Coffeehouses The following venues are all open from very CAFÉS & QUICK EATS early until very late, and some don’t close. Fountain Café (Map pp182-3 ; Mirage Palace Hotel, Sharia Arabica (Map pp174-5 ; Sharia Bin Silvania) In Al- h al-Mutanabi; 9am-midnight) This café offers a Aziziah, Syria’s Starbucks does delicious Tourist welcome air-con retreat from the heat and iced lattés (S£90) as well as providing a fas- Entrance Khan al- Khan al- Sabun dust outside. Burgers and sandwiches (club, cinating slice of life that you won’t experi- Madrassa Wazir Halawiyya steak, chicken, ham; S£95 to S£160) are ence in the Old City, especially after 6pm, Al-Fustaq Mosque huge and delicious, and the iced milkshakes when the music goes up a few notches and (S£70) are excellent. Head to the adjoining Aleppo’s shebab (youth) spill out on to the

Souq Khan al-Harir bar if you feel like a cold beer. footpath. The café offers free wireless inter- Great Mosque Carpets & Belgian Table Cloths Scarves & Consulate Al-Kindi Restaurant (Map pp182-3 ; Sharia Zaki al- net and if you don’t have your own laptop Copperware Blankets Arsuzi; meal per person S£250) Gold & Just off Sharia Bab they’ll even lend you one. al-Khashab ibn Souq Khan Al Harir Silver x Rope, Cord al-Faraj, this is one of a cluster of similar T-Square (Map pp174-5 ; 460 6033/44; Sharia Bin Souq al-Haraj

Souq as-Sabun

& Braid Souq Istanbul al-Jedida Fabrics kebab restaurants, all of which offer reason- Silvania) This funky contemporary café-eatery Souq al-Jinfas Souq al-Hibal Change Juice Stall Haberdashery able food at budget prices. It has an exten- next door to Arabica is where Aleppo’s hip- Nuts Spices Souq al-Tabush Money Meat Juice Stall Kufeyyas sive menu in English made up of myriad sters hang out. It’s a great place for meeting Souq al-Attarine Souq az-Zarb Fabrics Fabrics Hardware Perfume Jalabiyyas mezze and grilled kebabs and is open from locals and people-watching. Like Arabica, Souq al-Saqatiyya & Scarves early until very late. the place buzzes in the evenings, when the Fabrics Souq al-Jukh In the block bounded by Sharia al-Maari, tables are jammed and it’s standing-room Khan an- Souq al- Khan Nahaseen Sharia Bab al-Faraj, Sharia al-Quwatli and only on the pavement. al-Jumruk Hammam an-Nahaseen Shoes (Map pp182-3 ; Sharia al-Maari) Leather Farayn Sharia al-Baron are plenty of cheapies offer- Museum Café Male Souq an-Nahaseen Wool & ing the usual fare – prices are more variable travellers will enjoy this simple coffeehouse Cotton & Clothes than the food so check before you sit down. in the city centre, but it’s men-only so Fabrics Fabrics There’s a row of excellent late-opening juice women will feel uncomfortable. Covered Market bars (Map pp182–3 ) at the Bab al-Faraj end Al-Sahel (Map pp182-3 ; Sharia al-Maari) This up- of Sharia Yarmouk. stairs coffeehouse is close to Bab al-Faraj

192 ALEPPO •• Shopping lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com ALEPPO •• Getting There & Away 193

dress worn by traditional Arabs in the Pal- For nargileh/sheesha pipes, mother-of- CITY BUS STATION ALEPPO TOP BUYS IN THE SOUQS estinian Territories, Jordan, Syria and the pearl inlaid wooden boxes and backgam- South of Mirage Palace Hotel, this station aged olive soap Gulf States. mon boards visit the shops on Sharia al-Adasi (Map p176 ) is a vast area of dusty bus bays ALEPPO Oriental carpets and kilims Shops in the souq open from early in (Map p176 ), which is north of the main stretching over 500m and incorporating nargileh/sheesha water pipes the morning until around 6pm Saturday souq; walk east from the front of the Great four stations serving local city buses, old to Thursday, while on Friday virtually the Mosque and then head north (left) up the battered regular intercity buses, intercity mother-of-pearl inlaid backgammon whole souq closes and is eerily deserted; third lane. Pullmans, and minibuses that cover the re- sets many of the small passageways and khans Sharia Bab Antakya (Map p176 ) is the place gion around Aleppo. brocades and other richly decorated are locked but it’s still an atmospheric place to head for olive soap, and you’ll find more textiles for a wander. Shops owned by Christians soaps and hammam products in Souq al- INTERNATIONAL BUS STATION close on Sunday and stay open on Friday. Sabun (Map p191 ). Little more than a parking lot, this station (Map pp182–3 ) has private companies run- demarcations – gold in one alley, spices in Outside the Souq GETTING THERE & AWAY ning services to Turkey. It’s immediately another, carpets in one spot, scarves across Sebastian (Map p176 ; x332 3672; Sharia al-Qala’a; Air north of the tourist office and behind Sharia the way. The exception to this is bustling h8am-8pm Sat-Thu) On the fringes of the souq, Aleppo has an international airport with al-Baron. Between the handful of compa- Souq al-Attarine, which sells everything: this place stocks a small but superb range connections to Turkey, Europe and other nies heading to Turkey (of which Etihad hardware, clothing, spices, perfumes and of high-quality textiles, tablecloths, inlaid cities in the Middle East. SyrianAir (www.syria and Volcano come recommended), there even meat. backgammon boards and boxes. However, air.com; Reservationsx224 1232, 222 0501; central office are half a dozen daily services to Istanbul South of Souq al-Attarine the laneways the speciality is rustic kilims, silk rugs and Map pp182-3 ; Sharia al-Baron; head office Map pp182-3 ; (about S£2000, 17 hours) and plenty more almost exclusively give way to fabrics, antique carpets, costing anything from Saahat Saad Allah al-Jabri) has weekly flights to Is- to Antakya (S£250, two to three hours). clothing and shoes. Textiles have always US$50 to US$15,000. The multilingual tanbul and Cairo and several daily flights to Note that sometimes the Istanbul service been an important component of Alep- owner, Mohammed, is highly knowledge- Damascus (from S£1200, one hour). Other requires a change of bus at Antakya. From po’s trade and Souq al-Jukh still operates as able, accepts credit cards and provides cer- airline offices: the same station you can also get buses to a major wholesale cloth market. tificates, but most of all, he won’t pressure Air France (Map pp182-3 ; x223 2238; Sharia al-Baron) Amman (S£550, nine hours) in Jordan. North of Al-Attarine the souq is at its you to get a sale. KLM (Map pp182-3 ; x221 1074; Sharia al-Baron) most dense. Squeezed around the Great Orient House Antiques (Map pp182-3 ; 1st fl, Saa- Lufthansa (Map pp182-3 ; x222 3005; Sharia al-Baron) Car & Motorcycle Mosque are veins of parallel narrow alleys hat al-Hatab) Over in Al-Jdeida, the Beit Sissi Europcar (Map pp174-5 ; x222 4854; fax 223 2302; that in places are barely wide enough for store is a wonderful place to browse for Those flying in should take a taxi from http://car-rental.europcar.com; h8am-7pm) has an people to pass each other. Here, Souq al-Hibal antiques and bric-a-brac. outside the airport terminal hall. It takes office at Baghdad Station but cars can be is devoted to shops selling cord, braid and Saahat al-Hatab (Map pp182–3 ) is the around 20 minutes to reach the city centre booked online. For details of average rental rope, while Souq al-Tabush is crammed with place to shop for gold jewellery, and there and will cost about S£500. A return taxi will rates, see p401 . stalls selling buttons, ribbons and all man- are a few more antique and carpet shops cost a little less. ner of things necessary for a woman to run across the square, although prices tend to Service Taxi up her family’s clothes. be higher than at Orient House. Bus Next to the Pullman bus station is a service Souq az-Zarb is a good place to head Souq al-Shouna (Map p176 ) is a handi- PULLMAN BUS STATION taxi stand. Service taxis are an inexpensive for jalabiyyas, the cotton robes worn by crafts market behind the sheesha cafés on Most buses stop at the Pullman Bus Station and slightly faster way to travel, but can be women and men alike, which make great the southwestern side of the Citadel. While (Map pp174-5 ; Sharia Ibrahim Hanano), about 500m more crammed than buses. Sample fares nightdresses, or a keffiyeh, the distinctive there are price tags, bargaining is still pos- west of the National Museum, from where include Hama S£160, Homs S£180, and Da- black-and-white or red-and-white head- sible, although not required. it’s a ten-minute walk east to Sharia al- mascus S£400. Baron and the bulk of the budget and mid- range hotels. If you’re staying in Al-Jdeida, Train SOAP IN THE SOUQ take a taxi for around S£30. Aleppo’s train station (Map pp174–5 ), One of the best things about Aleppo’s fantastic souq is the olive soap. It’s unique, handmade, More than 30 private companies, includ- known as Baghdad Station, is about 1.5km decorated and 100% natural, being made of 90% olives and 10% bay laurel. And if it’s good ing Kadmous (x224 8837; www.alkadmous.com) and north of the centre in Al-Aziziah. To walk enough for the great queens of the Middle East (Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Sheba and Zenobia) it’s Al-Ahliah, have their sales shacks around from here down to the vicinity of the budget good enough to pack away as a souvenir. the edge of the bus bays. It’s easy to shop hotel district takes about 25 minutes; head But not all soaps are created equal. The oldest, highest-quality (and most expensive) soap is around but there’s not much difference in due south from the station, keeping the park aged for eight years. The next quality down is aged for only three years and is best kept for the prices. Destinations include Damascus (VIP/ on your right, until you reach a large open hair and body, while the cheapest soaps are only three months old and used just for your hands. non-VIP S£230/150, five hours), Deir ez-Zur square (Saahat Saad Allah al-Jabri), at which So how do you tell? When cut in half the aged soaps have a brown rim and are a rich dark green (S£150, five hours), Hama (S£90, 2½ hours), point take a left down Sharia al-Quwatli. in the centre, whereas the younger soaps are a light green all the way through. Homs (S£100, three hours), Lattakia (S£120, Trains to Lattakia (1st class express/1st Locals buy their soaps by the kilo but they’re happy to sell less to tourists. While there are 3½ hours), Qamishle (S£180, eight hours), class/2nd class S£120/80/50, 2½ or 3½ plenty of soap shops on Sharia al-Maari and Sharia Bab Antakya, the best dealer is in the Old Raqqa (S£100, three hours) and Tartus hours) depart around four times a day, City souq – look for Adel and Malek Kaymouz’ olive-soap store in Souq Al-Attarine (Map p191 ). (S£130, four hours). Departures are frequent usually two in the morning and two in so there’s no need to book ahead. the afternoon. There are six return trains, 194 AROUND ALEPPO lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com AROUND ALEPPO •• North & West of Aleppo 195

be able to cover in a full day all the sites also known as Saint Simeon, is the must-see ALEPPO FROM ALEPPO TO HOLLYWOOD described in the North & West of Aleppo site of the many archaeological ruins that dot The name Moustapha Akkad might not be familiar to you, but the Halloween series of movies section ( below ), or all those described in the countryside north of Aleppo. Enough ALEPPO would be. This Aleppan native, born in 1930, was a producer on every Halloween movie – all South of Aleppo ( p197 ). remains of the basilica to impress, with a eight of them. glorious situation high on a rocky outcrop. When Akkad decided he wanted to head to Hollywood, his father gave him a copy of the NORTH & WEST OF ALEPPO The views are excellent. From Aleppo, it’s an Quran and some cash. Later, armed with a master’s degree, Akkad was mentored by film auteur The half-dozen major sites north and west easy half-day trip; if you set off by 9am you’ll Sam Peckinpah, famous for Westerns such as The Wild Bunch. But Akkad had his own epics that of Aleppo are scattered across Jebel Samaan be back by early afternoon. he wanted to bring to the big screen and in 1976 directed and produced his first feature, Muham- in such a way that it’s impossible to com- The structure takes its name from a pecu- mad, Messenger of God, released in the West as The Message. Given that Islam forbids images of bine them all into one trip without your liar individual named Simeon. Born around the Prophet, Akkad made the movie without ever showing the subject of the film. He saw it as own car. Qala’at Samaan, the jewel of the AD 389–90, Simeon was the son of a shep- a way to help bridge the divide between the West and Islam. collection, is fairly accessible by public herd who opted at a young age for life in a In 1978 Akkad produced the first (and iconic) Halloween movie with director John Carpenter, transport, and from there it’s possible to monastery. However, finding monastic life and the franchise from this low-budget horror flick was born. In 1980 he directed his next epic, push on to Ain Dara and get back to Aleppo insufficiently ascetic, he retreated to a cave the now highly acclaimed Lion of the Desert, about the real-life Bedouin leader Omar Mukhtar. by minibus in one long, exhausting day. in the barren hills, where he lived under a The film was controversial because of funding by Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. Alternatively, you could combine Qala’at regimen of self-imposed severity. In his films Akkad wanted to show the struggles and heroes of Islam, and his next project was Samaan with Qalb Lozeh, if you do a little Word of this extremely pious individual to be the ultimate film about Saladin, to be filmed in Jordan. In a tragic twist worthy of an epic, backtracking. Cyrrhus is more problematic got around and people began to visit to seek Akkad and his daughter were killed in the 2005 Amman hotel bombings in Jordan. The Arab and and requires cash and time; if you are plan- his blessing. Simeon apparently resented Islamic worlds lost a great storyteller and a brilliant producer on that day. ning on visiting the Dead Cities to the south this invasion of his solitude so intensely then it’s probably not worth the expense to that he was driven to erect a 3m-high pillar duplicate the experience here. upon which he took up residence so that including two additional evening services. are often more interested in getting the cash, people couldn’t touch him. Legend goes that as his tolerance of people decreased he ﻗﻠﻌﺔ ﺳﻤﻌﺎن Most travellers love this wonderfully scenic regardless of whether they get you remotely Qala’at Samaan trip. Services to Damascus (1st class/2nd near where you’ve asked them to go. The ruined basilica of Qala ’at Samaan (adult/ erected ever higher pillars. In all he’s said class/sleeper S£240/120/350, 4½ hours) via student S£150/10; h9am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 4pm Oct-Mar), to have spent close to 40 years on top of his Homs and Hama operate four times a day pillars, the last of which was 18m in height. on fast new trains: two early in the morning, AROUND ALEPPO AROUND ALEPPO There was a railing around the top, and an one in the afternoon and one overnight. 0 20 km iron chain attached to the stone to stop him 0 12 miles Trains operate between Aleppo and Is- There are worthwhile sites around Aleppo toppling off in the middle of the night. Cyrrhus tanbul via Konya three times a week, with to warrant at least two or three days’ explor- TURKEY Simeon would preach daily from his Kilis a sleeper service (by far the best and safest ing. A day spent around Qala’at Samaan and perch and shout answers to his audiences’ option) once a week. At the time of research another among the Dead Cities to the south questions; however, he refused to talk to Azaz trains departed Istanbul for Aleppo (single/ could turn out to be highlights of your trip. TURKEY women and even his mother was not al- twin berth sleeper $US40/60) on Sunday The fact that these sites are out of the way Nahr lowed near the column. Afreen morning, arriving in Aleppo Monday af- is half the appeal; however, good weather is Ain Dara Simeon’s increasingly eccentric behaviour ternoon, and departed Aleppo for Istanbul a prerequisite, as to explore the sites you’ll Qala'at eventually drew pilgrims from as far as Britain Deir Samaan (single/twin berth sleeper S£5000/7000) be out in open, exposed countryside, which Samaan Nubl and France, where he was known as Simon

on Tuesday morning, arriving in Istanbul quickly turns to mud underfoot in rain. Daret To Al-Bab Stylites, a name derived from the Greek word Qatura Azze (30km) Wednesday night. Although all of the sites around Aleppo Reyhanli for pillar, stylos. The notion of stylism caught There’s also a weekly train to Tehran are accessible by public transport, if you’re on and Simeon inspired a fashion for pious Al-Hawa Aleppo Harim Dana via Lake Van in Turkey, where passengers short on time, hire a car and driver. While Qalb pillar-top dwelling that spread all the way to Lozeh alight and ferry across the lake to meet the you could approach Aleppo’s tourist office To Raqqa central Europe, where it eventually faltered in Umm as- (161km) Iranian train. Check times and fares on and be intercepted by a ‘guide’ offering his Sughra the face of a colder climate.

www.tcdd.gov.tr. services before you get to within 100m of Taftanaz When he died in 459, Simeon was pos- the door, be aware that many of these guys sibly the most famous person in the 5th-

GETTING AROUND know little about the sites, speak little Eng- Idlib century world. His body was buried in the Everything in the city centre is accessible on lish, and probably don’t even know the way. To Lattakia great Christian centre of Antioch (present- (95km) Ariha Saraqeb foot. Buses to various parts of Aleppo depart You’ll waste precious time and are better off Ebla day Antakya) and an enormous church was from the City Bus Station behind Mirage Pal- organising a driver through your hotel. The (Tell Mardikh) built around the famous pillar. The church ace Hotel, off Sharia Bab Antakya, but you going rate is between US$70 and US$100 Ruweiha Jerada had a unique design with four basilicas ar- really won’t need to use these. If you must, for a full day, depending on the distance Al-Bara Babila ranged in the shape of a cross, each opening Ma'arat an- tickets (S£10) are bought from the driver. and the price of petrol. Serjilla Nu'aman onto a central octagonal yard covered by (Al-Ma'ara) An average across-town taxi ride should With such an arrangement you dictate Kafr a dome. Beneath the dome stood the pil- To Hama (50km) cost S£25 to S£50. Note that taxi drivers here your own itinerary. With a car you should Nabl lar. One basilica was used for worship and

196 AROUND ALEPPO •• North & West of Aleppo lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com AROUND ALEPPO •• South of Aleppo 197

the other three housed the many pilgrims. so. During the trip keep a lookout for the GETTING THERE & AWAY GETTING THERE & AWAY ALEPPO Completed in around 491 after about 14 5th-century Mushabbak basilica standing Ain Dara is around 18km north of Qala’at Minibuses run from Aleppo to Azaz (S£15, years of building, it was the largest church alone in fields off to the left, about two- Samaan. You can probably get a ride from one hour), from where you’ll have to bar- ALEPPO in the world at the time. thirds of the way along the route. From Deir Samaan towards Nahr Afreen (you want gain with one of the taxi drivers to take you With the arrival of Islam in Syria, the Daret Azze it’s about 6km to Qala’at Sa- the road that goes through Deir Samaan, not the remaining 28km to the site, which takes Byzantine Christians were put on the de- maan. The minibus driver may offer to take the one that leads up to Qala’at Samaan) and about 30 minutes one way. This should cost fensive and the church complex was for- you the extra distance or you can negotiate get dropped off at the turn-off to Ain Dara, around S£800 return. (Hitching is not rec- tified, hence the name Qala’at (fortress). with a local taxi driver (around S£100). If sometimes signed ‘Tell Ain Dara’. ommended, as there is little traffic on this It eventually fell to the Islamic Fatimid there isn’t much traffic on the road, you Alternatively, from Aleppo catch a mini- road.) dynasty in 1017 and was apparently never won’t have to wait long before a vehicle bus direct to Nahr Afreen (S£20) and from For a day trip from Aleppo covering Cyr- again used as a place of worship. stops for you. there take one of the irregular pick-ups to rhus and Qala’at Samaan, hiring a driver The church ruins are remarkably well The last minibus from Daret Azze to Ain Dara (S£15), which is 7km to the south. and car is a good option. You can probably preserved. The main Romanesque façade Aleppo leaves at about 6pm. It will drop you at the turn-off just before bargain down to US$70 or US$80 from the still stands, while behind it the arches of the village; you can see the acropolis in the standard $US100 starting price for a decent .distance. Follow the road around (about car and English-speaking driver ﻗﻄﻮر the octagonal yard are reasonably com- Qatura plete. There’s plenty of ornamental carved About 2km west of Daret Azze on the road 2km), or cut across the path and onion ﻗﻠﺐ ﻟﻮز stonework to admire, although Simeon’s to Qala’at Samaan is the turn-off to Qatura. fields directly to the site. Qalb Lozeh pillar is in a sad state and is nothing more Follow this road off to the west and you’ll One of the very best-preserved examples -of Syrian-Byzantine ecclesiastical architec اﻟﻨﺒﻲ ﻫﻮري (than a boulder, reduced centuries ago come to more ruins, which include some Cyrrhus (Nebi Huri by pilgrims chipping away at it for holy Roman-era tombs cut into the rock. The In this wonderfully remote location, over- ture, the church of Qalb Lozeh (adult/student souvenirs. last tomb on the road is carved with a re- looking the Turkish border and deep in S£75/5; hsunrise-sunset) predates Qala’at Sa- The views of the barren hills to the west clining figure in much the same style as at Kurdish territory, is the 3rd-century pro- maan by perhaps only a couple of dec- are stunning and the ruins of Deir Samaan Palmyra. You can also quite clearly make vincial town of Cyrrhus (Nebi Huri to the ades. It was built as a stop-off point for can be seen down to the southwest at the out Latin and Greek inscriptions. locals). The setting is bucolic – Kurdish pilgrims en route to see Simeon on his foot of the hill. To get here, when you pick up a lift out families riding tractors out to work in the pillar. The entrance to the church, flanked of Daret Azze ask to be let off at the Qatura fields together, shepherds lying back on by two three-storey towers, its walls and -junction; the ruins and tombs are not much their elbows under the shade of trees, and the semicircular apse are almost com دﻳﺮ ﺳﻤﻌﺎن DEIR SAMAAN Deir Samaan (Monastery of Simeon) began of a walk from there. You shouldn’t have donkeys grazing by the road. Little is left pletely intact. Even some stone slabs of life as the small Greek agricultural village any trouble picking up a lift onwards to of the town today, but Cyrrhus once held a the roof have been retained, but the once- of Telanissos, but during the first part of Qala’at Samaan or back to Daret Azze. If strategic position for troops of the Roman impressive arch between the towers has the 5th century found itself being rapidly you have your own driver, it’s an easy drive Empire and boasted a citadel, theatre and been lost forever. The simple elegance of transformed by a steady influx of travellers, from Qala’at Samaan. cathedral. the structure, clean lines of the columns and their forerunners, pilgrims. As the an- From the dusty town of Azaz the road around the apse and classical decoration takes you through pleasant countryside, make this church an obvious precursor ﻋﻴﻦ دار tics of Simeon drew ever-larger crowds, so Ain Dara the village expanded to provide hostelries, A thousand years before Christ, a Hittite dotted with wheat fields and olive groves, to the Romanesque style that would later churches and three monasteries to accom- temple dedicated to the goddess Ishtar across two 3rd-century humpback Roman dominate the breadth of European church- modate the pilgrims. stood on an acropolis off the present-day bridges on the Sabun River and past a building. Expect to be met by the caretaker The basilica and Deir Samaan were con- road that now leads north from Qala’at Sa- Roman-era mausoleum. Preserved by local and his delightful children, who will try nected by a processional way, Via Sacra. A maan to the mainly Kurdish town of Nahr Muslims as a holy site, as evidenced by the to sell you some embroidery; have your monumental arch remains partway up the Afreen. The temple was destroyed in the ribbons you see tied to the bars for good change ready. slope, marking the old route. In the village 8th century BC, was rebuilt and then gradu- luck, the pyramid-capped monument has there are shells of two of the monasteries, ally gave way to other constructions. survived well. The ground floor has been GETTING THERE & AWAY a church and the bazaar; 150m south of Excavations on the mound where the recycled as the tomb of a local Muslim Qalb Lozeh lies 32km west off the main the arch are two very impressive hostelries temple stood have revealed its layout and, prophet named Houri. From here, branch road from Aleppo to the Turkish border and a tomb chapel hewn out of rock and most interestingly, some extraordinary ba- right off the road to Cyrrhus, which is just and Antakya. To get there, take a minibus reached by a stone bridge. salt statues and reliefs, which litter the site 200m further on. from Aleppo to Harim, which is a small, Local people live among the ruins, hav- (adult/student S£75/5; hsunrise-sunset). The single The easiest structure to distinguish attractive provincial town crowned by an ing built their own dwellings from stone re- most impressive statue is a huge lion. The out of what is a fairly crumbling bunch Ayyubid castle. From Harim you’ll need to cycled from ancient Deir Samaan, but they views of the surrounding countryside – of ruins is the theatre. Of the town walls, negotiate a taxi. don’t mind if you wander around. verdant fields, sunflowers, oleander trees colonnaded street and basilica in the north and fruit groves – are spectacular. of the town, not much remains, but scram- SOUTH OF ALEPPO GETTING THERE & AWAY The caretaker, who lives in the house at ble up through the ruins past the theatre Ebla, Ma’arat an-Nu’aman, Jerada and Take a minibus from the City Bus Station in the foot of the hill, will greet you, collect to the Arab citadel at the top and you’ll Ruweiha are all just off the main Aleppo– Aleppo to the village of Daret Azze (S£15, the admission fee, do his best to show you enjoy sweeping views across to the Turk- Hama highway, and while most are accessi- 50 minutes); they depart every half-hour or around, and probably invite you for tea. ish mountains. ble by public transport, it would be difficult 198 AROUND ALEPPO •• Dead Cities lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com AROUND ALEPPO •• Dead Cities 199

to visit them all this way in a single day. If GETTING THERE & AWAY highway in the east and the Orontes River of their kind. Just outside, the domed mau- ALEPPO you have a car and driver, seeing the lot is Take any Hama-bound minibus (S£20, one in the west. They date from the time when soleum housing the body of Bissos (possibly possible in one long day. These sites are hour) or one of the less frequent ones to this area was part of the hinterland of the a bishop) has since found its echo in similar ALEPPO equally easy to visit from Hama. Ma’arat an-Nu’aman (ask for Al-Ma’ara), and great Byzantine Christian city of Antioch. designs throughout the Arab world. Few ask to be let off at the Tell Mardikh turn-off. There are reckoned to be some 600 separate people live among the vast ruins now, al- .From there it’s a 20-minute walk through the sites, ranging from single monuments to though it’s a popular weekend picnic spot ﺗﻞ ﻣﺮدﻳﺦ (Ebla (Tell Mardikh Lying about 60km south of Aleppo, the village of Tell Mardikh to the site. Follow the nearly whole villages complete with houses, ﺳﺮﺟﻼ ancient city of Ebla (Tell Mardikh; adult/student elegant, tall, white street lamps. churches, mills, hammams and even wine Serjilla S£150/10; h8am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 4pm Oct-Mar) is of presses. Taken together they represent a Serjilla and Al-Bara are two of a cluster enormous fascination to archaeologists and Ma’arat an-Nu’aman (Al-Ma’ara) great archive in stone from which histo- of five or more Dead Cities strung out on rians can put together a picture of life in either side of a country lane that runs north ﻣﻌﺮّة اﻟﻨﻌﻤﺎن historians, but less so to most visitors unless they possess a vivid imagination or have This lively little market town has a past antiquity. from the green-domed mosque just outside done their homework. that’s more interesting than the town itself. The great mystery is why the towns were Kafr Nabl. About 2km after the mosque The Italian teams (there’s plenty of Ital- It was witness to a gruesome bit of history abandoned. Some of the sites, especially you’ll see a sign for Shinshira pointing off to ian labelling on sights here) excavating the when the Crusaders’ behaviour reached a Serjilla, have an eerie quality, as though your right. After a further 2km, off to the site since 1964 discovered Ebla was one of new low. On 12 December 1098, under the their occupants had just vanished. The left, are the grey stone remnants of Maha- the most powerful city-states in Syria in command of Count Raymond of Toulouse, latest theory is that these towns and vil- rdiyya buried within some olive groves. Both the late 3rd millennium BC, but was sacked the Crusaders attacked the fortified Muslim lages were emptied by demographic shifts; of these Dead Cities are worth exploring, before the close of the millennium, prob- town of Ma’arat an-Nu’aman, slaughtering trade routes changed and the people moved but if you’re pushed for time, skip them and ably by Sargon of Akkad or his grandson thousands. But the horror was amplified by with them. However, the Dead Cities are look out instead for the signposted turn-off Naram-Sin (c 2250 BC). In its heyday, Ebla what followed: ‘In Ma’ara our troops boiled inappropriately named: some form part of to Serjilla, to the right. probably controlled most of northwestern pagan adults in cooking pots; they impaled present-day villages, with people inhabit- Serjilla (adult/student S£75/5) is undoubtedly Syria. It rose again for a relatively brief children on spits and devoured them grilled’, ing the ancient ruins or incorporating the most eerie and evocative of the Dead period from about 1900 BC to 1750 BC, confessed one of the Crusader chroniclers. oddments of antiquity into the structure of Cities, especially in winter when the ruins before being destroyed in 1600 BC by Hit- The Mosaic Museum (adult/student S£150/10; their homes. might be shrouded in mist. Serjilla has the tite invaders. Troops of the First Crusade h9am-6pm Wed-Mon Apr-Sep, to 4pm Wed-Mon The number of sites is overwhelming – greatest number of semi-complete build- passed by thousands of years later, when it Oct-Mar), housed in the 16th-century Khan we describe only a handful of the most in- ings, all of which sit in a natural basin in was known as Mardic Hamlet. Murad Pasha, displays mosaics from the teresting and easily accessible. If you have windswept and hilly moorland. Although In recent times, digs here have unearthed floors of the more important or luxurious the inclination, you could spend weeks pot- deserted for about 15 centuries, the stone more than 15,000 clay tablets in a Sumer- buildings and private houses of the clusters tering around these fascinating sites, stum- façades are clean and sharp-edged and the ian dialect, providing a wealth of informa- of 5th- and 6th-century Byzantine towns bling across Byzantine-era ghosts wherever surrounding ground is covered with short tion on everything from economics to local that are now collectively referred to as the you wander. Beware of the present-era wild grass. The neatness adds to the spooky air. administration, and dictionaries of other Dead Cities. The museum is about 50m to dogs that inhabit some of these areas and At Serjilla’s centre is a small plaza tongues. However, only a small portion of the north of the bus station, on the right keep a watchful eye when exploring. flanked by a two-storey tavern and a large the cuneiform secrets has been unlocked. side of the square. hammam. Now stripped of the mosaics that once decorated it, the latter building ﺟﺎراد وروﻳﺤﺔ The site lies over a rise about 1km be- Further north and off to the right is the Jerada & Ruweiha yond the village of Tell Mardikh. You buy Great Mosque, whose 12th-century minaret Of these twin Dead Cities, Jerada is the is quite austere. Next door lies an andron your ticket outside the small, burgundy- was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1170. closer to the Aleppo–Hama highway. The (men’s meeting place), and further east a coloured, multidomed museum (h8am-6pm From the mosque, head to the right of the site is partially occupied, with some of the small church, along with substantial rem- Wed-Mon Apr-Sep, to 4pm Wed-Mon Oct-Mar) dedi- square and north for a few hundred metres – big old houses serving as barns for villagers, nants of private houses and villas. As you cated to the story of the excavations, and where the street opens out you’ll see the sad who have built their own dwellings on the clamber down narrow grassy lanes between then continue along the road and over remains of a medieval Citadel. northern fringes of the ruins. These ruins high stone walls, punctuated by carefully the rise. The shallow remains of the city include the extensive remains of noble carved windows and doors, you half expect lie before you, dominated by the limestone GETTING THERE & AWAY houses, a 5th-century Byzantine cathedral a householder to step out on a quick errand tell that once formed the core of the city’s There are frequent microbuses to Ma’arat and a six-storey watchtower. Some of the to fetch something from the market. fortress. It’s forbidden to clamber over the an-Nu’aman (S£25, one hour) from Alep- simple geometric designs on column capi- ﺑﺎر site so stick to the trails around the edge of po’s City Bus Station. Lumbering big buses tals and lintels are vaguely reminiscent of Al-Bara the excavations. It’s best to head straight up also do the run (S£15, one hour 20 minutes) Visigothic decoration in Spain around the Al-Bara is the most extensive of the Dead the stairs to the highest (and often windi- from the Pullman station. same time. Cities. It’s also the furthest north from Kafr est) point of the site, from where there’s a Follow the road for another 2.5km or so Nabl; you continue on beyond the turn for great view of the ruins and village below. DEAD CITIES across a barren lunarlike landscape to reach Serjilla and past another small Dead City The most interesting ruins are probably The star attraction of the region around the striking, scattered remains of Ruweiha. called Bauda. those labelled ‘Palace G’, just west of the Aleppo is the Dead Cities, a series of ancient The most imposing building here is the Surrounded by rich arable land and oc- acropolis, which display remains of a royal ghost towns scattered among the limestone 6th-century Church of Bissos. Its transverse cupying a strategic position on the north– staircase, walls and columned halls. hills that lie between the Aleppo–Hama arches are thought to be among the oldest south trade route between Antioch and © Lonely Planet Publications 200 AROUND ALEPPO •• Dead Cities lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com 201

Apamea, Al-Bara flourished from the 4th visible testament to the one-time wealth of ALEPPO century onwards, becoming one of the most the settlement. The larger of the two still important centres of wine and olive-oil pro- holds five sealed, decorated sarcophagi. ALEPPO duction in the region. Even when the trade From the pyramids you can wander south routes shifted in the 7th century (which saw past an underground tomb with three many neighbouring towns abandoned), Al- arches to a large, well-preserved monastery, Bara prospered and grew. It boasted large or head north to find the ruins of the five villas, three monasteries and numerous churches. churches – at least five can still be detected among ruins that cover 6 sq km. Getting There & Away The town weathered the coming of If you don’t have your own driver, take a Islam and remained predominantly east- micro bus for Ma’arat an-Nu’aman (com- ern Christian – and the seat of a bishopric monly referred to as Al-Ma’ara; S£20, one subordinate to Antioch – until its occupa- hour). For Jerada and Ruweiha ask to be let tion by the Latin Crusaders in the very last off at Babila, 7km before Al-Ma’ara, from years of the 12th century. where you can see the ruins over to the west, It was from Al-Bara that the Crusaders 3km away. If you start walking you’re bound set out to perpetrate their horrible can- to be offered a lift before you get too far. nibalistic episode at Ma’arat an-Nu’aman To get to Al-Bara, Serjilla and the other in 1098 (see p198 ). Twenty-five years later neighbouring Dead Cities, stay on the bus they were driven out and Al-Bara reverted all the way into Al-Ma’ara, where you can to Muslim control. catch a microbus for Kafr Nabl (S£10), As it stands today, there’s no obvious some 10km away. From Kafr Nabl it’s a route around the site; the land is densely further 6km to Al-Bara. If the microbus covered by vegetation and you have to driver offers to take you on, you could offer tramp through the undergrowth and groves him an additional S£10 per person. Other- of cherry, apricot and olive trees to discover wise walk out of the village, follow the main the old buildings and ruins. street, then after about 1.5km bear right at Don’t miss the striking pyramid tombs, the large new mosque with the green dome; 200m apart, decorated with Corinthian pi- it won’t be long before a passing car offers lasters and carved acanthus leaves, a very you a lift.

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