ALEPPO •• History 173
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© 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.