The Christian Quarter, built in the 16th century and located in Aleppo, originates from the Old City and extends to the north. It was home to Christian communities in ancient times and has preserved numerous churches and beautiful residences to this day. Also, the quarter is a reflection of the diversity of cultures and religions: Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Gregorians and others.

Among the many residential buildings with low facades, the building of the Museum of Folk Art and Traditions, which reveals the country's valuable secrets, stands out.

Today, the Christian Quarter surprises with its charm, and some of its old houses have been converted into hotels, boutiques selling Western brands, and chic restaurants.

Citadel in Aleppo

The citadel is a fortress in the center of the city of Aleppo, which was built in 944-967.

The construction of the first fortifications was carried out by the founder of the fortress, the ruler of Aleppo, Saif al-Dola. During the Crusades, the fortress served as a stronghold for both sides.

At the very beginning of the XIII century, the fortress grew and turned into a rich city. Mosques, palaces, an arsenal, warehouses and many other necessary buildings were located on its territory. The city began to develop outside the walls only after 1516, when the city was captured by the Ottoman Empire.

Unfortunately, the fortress was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1828, the consequences of which are being eliminated in our time.

The fortress is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Ghost town of Rasafa

The dead city of Rasafa is one of the most interesting sights in Syria. The city is located in the east of the country, near the city of Raqqa. Getting to the city is by no means easy - there is no public transport here, and therefore you can get there by car or taxi along a broken dirt road from Al Mansour or Palmyra, or along the modern Raqqa-Aleppo highway.

In ancient times, the city changed its name several times. The last name of the city in the status of inhabited is Sergiopolis ("City of Sergius"). It received this name due to the events connected with the death of one of the Christian saints, the Monk Sergius, who was brutally murdered in Rasafa during the Diocletian Christian persecution.

Today this city is abandoned. In the XIII century, its inhabitants moved to the city of Hama on the orders of Sultan Baybars.

And although today the city is almost completely hidden under a layer of sand, it makes an indelible impression. By right, it can be called one of the most majestic, mysterious and beautiful "dead cities" of Syria.

The city is built of marble-like limestone, similar to pink mica, so the city simply sparkles and shimmers in the sunset.

The most significant and interesting monuments of Rasafa are the city gates, the cathedral, the basilica, ancient water cisterns, city walls and towers.

There is more than one mosaic museum in Syria, but the museum located in the city of Maarat al-Numan deserves special attention. It has the most diverse and rich exposition compared to others. The building in which it is located is noteworthy - it is a caravanserai built in the 16th century for travelers and merchants.

The territory of the museum complex occupies several hectares. Here are collected Roman and Byzantine mosaics from the 6th century, brought from nearby dead cities, floor, wall, depicting animals, mythological heroes and gods, everyday scenes, as well as rare mosaic icons and ornamental fragments. Also here you can see sarcophagi and tombstones, pottery, stone doors of tombs.

Shooting inside the museum is strictly prohibited, you can only photograph those exhibits that are located in the open air, and without a flash - according to the museum administration, bright light adversely affects the condition of the mosaics.

Church of St. Simeon

The Church of St. Simeon the Stylite was built by Simeon's disciple, St. Daniel the Stylite, who turned to Emperor Leo the First with a request to perpetuate the memory of his teacher.

However, the church was built under another emperor - Zinon around the 5th century. The building was built in an octagonal form with a diameter of 30 meters with exedras, and in the middle of the building there is a high pillar on which St. Simeon labored for the last 33 years out of the 47 years he spent on the pillars. The building is covered with a wooden dome in the form of an octagonal pyramid 40 meters high.

In the 10th century, the temple complex was surrounded by fortress walls with 27 towers, which became the beginning of the emergence of Simeon's fortress. In the XII century, the fortress was captured by the crusaders, and a century later the building fell into disrepair. Numerous pilgrims always came here for a piece of St. Simeon's column, which, it was believed, helped against illnesses.

Archaeological site of Sergilla

The dead city of Serjilla (Serjilla) is located 60 kilometers from Aleppo, near the city of Maarat al-Numan. In addition to Sergilla, a whole network of ancient Byzantine settlements is scattered here, for the most part well preserved. The first houses date back to the 3rd-4th century AD, the flourishing of cities in this area falls on the 4th-6th centuries.

Sergilla attracts tourists and explorers from all over the world. A large-scale archaeological site has been deployed here, excavations continue to this day. On a relatively small area, Roman baths, residential villas, a church built in 372 (the oldest in this region), a necropolis, the tombs of which are carved in stone, oil presses, have been preserved. You can also see watchtowers and a tavern building here. The reason why the inhabitants left the city is still unknown, but all the buildings have been preserved almost unchanged - in some, only roofs and floors between floors are missing.

In Sergilla, there are organized tours with departure from the hotel, but you can come and wander through the streets of the ancient city on your own.

Al Madinah Market

The Al-Madina market, located in the Syrian city of Aleppo, is considered the largest covered market in the world, with a long history. Most souks (covered markets) have existed here since the 14th century. The 13-kilometer-long market also houses caravanserais designed for merchants to live and store goods, many of which are architectural monuments.

It sells luxury goods from other countries and locally produced goods. Prices are much lower than in the famous Al Hamidiya market in Damascus. In the Al-Madina market, you can buy everything from copper jewelry to expensive silks. The best souvenir from Aleppo is natural olive soap, which is produced by local soap factories with 300-500-year-old traditions. You can find it in one of the parts of the huge market called Suq Al-Saboun.

Since 1986, as part of the Old City of Aleppo, Al-Madina Market has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List. During mortar attacks in 2012, many parts of the market were badly damaged or completely destroyed.

Armenian Apostolic Church of the Forty Martyrs

The Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs, which belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church, is located on the site of an earlier building (a Christian chapel). The first mention of this cathedral dates back to 1476; the building acquired its current appearance at the beginning of the 17th century. This is one of the numerous temples of the Armenian Apostolic Church located in Syria.

The Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs is notable for the icons of ancient and modern writing, among which the Last Judgment (early 18th century) occupies a special place. The design of the cathedral is interesting - it does not have a dome, but there are three altars. The interior of the Church of the Forty Martyrs corresponds to the traditions of Armenian churches - strict, even ascetic, not distinguished by splendor. The temple was subjected to numerous reconstructions, for a long time it was the spiritual center of the Armenian diaspora in Syria. An entire Armenian quarter has grown up around it, until recently it was lively and prosperous. Now, due to the tense political situation, many residents have left it. At present, the Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs is one of the oldest churches in Aleppo and houses a museum.

Great Mosque in Aleppo

The Great Mosque in the city of Aleppo or the Umayyad Mosque was built in 715. Here, according to legend, is the grave of Father John the Baptist Zacharias.

The Great Mosque is the oldest and largest mosque in Aleppo.

Particularly noteworthy is the 45-meter minaret, which was restored during the time of Abul Hassan Muhammad in 1090. Unfortunately, during its history, the mosque was destroyed after a fire, which allowed Sultan Nur ed-Din Zengid in 1169 to restore and somewhat expand its area.

The minaret is decorated with carved inscriptions and ornaments. The courtyard is famous for its black and white stone pavement, which forms various geometric shapes.

The most popular attractions in Aleppo with descriptions and photos for every taste. Choose the best places to visit the famous places of Aleppo on our website.

And the capital of the "gray" (ash-Shahba) province.
"Gray" not only in name, but also gray in the absence of greenery.
In the center of the city rises a hill, on which, according to legend, Abraham stopped on his way to Egypt.
The legend also tells that Ibrahim, the prophet of Abraham, lived here, and he had a gray (shahba) cow, he milked the cow and distributed milk to poor people. Every evening these people asked:
"Haleb Ibrahim al-baqr ash-shahba?" - "Did Ibrahim milk a gray cow?"
Hence the name of the city: Aleppo (Khale bash-Shahba).
Now on the hill rises the Citadel, which is the symbol of Aleppo.
Apart from the Arabs Aleppo there is a large Armenian colony: Armenians moved to the northern regions after the massacre in Turkey in 1915-16, Aleppo even received the nickname "Mother of emigration").
Aleppo is an ancient city, the first mention of it dates back to the beginning of the 3rd century BC. BC Later, the city was conquered by the Hittites, and in the VIII century. BC. came under the rule of Babylon.
The heyday of Aleppo fell on the IV - I centuries. BC. At this time, Aleppo was rebuilt and received the Greek name Beroia. Then the Greek layout of the city took shape, the acropolis appeared, the trading square - agora and temples.
During the Roman and Byzantine periods, the layout of the city did not change much.
In 637, the city was captured by the Arabs. Aleppo was a major center first of the Umayyad province, and then of the Abbasid Caliphate.
From the 11th century the city became the main center on the famous Great Silk Road, connecting the East with the West.
The crusaders never managed to capture Aleppo, but in 1401 they could not resist the invasion of Tamerlane's troops.
In 1516 Aleppo became part of the Ottoman Empire. But even this did not affect the economic and intellectual level of the city. Allepo for a long time remained the largest city in Syria. After the end of World War I, Syria passed from Turkish rule to French mandate.

open
Summer 9.00 -18.00
Winter 9.00 – 16.00
Ramadan 9.00 -15.00
Day off - Tuesday

Citadel. Aleppo.

Once on the site of the citadel there was a Greek acropolis, a Byzantine church, a Muslim mosque. The citadel suffered from earthquakes and sieges more than once.
The fortress acquired its present appearance at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th century. under the son of Salah ad-Din Malik Zahir Gazi, who ordered to dig a moat and cover the slopes of the hill with stone lining.
The fortress is surrounded by a 30-meter moat. The entrance to the citadel is guarded by two towers. The bridge tower, 20 meters high, was built in 1542 and protects the bridge, based on 8 arches and forming a staircase, under which an aqueduct passed, supplying the fortress with water. The bridge leads to the gate tower, which is the only entrance to the citadel.
The fortress is a grandiose superbly fortified structure. A narrow street runs through the entire citadel, along which there were buildings (little remains of them), underground premises of the Byzantine period were used to store water, and a prison was also located underground.

Citadel. Aleppo. Syria.

There were two mosques in the citadel: the small mosque or the mosque of Ibrahim, built in 1167. The mosque stands on the site of the church, and so - on the site of a stone, where, according to legend, Ibrahim liked to rest. The Great Mosque built in 1214 was destroyed by fire in 1240; a stone mihrab and several rooms have been preserved from the original building.

Citadel. Aleppo.

Citadel. Aleppo. Syria.

The throne room of the Mamluk rulers (XV-XVI centuries) has been preserved. The hall is arranged in the upper tier of the gate tower.

The busy Jami al-Omawi street leads from the Citadel.

On it is Khan al-Wazir- the largest and most famous caravanserai of Aleppo, built in 1682.

Khan al-Wazir (left) and the Jami al-Fustok Mosque (1349) (right). Aleppo. Syria.

At the end of the street is the main mosque of the city - Mosque of Jami al-Omawi (Umayyad). The mosque was built on the site of Saint Helena in 715, modeled on the Damascus Umayyad Mosque. The building often suffered from fires and destruction, the current building dates back to 1169.

Close to mosques Jami al-Omawi there is a mosque-madrasah Khalyaviya - it was the oldest cathedral Aleppo, erected in the VI century. in honor of Helena, the mother of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine.

Aleppo is famous for its covered markets, which cover the Jami al-Omawi Mosque on three sides and stretch for a total of 9 km. Markets began to take shape in the 16th century. and include shops, workshops, hamams, mosques.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Aleppo Citadel is arguably the most picturesque medieval fortress in the Middle East. This imposing building rises above the city on a 50 m high hill, with some of the ruins dating back to 1000 BC. It is said that this is where Abraham milked his cows. The city is surrounded by a moat 22 m wide, and the only entrance is located in the outer tower on the south side. Inside are a 12th-century palace built by the son of Salah ad-din and two mosques. Especially beautiful is the Great Mosque with a separate minaret of the 12th century, decorated with openwork stone carvings.

The old city around the citadel is a stunning labyrinth of narrow twisted streets and secret courtyards. The Bazaar is the largest indoor market in the Middle East. It seems that stone arches stretch into the distance for long kilometers, and everything you can imagine is sold on various stalls.

Aleppo is known for having some of the best examples of Islamic architecture in Syria, and the city is called the second capital of the country. This is one of the most interesting cities in the Middle East.

Best time to visit

March to May or September to October.

Do not miss

• Archaeological Museum of Aleppo.
• Bab Antakia is the old western gate of the bazaar.
• Maronite Cathedral.
• Armenian Church.
• Church of St. Simeon - 60 km from Aleppo, built in 473 in honor of Simeon the Stylite, who spent 37 years on top of the column, trying to get closer to the Lord.
• This is one of the oldest churches in the world.

Should know

Despite the fact that the population of Aleppo is 70% Arabs (Shia Muslims) and Kurds (Sunnis), it is home to the largest Christian community in the Middle East after Beirut. After the establishment of the State of Israel, the socio-political atmosphere of "ethnic cleansing" led to the fact that the Jewish community of 10 thousand people was forced to emigrate, mainly to the United States and Israel.

ALEPPO, SYRIA: View of the city from the citadel in peacetime. Prior to the civil war, Aleppo was the largest city in Syria, with a population of about 2.5 million. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky.

Aleppo today is a patchwork quilt. The city is held by government troops, ISIS, some other rebels, they are constantly firing at each other ... when you see this on the news, you understand that there is no stone left unturned in the city. This is Stalingrad!

Center map

Traffic

By bike

Passing through

Dmitry Vozdvizhensky, journalist, photographer, traveler.

Visiting the Site for curious travelers - my old colleague, journalist, photographer, experienced traveler. With this article about the Syrian city Aleppo we will continue a series of materials under the general title "Syria before the war", we will talk about what this country was like quite recently, and about what kind of Syria we have irretrievably lost.

“I remember Aleppo in a completely different way,” Dmitry says, “tidy, school uniformed children going on an excursion to the museum, the citadel, a medieval fortress towering over the city, I remember smiling students dreaming of their future, young couples walking carelessly through the streets , the Great Mosque and the narrow streets of the old city, peasants who came to admire the local beauties and, of course, friendly sellers, because Aleppo has always been the kingdom of merchants! For many years it was the commercial capital of Syria. Everything could be bought here! Once I wandered around the local bazaar all day, looked at all this, talked with people. As a result, I made a sketch about Aleppo, which I want to quote now without changes. Because it makes no sense to change anything here. There is none of this anymore! Where are Adele and Ahmed now? What happened to these people? Such questions, I think, can no longer be asked, because there is no answer to them. The shadows of Aleppo will not give an answer. My old reportage suddenly became a document, evidence of a war crime committed under the guise of fighting the “regime” of Bashar al-Assad.”

ALEPPO, SYRIA: An artisan makes a copper vat. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky.

Anyone who came to Aleppo for the first time was very struck by the fact that almost the entire center of the city is one big bazaar - souk. On one side, small shops open onto covered streets, and on the other side, they run into former caravanserais. Before the war, they were used as ordinary warehouses. Previously, goods were stored in them only on the first floors. The second housed inns, restaurants and hotels. And in the courtyards, after long journeys through the desert, camels rested. Today, of course, only memories remain of the camels.

In ancient times, in addition to merchants, artisans who worked with copper flourished in Aleppo. Traditions have been preserved until the 21st century. In the old city there were many shops and workshops in which dozens of tinsmiths worked, making metal utensils. One version of the city's name says that it comes from the word "haleb", which means "iron".

ALEPPO, SYRIA: Two elderly men in a shop. Photo: Dmitry Vozdizhensky.

Yes, the color was not the same as before, but the passion to sell and buy, according to local residents, is in their blood. Only commerce allowed them to lead a decent life. Adele once studied in the Soviet Union, graduated from the Institute of Culture. Then he worked as a librarian in Aleppo. But, alas, librarians in Syria before the war received no more than Russian ones. And Adel had two sons and a wife, by the way, Russian. He met her in Leningrad. You can't feed a family on a modest salary of a cultural worker. And then Adele took up trading. As a result, he had two stores on the central bough. His son worked in one, and he himself worked in the other.

Adele, Syrian, shop owner said:“Tourists mainly buy these scarves, and local residents buy towels, bathrobes. Their men dress, there are winter ones, there are summer ones. Winter is denser, and summer is lighter.

ALEPPO, SYRIA: Children play soccer serenely in the schoolyard. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky.

Of course, we could not resist the temptation to see how it is actually supposed to put on a real men's Arabic headscarf. Adele gladly agreed to help us in this matter.

Then he called his son, who, like his father, spoke excellent Russian, and invited us to his shop to talk about life. Over a glass of strong tea, he happily talked about Syrian customs.

“The most important thing in Syria is security. You can walk, even at night, at three in the morning, no one will touch you. Tourists come from the west, from eastern countries. Everyone praises this feature of ours. The people are kind. Nobody touches tourists, on the contrary, they are well received. If you need to show the way, the seller will even leave his shop and go to show the way. We have a kind, good people."

ALEPPO, SYRIA: Men talk in the courtyard of the Great Mosque. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky.

Then our conversation turned to politics and religion. Adele shared his thoughts on Islam. He believed that many were hiding behind him for the implementation of their personal goals. In fact, it is a pure and human religion.

Adele, Syrian, shop owner:“Our religion is not against other religions. Here, for example, the beginning of the Koran, there is a sura there, you can say a part. Our god says: Thank God - the God of all people. Not just Muslims. He is the God of all people. We never knew or taught our children to be racist or to be violent. Please, we live with Christians in friendship. We live in one country, under one peaceful sky. Thank God. How to say Glory to Allah.

ALEPPO, SYRIA: Women and children walk in the courtyard of the Great Mosque. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky.

After Syria became independent from France, a warm friendship with the Soviet Union began. Before the Civil War, many people had the warmest feelings for Russia and sincerely considered our country a Great Power. At that time, Aleppo was full of signs in Russian, although trade was mainly not with Moscow, but with Kyiv. And not at the state level. New commercial ties firmly tied Syria to Ukraine. Due to the cheapness, Syrian goods were in great demand among Ukrainian shuttle traders.

Adel and other Aleppo merchants knew how to make money almost out of thin air. Two small examples. It would seem, how much can you earn on seeds? Judging by our grandmothers selling them in the markets, not very much. But it all depends on the volume of sales. You can earn a lot of money from seeds and nuts.

ALEPPO, SYRIA: Portrait of a man in an Arabic headscarf in the courtyard of the Great Mosque. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky. ALEPPO, SYRIA: Men talking on the street. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky.

Ahmed Assab is the owner of a shop, the turnover of which reached an impressive figure: 300 kilograms per day! That is how many different seeds and nuts were bought daily by ordinary citizens of Aleppo from eight in the morning to five in the evening.

Ahmed Asab, shop owner:“I don’t know what I would do without nuts. It seems to me that nuts are the favorite food of many different people. Everyone buys - old and young, women and men. Everyone loves nuts.

If the front room of the shop, overlooking the street, was lined with jars and bags of goods and looked quite neat and good-looking, then the back room, in which these same seeds were cooked, looked a bit like a small private hell. It was incredibly hot there. Seeds were roasted in a huge cauldron that looked like a concrete mixer. The process went on continuously. One person loaded and unloaded, another sifted, brought raw grains or nuts in large bags and carried the finished product into the alley. Here she cooled down and waited for buyers. In a small closet there was a constant fumes, smoke and dust from the burnt husk. Passing by such an establishment, even with your eyes closed, you could tell by the smell alone that you would be happy to sell roasted almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios or some other intricate nuts here.

ALEPPO, SYRIA: Smiling students on a city street. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky. ALEPPO, SYRIA: School trip to Aleppo Citadel. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky.

The Syrians in Aleppo also managed to make good money on soap. Nowadays, when you will not surprise anyone with this simplest hygiene product, it is quite difficult to come up with something new. But the Syrians did not invent. Real soap should be the way it was invented. And they invented it, according to local residents, it was in Aleppo.

Zahir, seller:“This is our famous soap. It takes a very long time. A special blend of laurel and olive oils is poured in an even layer on a sealed floor. And then you need to wait a few months until the moisture evaporates. Then we cut the thickened mass into pieces and that's it, you can wash.

The Syrians claim that Aleppo soap is the best in the world. Like wine, it only gets better with age. So, if there was not enough money for old paintings or cognacs, before the war you could buy some aged Syrian soap here.

Bassel, seller:“This is a mild, annual soap. It costs a dollar per kilo. It can be cut with wire. And here is a three-year exposure. And this is five years. It can only be cut with a hacksaw. It costs five dollars per kilogram. I also have a ten-year-old soap for special clients!”

ALEPPO, SYRIA: View of Aleppo from the Citadel.

Prior to the start of the civil war, Aleppo had a population of 2.5 million. Today, that figure has more than halved to less than one million people. The beginning of hostilities is February 10, 2012, when two car bombs were blown up. Street fighting began on July 19 and was on the rise. The world's largest historic market, Souq al-Madina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was destroyed at the end of September. More than 500 stores were burned...

ALEPPO, SYRIA: The unique minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo from the 11th century. Destroyed during the fighting. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky. ALEPPO, SYRIA: Shadows of Aleppo. Shadows of people in the arch in the citadel of Aleppo. Their fate is not known. Photo: Dmitry Vozdvizhensky.

Aleppo is considered the second city of Syria (after Damascus), but for many years it has been trying to challenge the title of the most ancient city from the capital. The reason for this are ancient legends. With such a not too fundamental substantiation of their ancient history, it is difficult for the inhabitants of Aleppo to fight for the title of the oldest city in Syria. However, they do it very successfully.

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City
Arab. حلب ‎
36°12′00″ s. sh. 37°09′00″ in. d.
Country	Syria
Governorate	Aleppo (Aleppo)
Area	Jebel Sem'an
Mayor	Mohammad Ayman Hallaq
History and geography
First mention	2500 BC e.
Former names	Khalibon, Halman, Beroya
Square	190 km²
Center height	390 m
Timezone	UTC+2, summer UTC+3
Population
Population	2,132,100 people (2004)
Confessional composition	Muslims, Christians
Names of residents	Aleppine, Aleppines; Aleppo, Aleppo
Official language	Arab
Digital IDs
Telephone code	+963 21
aleppo-city.gov.sy

View of Aleppo from the citadel

Aleppo, Haleb(arab. حَلَبُ ‎ Ḥalalab; other Greek Βέροια , lat. Beroea) is the largest city and the center of the eponymous, most populated governorate of the country. It is located in the nahiya of Mount Simeon, Jebel Sem'an district. With a population of 2,301,570 inhabitants (2005), Aleppo was also one of the largest cities in the Levant. For many centuries, Aleppo was the largest city in Greater Syria and the third largest in the Ottoman Empire, after and.

Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world; it was inhabited already, most likely, by the 6th century BC. Excavations at Tell al-Sauda and Tell al-Ansari (south of the old part of the city) show that the area was inhabited at least in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. Aleppo is mentioned in Hittite inscriptions, in the Mari inscriptions on the Euphrates, in central Anatolia, and in the city of Ebla, where it is described as one of the main centers of trade and a city of military art.

The city has a significant place in history, as it is located on the Great Silk Road, which passed through Central Asia and Mesopotamia. When the Suez Canal was opened in 1869, goods began to be transported by water and Aleppo's role as a trading city declined. Shortly before the start of the civil war in Syria, Aleppo experienced a brief period of rebirth. In 2006, the city won the title of "Capital of Islamic Culture".

It is located in the northern part of Syria, between the Orontes and the Euphrates, on the steppe river Kueika (arab. قويق ‎), at the northwestern foot of a barren hill, in a wide basin surrounded on all sides by high limestone walls, at a height of 380 meters, three hundred and fifty kilometers northeast of .

Etymology

In ancient times, Aleppo was known as Halpe or Halibon, and the Greeks and Romans called it Beroya(other Greek. Βέροια , lat. Beroea). During the Crusades and then during the period of the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, the city was called in Italian Aleppo, instead of Aleppo. However, the origin of Aleppo's ancient name "Aleppo" is unclear. Some suggest that "Aleppo" means "iron" or "copper", since he was the main producer of these metals in antiquity. "Halaba" means "white" in Aramaic, proponents of this version refer to the color of the soil and the abundance of marble in the area. Another explanation comes from folk etymology and is that the name Aleppo means "milked (milk)", from an ancient legend that Abraham gave milk to travelers. They asked each other " Halab Ibrahim?", that is " Doil Ibrahim (Abraham)?". The color of his cow was red (Arab. shaheb), so the city is called "Haleb ash-Shahba".

Geography

Aleppo at night

Aleppo is located 120 km from the Mediterranean Sea, at an altitude of 380 m above sea level, 45 km east of the border. The city is surrounded by agricultural land in the north and west, where the cultivation of pistachio and olive trees is common. In the east, Aleppo is surrounded by the Syrian Desert. The city was founded a few kilometers south of the location of the old city, on the right bank of the Kueyke River; the old part of the city lies on the left bank of the river. It was surrounded by 8 hills, forming a circle with a radius of 10 km, in the center of which was the main high hill. A fortress was built on this hill, dating back to the 2nd millennium BC. These hills are called Tell as-Sauda, ​​Tell Aisha, Tell as-Sett, Tell al-Yasmin, Tell al-Ansari (Yarukiya), An at-Tall, al-Jallum and Bakhsita. The old part of the city was surrounded by an ancient wall consisting of nine gates. The wall was surrounded by a wide deep ditch.

With an area of ​​190 km², Aleppo is one of the fastest growing cities in the Middle East. The city development plan, adopted in 2001, provided for the expansion of the total area of ​​Aleppo to 420 km² by the end of 2015.

Climate

The climate of Aleppo is very close to the Mediterranean. At the same time, the mountain plateau on which the city is located significantly reduces the warming effect of the Mediterranean Sea during the winter months, which makes the winter in Aleppo much colder than in other Mediterranean cities, although it is shorter. According to the average January temperature, winter is comparable to winter on the southern coast of Crimea, while stable night frosts are observed at night, with a warm day, although the weather changes very often.

In some years, serious cooling is possible, reaching -5 ° C, and occasionally -10 ° C. Snow often falls, some winters are snowy and are accompanied by the formation of temporary snow cover. Windy, wet weather dominates in winter. Summer is very hot and almost rainless. However, it also comes and ends earlier than in the Mediterranean cities. The temperature averages +36 °C during the daytime, but often rises above +40 °C. Spring in Aleppo comes conditionally in the second half of February and lasts until the end of April. Autumn in Aleppo is very short, and it is only November.

Story

Aleppo is one of the most ancient cities in the world; it was inhabited in the 6th millennium BC. Excavations at Tell al-Sauda and Tell al-Ansari (south of the old part of the city) show that the area was inhabited in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. Aleppo is mentioned in Hittite inscriptions, in the Mari inscriptions on the Euphrates, in central Anatolia, and in the city of Ebla, where it is described as one of the main centers of trade and military art.

Ancient world

Ebla. Ruins of the royal palace.

The Ancient East

Empire of Sargon the Ancient, 24th century BC e.

Aleppo appears in historical records much earlier than. The first mention of it dates back to the III millennium BC. e., when Aleppo was the capital of the independent kingdom of Ebla. The city was known as Army in Ebla and under the name Arman in Akkad. Naram-Sin, king of Akkad, (or his grandfather, Sargon the Ancient) destroyed Ebla and Arman in the 23rd century BC.

In the late Babylonian period, Aleppo was first mentioned under the name Halab (Halba). The city was the capital of the Amorite kingdom of Yamhad. The kingdom of Yamhad (arab. يمحاض) (c. 1800-1600 BC), also known as the "land of Aleppo", was at that time the most powerful and powerful kingdom in the Middle East.

Yamhad was destroyed by the Hittites under Mursili I in the 16th century BC. However, Aleppo soon resumed its leading role in Syria when the Hittite forces in the region weakened due to internal strife.

Taking advantage of the anarchy in the region, Parrattarna, the king of the Hurrian kingdom of Mitanni, conquered Aleppo in the 15th century BC. Subsequently, Aleppo was on the front line in the struggle between Egypt and Mitanni and the Hittite kingdom and Mitanni. The Hittite Suppiluliuma I defeated Mitanni and conquered Aleppo in the XIV century BC. e. Aleppo had a cult significance for the Hittites: it was the center of worship for the weather god.

When the Hittites collapsed in the 12th century B.C. e., Aleppo became part of the Aramaic Syro-Hittite kingdom of Arpad, and later it became the capital of the Aramaic Syro-Hittite kingdom of Hatarikka-Luhuti. In the 9th century BC. e. Aleppo became part of the Neo-Assyrian kingdom, and later the Neo-Babylonian kingdom and the Achaemenid Empire.

Antiquity

Ruins of the Maronite Basilica in Brad, Aleppo

Alexander the Great conquered the city in 333 BC. Seleucus Nicator founded a Greek settlement here (c. 301-286 BC) and named it Berea- in honor of the city of Veria in the Macedonian Empire.

Berea remained under Seleucid rule for nearly 300 years. Roman rule ensured the stability and security of Northern Syria for more than three centuries.

During the Roman era, the population in northern Syria increased markedly, and it also increased during the rule of the Byzantines in the 5th century. In late antiquity, Berea was the second largest city after Antioch, the capital of Syria; and the third largest city in the Roman Empire. Archaeological evidence indicates a high population density in the villages and towns between Antioch and Berea in the 6th century AD. At present, these settlements contain ancient houses and churches, such as the church of St. Simeon the Stylite. Saint Maron was probably born in this region: his tomb is located in Brad, west of Aleppo.

Berea is mentioned in 2 Mac. 13:3.

Middle Ages

The ancient walls of Aleppo and Bab Qinnasrin, restored in 1256 by An-Nasir Yusuf

The Sassanids invaded Syria at the beginning of the 7th century. Soon Aleppo was conquered by the Arabs under the leadership of Khalid ibn Walid in 637. In 944, it became the seat of an independent emirate of the Hamdanid prince Sayf al-Dawla, and the city prospered, being the home of the great poet Al-Mutanabbi and the philosopher Al-Farabi. The city was returned by the Byzantines in 962 and was part of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine) from 974 to 987. Aleppo and its emirate became a vassal state from 969 until the Byzantine-Selju wars. In 1024-1080, the Mirdasid dynasty ruled the city with short breaks. Aleppo was twice besieged by the crusaders, in 1098 and 1124, but was not conquered.

An earthquake that occurred in 1138 destroyed the city and its surroundings. One cannot rely entirely on the estimates of the time, but nevertheless it is believed that 230,000 people died, thus making it the fifth deadliest earthquake in human history.

Aleppo passed to Saladin and then to the Ayyubid dynasty in 1183.

Suq al-Zirb of the Mamluk period

On January 24, 1260, Aleppo was taken by the Mongols, led by Hulagu, along with the knights of Prince Bohemond VI of Antioch and his father-in-law, King Hetum I of Armenia. The city was poorly defended by the Ayyubid Turan Shah: the walls collapsed after six days of bombardment, and the citadel after four weeks Many Muslims and Jews died, and the Christian population was spared. Since the Mongols respected Turan Shah for his bravery, they did not kill him. Then the city was transferred to the former emir of the city, al-Ashraf Musa, and a Mongol garrison was established in the city. The award was also presented to Hethum I for his help in taking Aleppo. Then the Mongol troops headed towards Damascus, and he surrendered. The Mongols entered Damascus on March 1, 1260.

In September 1260, the Mamluks negotiated a treaty with the Franks from , which allowed them to pass unhindered through the crusaders, and entered into battle with the Mongols (see Battle of Ain Jalut) on September 3, 1260. The Mamluks were victorious, killing the Mongol commander Kitbuku, and recaptured five days later. The Muslims took possession of Aleppo within a month, and the Mamluk governor remained in charge of the city. In December of that year, Hulagu sent troops to try to retake Aleppo. The Mongols killed a large number of Muslims in retaliation for the death of Kitbuka, but since they failed to capture the city within two weeks, they were forced to retreat.

In October 1271, the Mongols again managed to capture Aleppo, defeating the Turkmen troops defending the city and an army of ten thousand from Anatolia. The Mamluk garrisons fled to the city, but Baybars returned with his army to defend Aleppo, and the Mongols retreated.

On October 20, 1280, the Mongols recaptured Aleppo, robbing markets and setting fire to mosques. The Muslim inhabitants of the city fled to where the Mamluk leader Al-Mansur Qalauun was gathering his forces. As his army approached Aleppo, the Mongols retreated again, returning across the Euphrates.

In 1400, the Turkic leader Tamerlane retook the city from the Mamluks. Many inhabitants were killed, a tower of thousands of human skulls was built outside the city. After the departure of the Mongols, the entire Muslim population returned to Aleppo. But the Christians who left the city during the Mongol invasion were unable to move back to their quarter in the old part of the city. This led them to create a new quarter in 1420, built outside the city walls, in the northern suburbs of Aleppo. This new quarter was called al-Jdeideh ("new district" in Arabic).

new time

In the 19th century, two major Jewish pogroms took place in the city. In 1947, following the formation of Israel, a major pogrom took place in the city, as a result of which a mass exodus of Jews to Israel began.

Syrian Civil War

The current state of the city (the consequences of the battle for Aleppo)

In 2012, during the Syrian Civil War, the city became the scene of fierce fighting between rebels and terrorist groups on the one hand and government forces on the other. The active phase of the fighting began in the summer of 2012.

On March 19, 2013, Sarin nerve gas was used in the Aleppo suburb of Khan al-Asal, killing 15 people.

On October 2, 2013, as a result of rocket fire by Jabhat al-Nusra militants at the As-Sakhur transformer station, the city was completely de-energized. By this time, half of the city was held by government troops, the other part - by various rebel groups. The city's population has fallen from 2.5 million to less than 1 million since the start of the conflict.

On February 3, 2016, detachments of the Syrian army and militia broke through the blockade of the settlements of Nubel and Az-Zahra, located in the suburbs of Aleppo. As a result of this military operation, government forces were able to interrupt communications between terrorist groups in the Aleppo region and Turkey.

According to estimates in September 2016, about 250,000 people remained in the eastern part of Aleppo (controlled by the opposition and terrorists), and 1.5 million people remained in the western part (controlled by government forces).

Sending columns with militants continued for two weeks. During this time, official Damascus and the opposition have repeatedly accused each other of disrupting agreements and resuming shelling. Nevertheless, by the evening of December 22, thousands of militants left Aleppo, and a small area remained under the control of Assad's opponents, which they cleared around 21:00 Moscow time.

By the evening of December 22, 2016, the city finally came under the control of government troops.

Population

Jew and Bedouins in Aleppo, 1873

The majority of the inhabitants of Aleppo are Muslim Arabs. The Christian population consists of Armenians, Greeks, Maronites, Syrian Catholics; there are Jewish and American Protestant communities.

Year	Population	Growth, %±
1883	99 179	-
1922	156 748	44,9 %
1934	249 921	19,0 %
1950	362 500	11,5 %
1965	500 000	17,5 %
1990	1 216 000	90,3 %
2000	1 937 858	29,2 %
2005	2 301 570	5,5 %
2016	1 800 000	-2,2 %

Historical data

Even at the beginning of the 19th century, Aleppo was inhabited by 200 thousand inhabitants; the city had an extensive industry and trade, its factories supplied the entire East with silk, paper, wool and brocade fabrics. But the earthquake, plague and cholera undermined his well-being. According to the historian from Aleppo, Sheikh Kamel al-Ghazzi (1853-1933), the population of the city before the devastating earthquake of 1822 was 400 thousand people. Then, from cholera and plague (1823 and 1827, respectively), the population of Aleppo was reduced to 110 thousand people. In 1901, the total population of Aleppo was 108,143 people, of which Muslims - 76,329 (70.58%), Catholic Christians - 24,508 (22.66%); and Jews - 7306 (6.76%). The Christian population increased significantly with the influx of Armenian refugees (after the 1915 Armenian genocide) and Syrian Christians from other cities. After the arrival of the first group of Armenian refugees (1915-1922), the population of Aleppo in 1922 became 156,748 people, of which 97,600 inhabitants were Muslims (62.26%), Catholic Christians - 22,117 (14.11%), Jews - 6580 (4.20%), the number of Europeans in the city was 2652 (1.70%), Armenian refugees - 20,007 (12.76%) and others - 7792 (4.97%).

The second flow of Armenian refugees towards Aleppo was caused by the withdrawal of French troops from Cilicia in 1923. In 1923-1925, more than 40,000 Armenians arrived in the city, and the population of Aleppo reached 210,000 by the end of 1925, of which more than 25% were Armenians.

According to historical data presented by Sheikh Ramel al-Ghazzi, the vast majority of Christians in the city of Aleppo were Catholics, until the last days of Ottoman rule. The growth of Orthodox Christians is connected, on the one hand, with the arrival of Armenian and Syrian Christians who survived in Cilicia and southern Turkey; and on the other hand, with the arrival of a large number of Orthodox Greeks from, after its annexation in favor of Turkey (1939).

In 1944, the population of Aleppo was about 325,000 people, where 112,110 (34.5%) are Christians (of which 60,200 are Armenians). Armenians made up more than half of the Christian community of Aleppo until 1947, while many of them left for Soviet Armenia as part of the Armenian repatriation (1946-1967).

Current state

Aleppo is the most populous city in Syria, with a population of 2,181,061 (2004). According to official estimates announced by the Aleppo City Council, the city's population reached 2,301,570 by the end of 2005. Over 80% of Aleppo's residents are Sunni Muslims. These are primarily Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens. Other Muslim groups include the Circassians (Circassians, Kabardians, Adyghes), Chechens, Albanians, Bosniaks, and Pomaks.

According to estimates in the 2010 final report of the Aleppo Urban Development Project, run by the city's municipality and GTZ as part of a joint Syrian-German sustainable urban development program, the city's annual population growth over the next ten years was expected to be around 2.7%. per year, and the population will reach 3.6 million inhabitants.

One of the largest Christian communities in the Middle East, Aleppo was home to many Eastern Christians before the war, mostly Armenians, Syriac Christians and Melkite Greeks. Before the war, more than 250 thousand Christians lived in the city, making up about 12% of the total population. A significant number of Syrian Christians in Aleppo are from the city () and speak Armenian. A large community of Christians belongs to the Armenian Apostolic, Syrian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox churches. There were a great many Catholics in Aleppo, including Melkite Greeks, Maronites, Latins, Chaldeans, and Syrian Catholics. Several districts of the city have a predominantly Christian and Armenian population, such as the old Christian quarter of Zhdeide. Modern Christian areas are called Azizia, Sulaymaniyah, Gare de Baghdad, Urube and Meydan. There are 45 functioning churches in Aleppo belonging to the aforementioned denominations.

The Arabic-speaking population of Aleppo speaks a northern Syriac dialect called shavi.

Architecture

Old famous Baron Hotel, 1911

Aleppo has a mixture of several architectural styles. Numerous invaders, from the Byzantines and Seljuks to the Mamluks and Turks, left their marks on the architecture of the city for 2000 years. There are various buildings of the XIII and XIV centuries, such as hotels, Muslim schools and hammams, Christian and Muslim buildings in the old part of the city and the quarter Zhdeide. This quarter contains a large number of houses from the 16th and 17th centuries that belonged to the Aleppo bourgeoisie. In Aziziye there are houses of the 19th and early 20th centuries, in the Baroque style. In the new quarter shahba various architectural styles are mixed: neo-classical, Norman, oriental and even Chinese styles.

Aleppo is completely paved with stone, in some places with large white boulders.

While the old city is characterized by a large number of mansions, narrow streets and covered markets, in the modern part of the city there are wide roads and large squares such as Saadallah al-Jabiri Square, Freedom Square, President's Square and Sabaa Bahrat Square.

View of the city from the citadel

Old city

Amphitheater

Aleppo citadel

There is a fairly clear division between old and new Aleppo. The old part is enclosed in walls forming a circle 5 km long, with nine gates. A huge medieval castle, known as the Citadel of Aleppo, is located in the center of the ancient part. It was built like an acropolis.

Aleppo citadel

Historically, Aleppo constantly changed hands, was under the control of different states, the political situation was unstable. In this regard, residents built separate quarters, divided according to religious principles, which were socially and economically independent. A good example of such quarters is the well-known Christian quarter of Zhdeide.

The old city of Aleppo can be divided into two parts: the old part and Jdeide. As already described above, the old part was built inside the walls, while Zhdeide is a Christian quarter built at the beginning of the 15th century, after the Mongol troops left the city. After Tamerlane invaded Aleppo in 1400 and completely destroyed it, the Christians were forced to leave. But in 1420 they created their own quarter in the north-west of the city - the Zhdeide quarter. The inhabitants of this area were mainly engaged in brokerage: they were intermediaries between foreign merchants and local merchants.

The total area of ​​the ancient city is about 3.5 km². More than 120 thousand inhabitants live here.

Markets and caravanserais

Market in ancient Aleppo.

Khan Ash-Shune

Bawabet Al-Yasmin next to the copper shop, Jdeide

The strategic position of this trading city attracted people of all races and creeds to take advantage of the commercial roads, as the Great Silk Road passed through Aleppo. The largest covered market in the world is located precisely in Aleppo, with a length of 13 kilometers. Al-Madina, as it is called here, is a shopping center where luxury goods are brought, such as raw silk from, spices and dyes from, and coffee from. In al-Madin, you can also find local products: wool, agricultural products and the famous Aleppo soap. Most of the markets were built in the 14th century and are named after various professions and crafts: the wool market, the copper market, and so on. In addition to goods, khans, or caravanserais (arab. كاروانسرا ‎) are also placed on the market. Caravanserais are characterized by beautiful facades and entrances with wooden doors.

The most famous markets and caravanserais (khans) of the ancient city:

• Khan Ak-Kadi, built in 1450, one of the oldest caravanserais in Aleppo.
• Khan Al-Burgul built in 1472.
• Souq As-Sabun, or soap khan, built at the beginning of the 16th century, is located next to the soap shops.
• Suk Khan An-Nakhhasin, or copper market. Built in 1539. Known for its traditional and contemporary footwear, it operates 84 stores.
• Khan Ash-Shune built in 1546. It sells handicrafts of traditional Aleppo art.
• Souk Khan Al-Harir, or silk khan. Built in the second half of the 16th century, it has 43 shops and specializes mainly in the textile trade.
• Souk Khan Al-Gumrok, or customs khan, a textile shopping mall with 55 stores. Built in 1574, Khan Al-Gumrok is considered the largest khan in ancient Aleppo.
• Souk Khan Al-Wazir, built in 1682, is considered the main cotton market in Aleppo.
• Souq Al-Attarine, or herbal market. Traditionally was the main spice market in Aleppo. It currently functions as a textile sales center with 82 stores.
• Souq Az-Zirb, or Souq Az-Zarb. Coins were minted here during the Mamluk period. This market currently has 71 shops, most of which deal with textiles and basic Bedouin needs.
• Souq Al-Behramiya has 52 grocery stores, located next to the Behramiya mosque.
• Souq Al-Haddadeen- This is the market of old traditional blacksmiths, consists of 37 shops.
• Souq Al Atik, or old market, specializing in the sale of leather, includes 48 stores.
• Souq Al-Siyayag, or jewelry market, consisting of 99 stores, which is the main center of jewelry trade in Aleppo and throughout the country.
• Khan of the Venetians was the home of the consul of Venice and Venetian merchants.
• Souq An Nisuan, or the women's market, is a place where you can find everything you need for the bride: accessories, clothes, and so on.
• As-Suwayka, or Suikat Ali (suweiqa means "small market" in Arabic) is a large market that contains shops mainly specialized in home and kitchen equipment.

Many traditional khans also function as markets in Christian Quarter of Zhdeide:

• Souq Al Hokedun or "Khan al-Quds". Hockedun means "spiritual house" in Armenian, as it was built as a hotel for Armenian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. The old part of Hokedun dates from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, while the new part was built in the 17th century. It has now grown into a large market with numerous clothing stores.
• As-Salibe, Center Of Old Christian Cathedrals.
• Souq As-Suf or wool market surrounded by old churches.
• Bawabet Al-Kasab, shop of wooden products.

Attractions

Citadel of Aleppo.

The oldest monument in the city is the 11 km long aqueduct, built by the Romans. A huge wall 10 meters high and 6.5 meters thick, with seven gates, separates the city from the suburbs. The covered gostiny yard (bazaar) opens onto several streets, the whole consists of vaults and is illuminated from above through windows made partly in special domes. In Aleppo there are 7 large churches, along with 3 monasteries, and the El Ialave Mosque in the old Roman style, originally built as a church by Empress Helena. The main export items and at the same time the main products of the country are wool, cotton, silk, wax, pistachios, soap, tobacco, wheat, which are exported mainly to France and Turkish harbors. The industry is limited to silk products. The inhabitants of Aleppo generally consider themselves Sharifs, that is, the descendants of Muhammad. Another pride of the inhabitants is the Citadel, the base of which rises 50 meters above the city. For a long time, the whole city lay within the citadel, and only in the 16th century, after the transfer of Aleppo under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the city began to gradually grow outside the fortress walls.

The tomb of the poet Nasimi is located in Aleppo.

Historical Buildings

Ash-Shibani School-Church

• Aleppo Citadel, a large hilltop fortress towering 50m above the city. Dating back to the 1st millennium AD. e., some details were completed in the XIII century. It was damaged by earthquakes, in particular, in 1822.
• Khalauie Madrasah, built in 1124 on the former site of St. Helena Cathedral. Then St. Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, built a large Byzantine cathedral there. When the crusaders-invaders plundered the city, the chief judge of the city transformed the Cathedral of St. Helena into a mosque, and, finally, in the middle of the XII century, Nur ad-Din founded a madrasah here, that is, a religious school.
• Al-Matbah Al-Ajami, a palace of the early 12th century, located near the citadel, was built by the emir Maj ad-Din ben Ad-Daya. It was renovated in the 15th century. In 1967-1975, the Museum of Folk Traditions was located here.
• Cultural Center Ash Shibani XII century. The ancient church and school of the Franciscan Missionary Mary, located in the old city, currently function as a cultural center.
• Moqaddamiya Madrasah, one of the oldest theological schools in the city, was built in 1168.
• Zahirie Madrasah. Built in 1217 south of Bab el-Maqam, by Az-Zir Ghazi.
• Madrasah Sultaniye, started by the governor of Aleppo Az-Zahir Ghazi and completed in 1223-1225 by his son Malik Al-Aziz Mohammed.
• Madrasah Al-Firdaus- the mosque, called "the most beautiful mosque of Aleppo". It was built by the widow of the Governor of Aleppo Az-Zahir Ghazi in 1234-1237. Notable is the courtyard, which has a pool in the middle, surrounded by arches with antique columns.
• National Library of Aleppo. Built in the 1930s and opened in 1945.
• Grand Seray d'Alep- this is the former residence of the governor of the city; was built in the 1920s and opened in 1933.
• Khanqa Al-Farafira, a Sufi monastery built in 1237.
• Bimaristan Argun al-Kamili, a shelter that operated from 1354 until the early 20th century.
• Dar Rajab Pasha- a large mansion built in the 16th century near Al-Khandak Street. The house has recently been restored and turned into a large cultural center with a theater hall inside.
• Beit Jonblat- an old palace built at the end of the 16th century by the Kurdish ruler of Aleppo Hussein Pasha Jan Polad.
• Al-Utmaniya Madrasah, an Islamic school located in the northern part of Bab An-Nasr. It was established by the Ottoman Pasha Al-Duraki in 1730 and was originally called the Ridaiya Madrasah.
• Beit Marrash. An old Aleppo mansion located in the Al-Farafira quarter. It was built at the end of the 18th century by the Marrash family.
• Chapel Bab Al-Faraj. Built in 1898-1899 by the Austrian architect Cartier.

The most famous historical buildings Christian Quarter Zhdeide:

• Beit Adjikbash(Beit Achiqbash), an old Aleppo house built in 1757. Since 1975, it has housed the Museum of Folk Traditions, displaying Aleppo art.

Basil's gift in Zhdeyd, 18th century

• Beit Ghazaleh. 17th century mansion, decorated by the Armenian sculptor Khachadur Bali in 1691. An Armenian school was located here in the 20th century.
• Beit Dallal, that is, the "house of Dallal", was built in 1826 on the site of an old monastery, currently functioning as a hotel.
• Beit Waqil, an Aleppo mansion built in 1603, attracts with its unique wooden decorations. One of these decorations was brought to Berlin and exhibited at the Pergamon Museum, known as the Aleppo Room.
• Dar Basil. Early 18th century house, turned into a business school in 2001.
• Dar Zamaria, built at the end of the 17th century and owned by the Zamaria family since the beginning of the 18th century. It is currently a boutique hotel.

Museums

• Aleppo Museum
• Museum of Folk Traditions "Aleppo House" in Beit Achikbash, Jdeida
• Aleppo Citadel Museum
• Museum of Medicine and Science in Bimaristan Argun al-Kamili
• Aleppo Memorial Museum in Beit Ghazala, Jdeida
• Museum of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the old Armenian Church of the Holy Mother of God, Zhdeyde

gate

Bab El Faraj Tower

• Bab al-Hadid (باب الحديد) (Iron Gates).
• Bab al-Maqam (باب المقام) (Gate of the Tomb).
• Bab Antakeya (باب انطاكية) (Gate of Antioch).
• Bab al-Nasr (باب النصر) (Gate of Victory).
• Bab al-Faraj (باب الفرج) (Gate of Liberation).
• Bab Qinnasrin (باب قنسرين) (Kinnasrin Gate).
• Bab Zhnen (en:Bab Jnen)(باب الجنان)(Garden Gate).
• Bab El Ahmar (en:Bab al-Ahmar)(باب الأحمر)(Red gate).

Religious buildings

Khusruuiya Mosque

Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs

• The Great Mosque of Aleppo (Jami el-Kabir) or Umayyad Mosque, founded in 715 by Walid I and most likely completed by his successor Suleiman. The building contains the tomb of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. The mosque was damaged during the Mongol invasion in 1260 and has been rebuilt. It has four facades of different styles.
• The Khusruwiyah Mosque (en: Khusruwiyah Mosque), completed in 1547, was designed by the famous Ottoman architect Sinan.
• Al-Nuqtah Mosque (en: Al-Nuqtah Mosque) (“Mosque of a drop (of blood)”), a Shia mosque. It is believed that this place was previously a monastery, turned into a mosque in 944.
• Al-Adeliya Mosque, built in 1555 by the governor of Aleppo, Mohammed Pasha.
• Al-Saffahiya Mosque, built in 1425, with wonderfully decorated octagonal minarets.
• Al-Kaikan Mosque ("Mosque of the Crows"), with two ancient basalt columns at the entrance. The mosque contains a stone block with Hittite inscriptions.
• Altun-God Mosque (1318).
• Al-Tawashi mosque (XIV century, restored in 1537), with a large facade decorated with columns.
• Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs (en:Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs) - Armenian church in Zhdeyd (XVI century).
• Aleppo Central Synagogue (en: Central Synagogue of Aleppo) - built ca. 1200 by the Jewish community.
• Maronite, Syriac Orthodox, Catholic and many other churches in the old Christian quarter of Jdeide.

dead cities

Aleppo is surrounded by many historical monuments and ancient remains of dead cities. They are a group of 700 abandoned settlements in northwestern Syria. These cities date back to the 5th century BC. e. and contain elements of Byzantine architecture.

The most important dead cities and archaeological sites in the Jebel Semaan (Mount Simeon) region include:

• Castle of Calote located 20 km northwest of Aleppo. It was built as a Roman temple in the 2nd century AD. After the conversion to Christianity, in the 5th century, the temple was turned into a basilica. As a result of wars between the Hamdanids and the Byzantines, the church was turned into a castle in the 10th century. There are two well-preserved churches next to the castle: the eastern church, built in 492, and the western church (6th century).
• Basilica of Harab-Shams, one of the oldest best-preserved Christian structures in the Levant. The Byzantine church, which is located 21 km northwest of Aleppo, dates back to the 4th century.
• Fafertin Church, a dilapidated Roman basilica dating from 372 AD, is located 22 km northwest of Aleppo. According to the Aleppo historian Abdallah Hadjar, this basilica is considered one of the oldest church buildings in the world.
• Village Surkaniya, located 23 km northwest of Aleppo, is the remains of an old Byzantine settlement with a dilapidated 6th-century chapel.
• Kafr Kira- a settlement in the village of Burj Heydar, located 24 km northwest of Aleppo. There are many dilapidated Christian buildings dating back to the 4th and 6th centuries.
• Historic settlement Sinhar, or Simhar, located 24 km northwest of Aleppo. Situated in an isolated valley, the village was inhabited between the 2nd and 7th centuries. Sinhar Church is one of the oldest churches in Syria and dates back to the 4th century, with a 6th century chapel nearby.
• basilica Mushabbak. Well-preserved churches of the second half of the 5th century (about 470) are located 25 km west of Aleppo, near the city of Daret Azze.

Basilica Mushabbak

• barjaka or Burj Suleiman- a village, a historical settlement located 26 km northwest of Aleppo; site of an old hermitage tower with well-preserved chapels from the 6th century.
• village churches Sheikh Suleiman located 28 km west of Aleppo. There are 3 ancient churches in the village: a ruined church, which is located in the center of the settlement; the well-preserved southern basilica, built in 602; and the Church of the Holy Mother of God, dating from the 5th century, considered one of the most beautiful churches in northern Syria. There is also a hermitage tower in the northern part of the village.
• Kafr Nabo, 29 km west of Aleppo. This is an old Assyrian settlement from the 9th century BC. e. and the site of an old Roman temple which was later converted into a church. There are many well-preserved residential buildings from the 5th and 6th centuries.
• Brad, a city located 32 km west of Aleppo; has many old basilicas, such as the Maronite monastery of St. Julian of Anazarva (399-402 AD), where the temple of St. Maron is located, and the basilica in the northern part of the village, built in 561.
• Settlement kimar located 35 km northwest of Aleppo. The village of the Roman and Byzantine eras, dating back to the 5th century AD, contains many well-preserved churches, towers and old water tanks.
• Temple of Saint Simeon the Stylite (Deir Semaan), well-preserved and one of the most famous church monuments in Syria, dating back to the 5th century. It is located about 35 km northwest of Aleppo. Deir Semaan is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world.
• Village Sugane located 40 km northwest of Aleppo. There are two dilapidated churches and old reservoirs.
• Ain Dara, a Syro-Hittite temple of the Iron Age (c. X-VIII century BC), located 45 km northwest of Aleppo. Known for its resemblance to Solomon's Temple as described in the Bible. The surviving sculptures depict lions and sphinxes (comparable to the cherubs of the First Temple). However, the Temple of Solomon was built around 1000-900 BC, and Ain Dara already existed by that time. Ain Dara was built either in honor of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, or in honor of the female goddess Astarte, or in honor of the deity Baal Hadad - this issue remains controversial.

• village Bab al-Hawa, located 50 km west of Aleppo on the border with Turkey; a place with a large number of old churches from the 4th century and well-preserved gates from the 6th century AD.
• Kyros(also known as Hurus (Arab. حوروس) or Ayupolis) is an ancient city located 65 km north of Aleppo; here is the oldest temple of Cosmas and Damian (known as the temple of Nabi-Uri), as well as an old Roman amphitheater and two old Roman bridges.

Economy

Aleppo soap

The main economic role of the city is as a trading place, and it is located at the crossroads of two trade routes and mediation in trade with India. It continued to prosper until the Europeans began to use the sea route to India, bypassing the Cape of Good Hope, and then using the route through to the Red Sea. Since then, the city's exports of agricultural products to surrounding regions have declined, mainly wheat, cotton, pistachios, olives and sheep.

The main industries are textile, chemical, pharmaceutical, agro-processing, electrical engineering, alcoholic beverages. Tourism is also developed. Aleppo is the largest urban agglomeration in the Syrian Republic and the largest industrial center, employing more than 50% of the country's industrial workers and producing an even larger share of export earnings.

Aleppo is located in a very favorable area for agriculture.

Tourism

Tourism was developed in the city. The main tourist places are Aleppo Fortress (411,880), Aleppo Citadel Museum (31847), National Museum (24090).

Education

The University of Aleppo has about 60,000 students. During the fighting, the university was under the control of government forces, but suffered from rocket attacks.

Transport infrastructure

The city has a railway station and Aleppo International Airport.

From urban transport, there used to be a tram (until 1969), but now there is no alternative to the bus.

twin cities

• -
• -
• - Brest
• -
• - Kilis

Territorial division

The city is divided into four types of districts - old quarters within the city walls, old quarters outside the city walls, modern outskirts, informal settlements.

Informal settlements had a number of problems: unsettled land status; settlements were created in conflict with zonal plans; planned standards are not observed; buildings were erected in conflict with building codes and regulations. More than 40% of the city's population lives in informal settlements

Planning areas

• South - 362,000 people (250 people per hectare)
• Central - 1,002,000 people (200 people per hectare)
• Western - 157,000 people (100 people per hectare)
• Northwestern - 165,000 people (150 people per hectare)
• Northeast - 314,000 people (300 people per hectare)
• Eastern - 400,000 people (395 people per hectare)

Information

Various public organizations: MOF Moscow - Aleppo

Notes

1. Gorodetskaya I. L., Levashov E. A. Aleppo // Russian names of inhabitants: Dictionary-reference book. - M. : AST, 2003. - S. 25. - 363 p. - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-17-016914-0.
2. Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan // Atlas of the world / comp. and prepare. to ed. PKO "Cartography" in 2009; ch. ed. G. V. Pozdnyak. - M.: PKO "Cartography": Onyx, 2010. - S. 120. - ISBN 978-5-85120-295-7 (Cartography). - ISBN 978-5-488-02609-4 (Onyx).
3. Aleppo // Dictionary of geographical names of foreign countries / ed. ed. A. M. Komkov. - 3rd ed., revised. and additional - M.: Nedra, 1986. - S. 402.
4. Geographical Encyclopedic Dictionary: Geographical Names / Ed. A. F. Treshnikova. - 2nd ed., add. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1989. - S. 522. - 210,000 copies. - ISBN 5-85270-057-6.
5. UN Data, Syrian Arab Republic
6. UN Demographic Yearbook 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2010. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012.
7. Expatify.com Navigating the Major Cities of Syria
8. Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire
9. Russell, Alexander (1794), The natural history of Aleppo, 2nd Edition, Vol. I, pp. 1-2
10. Gaskin, James J. (1846), Geography and sacred history of Syria, pp. 33-34
11. Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition (2010)
12. The Oxford encyclopedia of archeology in the Near East (1997)
13. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia (2010)
14. World Heritage Site: Aleppo
15. Beroea // Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities / ed. F. Lübker; Edited by members of the Society of Classical Philology and Pedagogy F. Gelbke, L. Georgievsky, F. Zelinsky, V. Kansky, M. Kutorga and P. Nikitin. - St. Petersburg. , 1885. - S. 208.
16. Travels of Rabbi Pesachia of Regensburg. teachittome.com (p. 53).
17. Michael Dumper, Bruce E. Stanley. Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: a historical encyclopedia
18. The Natural History of Aleppo / Alexander Russell. - 1st. - London: Unknown, 1856. - P. 266.
19. Syria News statement by Syrian Minister of Local Administration, Syria (Arabic, August 2009)
20. Pettinato, Giovanni (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991) Ebla, a new look at history p.135
21. Hawkins, John David (2000) Inscriptions of the iron age p.388
22. Kuhrt, Amelie (1998) The ancient Near East p.100
23. Jackson, Peter (July 1980). "The Crisis in the Holy Land in 1260". The English Historical Review 95 (376): 481–513.
24. "Histoire des Croisades", René Grousset, p. 581, ISBN 2-262-02569-X.
25. Kay Kaufman Shelemay. Let jasmine rain down: song and remembrance among Syrian Jews. - University of Chicago Press, 1998. - P. 70. - ISBN 9780226752112.
26. Runciman, p. 314.
27. Runciman, pp. 336-337.
28. Runciman, p. 463.
29. Battle of [email protected](English)
30. In Aleppo, there are fierce battles between Syrian troops and rebels, Vesti.ru (July 28, 2012). Retrieved July 30, 2012.
31. Aleppo completely blacked out due to missile attack on transformer station, itar-tass.com, 02/10/2013
32. Four-year blockade of Nubel and Az-Zahra broken by Syrian troops / Sputnik, February 3, 2016.
33. "Ferocious" air strikes pummel Aleppo as ground gained, Al Jazeera, September 24, 2016
34. Syrian authorities announced the complete withdrawal of militants from Aleppo
35. Saint Terezia Church Aleppo Christians in Aleppo at the end of the Ottoman Empire
36. Aleppo in One Hundred Years 1850-1950, vol.2 page 3, 1994 Aleppo. Authors: Mohammad Fuad Ayntabi and Najwa Othman
37. Aleppo in One Hundred Years 1850-1950, vol.3 page 26, 1994 Aleppo. Authors: Mohammad Fuad Ayntabi and Najwa Othman
38. The Golden River in the History of Aleppo, (arab. نهر الذهب في تاريخ حلب ‎), vol.1 (1922) page 256, published in 1991, Aleppo.
39. The Golden River in the History of Aleppo (arab. نهر الذهب في تاريخ حلب ‎), vol.3 (1925) pages 449-450, published in 1991, Aleppo.
40. Hovannisian, Richard G. The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume II: Foreign Dominion to Statehood: The Fifteenth Century to the Twentieth Century. - New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. - P. 425. - ISBN 1-4039-6422-X.
41. ALEPPO DIVERSE | OPEN CITY. An Urban Vision for the Year 2025 (English) (Final Report) . Syrian-German Technical Cooperation GTZ. Uberbau (Architecture & Urbanism Ali Saad & Thomas Stellmach GbR) (5 February 2010) . Retrieved 22 December 2016.
42. Reuters:Travel Postcard: 48 hours in Aleppo, Syria
43. Middleeast.com:Aleppo
44. Alepposeife: Aleppo history
45. eAleppo: The old Suqs of Aleppo (in Arabic)
46. Aleppo.us: Old suqs of Aleppo (in Arabic) (unavailable link - story) . Archived from the original on April 26, 2008.
47. Al-Hakawati (in Arabic). Archived from the original on February 11, 2012.
48. Aleppo.us: Khans of Aleppo (in Arabic) (unavailable link - story) .
49. Aleppo Culture National Library of Aleppo (in Arabic) (unavailable link)
50. eAleppo Bab Al-Faraj tower (in Arabic)
51. Ministry of Tourism, Syria: Aleppine House (in Arabic) (unavailable link - story) . Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
52. Aleppo City Development Strategy Economy
53. http://www2.giz.de/wbf/4tDx9kw63gma/Rabenau_LED.pdf "Report on Local Economic Development in Aleppo"
54. http://madinatuna.com/informals/assessment#what Informal Settlements / Assessment

Literature

• Gusterin P.V. Cities of the Arab East. - M.: East-West, 2007. - 352 p. - (Encyclopedic reference book). - 2000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-478-00729-4.
• Aleppo // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

Links

• Photos of Aleppo
• Aleppo حلب (Halab). East-West: The Great Confrontation (unavailable link - story) . - Historical and geographical commentary on the Arab sources of the times of the Crusades. Retrieved October 29, 2009.