Aleppo the ash-colored
By Farras Abdelnour
29 Jun 2008
Hardly three weeks after my return from the Damascus trip I was due to board a British Airways flight heading to Aleppo from NYC via London (plus an entirely annoying 40 minute stop in Damascus). I arrived early morning of Friday May 2 - minus my bag, courtesy of excessively reliable BA. The weather was still quite pleasant, gently warm during the day and cool at night. The occasion of my visit was my brother's marriage to his girlfriend, both of whom joined me in London on the way to Aleppo. The wedding was full of smiles and no lack of music and dancers, and went on into the night.
The wedding aside, the plan was to visit the Old City and other neighborhoods in Aleppo, as well as a visit to the belt known as "Dead Cities" in west and southwest of Aleppo.
Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria. It is located north, on an arid plateau of elevation 390m, with a population of 1.7 million according to Wikipedia (granted, not the most academic of references). Legend has it that as Abraham traveled to Canaan, he stopped in Aleppo where he gave travelers milk from an ashen color cow, thus the city's name, Halab, from the arabic word "halib," milk.
Aleppo citadelis quite an imposing structure. It marks the center of Aleppo, surrounded by Old City with its intricate and ancient market. The streets leading to new Aleppo extend out of the citadel organically like a spider web. The citadel and the nearby souq and Old City are my favorite hangout places in Aleppo. The citadel, in its current form, was built in 1209, on top of layers of earlier fortifications. The layout of the citadel made it nearly impossible to conquer. A narrow bridge makes the sole access to the citadel. An imposing gateway, the outer tower was designed with purely defensive purposes in mind. A would-be attacker would have to negotiate a bent entrance requiring multiple tight turns meant to slow down the attacker. Inside the gateway is pitch-dark making it impossible for the attackers to see.
In the shadows of the citadel is Old City with its narrow streets and beautiful houses. The souq dominates the Old City, a stone covered and seemingly endless maze of shops selling spices, carpets, soap, and more. It is easy, and even desirable, to get lost in the vast market (30km, making it the longest covered souq in the Mideast). The souq has very much preserved its authenticity despite an increasing presence of tourists.
Near the end of my stay in Aleppo I went on a day trip to explore some of the Dead Cities. The term refers to the deserted remains of a few hundred cities dating back to the Byzantine period. Today they are largely captivating ghost towns but not entirely abandoned: at some of the ruins, local folks have put them to good usage as shelters for their grains and herds. The largest and best known Dead City is protected by the government and requires an entrance fee. I visited three cities within an hour radius from Aleppo. The most imposing of the three (though decidedly to each its charm) is Serjilla. Located in a wind-swept region, the deserted city with its many buildings in relatively good conditions reveals private houses, tombs, a church, as well as baths. The region was known for its cultivation of olives and production of wine. The Dead Cities are collectively a fascinating witness of life in antiquity in Byzantine Syria.
Much left to discover, but that will wait till the next visit.
2 responses
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John Linton gave props (7 Nov 2008):
Oh yeah! Your essay rocks!
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Sonia Adam Murray gave props (5 Jun 2009):
Fascinating story and photos and you taught me something, thank you and oh yea it rocks!
