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Syria.Aleppo

Landmarks

The citadel
The museum of popular art and traditions
The great mosque
The school of paradise
Khan Al Joumrok
The old houses of Jdeide quarter

Aleppo, Ottoman period.

Painting in Al-Azem Palace Hama.

History

Aleppo is located at the crossing of the East-West axis of the fertile crescent. It is the second largest city in Syria. It was a major center of the ancient world’s trade. Like Damascus, it is an ancient city first mentioned in the third millennium when it was called Hal-Pa-Pa.

Until 637, Aleppo was under Byzantine and Greek occupation: in this year it was conquered by the Arab armies. In 1516, it became part of the Ottoman Empire retaining its importance as a city. By the 17^th century, Aleppo was the principle market of European trade in Syria. Aleppo was known enough to attract the attention of the great English writer Shakespeare who mentioned it in both Macbeth and Othello.

Aleppo, a major trade center was a stopping place for the caravans and many of its khans (hotels) courtyards and workshops date to ancient times.

Today, Aleppo takes you into the past. Dominated by its magnificent citadel, the city and its bazaars are rich in the traditions of the Middle-East.

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