A visit here is in effect a pleasant stroll through Syrian history, from the Palaeolithic to the Islamic period. Allow time for numerous pauses before poignant vestiges of ancient civilisations from Mari , Ugarit , Ebla and Tell Halaf . This las..

Aleppo’s souks are renowned as some of the most bustling in the Near East. Their 12km of passages are lined by thousands of shops, grouped together according to their trades and offering a huge variety of hand-crafted and mass-produced goods. Among t..

Like a volcanic island emerging from the centre of the city, Aleppo’s citadel and its ramparts stand atop the ancient tell. The slopes of the hill have a glacis and ditch (today dry), reinforcing the site’s natural defences. Access to the fortress is..

Housed in Bayt Ajichkbach , the museum reveals the refinement of Aleppo life. Here, far from the hubbub of the city, residents found peace and privacy. The courtyard has a pool and trees. The deeply recessed iwan was a shady spot for receiving vis..

The Great Mosque of Aleppo was founded around 715, towards the end of the reign of Umayyad caliph Al-Walid I, and rebuilt by Nureddin after a fire in 1169, seemingly in keeping with the original plan. Around a large courtyard of polychrome tiles are ..

The Bimaristan Arghoun (note that it is customary to tip the caretaker) was founded by Mamluk governor Arghoun al-Kamili as a hospital and asylum. Built in 1354, this unusual building stands on the site of an ancient palace. The visit is a poignant o..

This district to the north of the old city was home to Aleppo’s Christian communities and has numerous churches and fine residences. Among these dwellings with understated façades, only one, which today houses the museum of popular arts and traditio..

Opposite the entrance to the Great Mosque, the madrasa occupies the former Byzantine cathedral (6C) dedicated to St Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine. The building remained in use as a church until 1124, when it was requisitioned by Aleppo’s go..

One of the city’s most remarkable caravanserais, this 17C khan is accessed through an imposing portal of alternating yellow and black stone courses. Above the gateway, the interior façade is adorned with delicate windows incorporating slender little ..

To the right of the entrance to the citadel, between the new palace and the courts of justice, stands the striped façade of this 14C hammam, now superbly restored and open to the public. Its changing area is one of the largest in Syria.

Covering some 6 400 m2, the khan al-Gumrok (1574) is Aleppo’s largest khan , comprised around 350 shops in its surrounding narrow streets and housed the British, French and Dutch consulates. Its remarkable entrance gateway is surmounted on the ins..

The mosque was part of a waqf founded in 1583 by Bahram Pasha, governor of Aleppo. The external gallery had to be rebuilt in 1700 after a minaret collapsed on it. The square prayer hall extends into a five-bay apse containing the mihrab. The origin..

This undiluted example of the Ottoman style was built by Muhammad Pasha, governor of Aleppo, in 1556. The double portico opening onto the courtyard is probably the earliest to survive from the empire of the Sublime Porte. It has six small domes. The ..

Pure use of line and complex forms grace this madrasa , founded in 1235 by Saladin’s daughter-in-law and niece Dayfa Khatun. The fine dressed stone structure is centred on a rectangular courtyard, around three sides of which runs a gallery. The arch..