The Ancient City of Aleppo (Arabic: مدينة حلب القديمة, romanized: Madīnat Ḥalab al-Qadīma) is the historic center of Aleppo, Syria. Before the Syrian Civil War, many areas of the ancient city had remained nearly the same since they were built between the 11th and 16th centuries. Because of repeated invasions and political problems, people in the city created separate, self-sufficient neighborhoods and districts. These areas were often divided by ethnicity and religion. These neighborhoods, along with the old walled city around them, cover about 350 hectares (860 acres; 3.5 square kilometers) and are home to more than 120,000 people.

The Ancient City of Aleppo is known for its large homes, narrow streets, covered markets, and ancient caravanserais. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986.

During the Battle of Aleppo in the Syrian Civil War, about 30% of the Ancient City was destroyed. This included parts of the Al-Madina Souq and other buildings from the medieval period.

Origins and founding

The ancient city was located on the left bank of the Queiq River. It was surrounded by eight hills that formed a circle around a main hill in the center. On this central hill, a castle was built in the shape of an acropolis. This castle was originally a temple from the 2nd millennium BC. The circle of hills had a radius of about 10 km (6 mi). The hills are named Tell as-Sawda, Tell ʕāysha, Tell as-Sett, Tell al-Yāsmīn (Al-ʕaqaba), Tell al-Ansāri (Yārūqiyya), ʕan at-Tall, al-Jallūm, and Baḥsīta. The city covered an area of about 160 hectares (400 acres; 1.6 km²) and was enclosed by a historic wall that was 5 km (3 mi) long. The Mamlukes rebuilt this wall last. Most of the wall has since disappeared. It had nine gates (five of which are well preserved) and was surrounded by a wide, deep ditch.

The newer Jdeydeh quarters of the old city were first built by Christians in the early 15th century in the northern suburbs of the ancient city, after the Mongols left Aleppo. Jdeydeh is one of the finest examples of a cell-like quarter in Aleppo. Because of economic growth, many other quarters were built outside the walls of the ancient city during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Historical timeline

Throughout its history, Aleppo has been part of the following states:

Few archaeologists have studied Aleppo because the modern city is built on the same land as the ancient city.

Aleppo appears in historical records as an important city much earlier than Damascus. The first record of Aleppo may be from the third millennium BC if Aleppo is correctly identified as Armi, a city-state closely related to Ebla. Armi has also been linked to the modern site of Tell Bazi. Giovanni Pettinato described Armi as Ebla's close counterpart. Naram-Sin of Akkad (or his grandfather Sargon) destroyed both Ebla and Arman in the 23rd century BC.

In the Old Babylonian period, Aleppo’s name first appeared as Ḥalab (Ḥalba). Aleppo was the capital of the important Amorite kingdom of Yamḥad. The kingdom of Yamḥad (c. 1800–1600 BC), also called the "land of Ḥalab," was the most powerful in the Near East at that time.

Yamḥad was destroyed by the Hittites under Mursilis I in the 16th century BC. However, Aleppo quickly regained its leading role in Syria when Hittite power in the region weakened due to internal conflicts.

Taking advantage of the power vacuum in the region, Parshatatar, king of the Hurrian kingdom of Mitanni, conquered Aleppo in the 15th century BC. Later, Aleppo became a key location in the conflict between the Mitanni, Hittites, and Egypt.

The Hittite ruler Suppiluliumas I permanently defeated Mitanni and captured Aleppo in the 14th century BC. Aleppo held religious importance for the Hittites as the center of worship for the Storm-God.

When the Hittite kingdom collapsed in the 12th century BC, Aleppo became part of the Syro-Hittite kingdom of Palistin. It later belonged to the Aramaean Syro-Hittite kingdom of Bit Agusi, which had its capital at Arpad. Aleppo remained part of this kingdom until the Assyrians conquered it in the 9th century BC. It was part of the Neo-Assyrian Empire until the late 7th century BC, then passed to the Neo-Babylonians and the Achaemenid Persians.

Alexander the Great captured the city in 333 BC. Seleucus Nicator established a Greek settlement on the site between 301 and 286 BC. He named it Beroea, after a city in Macedon.

Northern Syria was a major center of Hellenistic culture in the Seleucid Empire. Like other Hellenized cities in the Seleucid kingdom, Beroea likely had some local independence, with a local assembly made up of free Greek citizens.

Beroea remained under Seleucid rule for nearly 300 years until the last Seleucid territories were handed to Pompey in 64 BC. At that time, the region became a Roman province. Rome’s presence brought stability to northern Syria for over three centuries. Although the province was governed by a Roman official, Rome did not change the administrative system used by the Greek-speaking ruling class.

Beroea is mentioned in 2 Maccabees 13:4.

In 540 CE, the Sassanid King Khosrow I attacked and burned Aleppo. Later, the Sassanid Persians briefly invaded Syria in the early 7th century. Soon after, Aleppo fell to Arab Muslims under Khalid ibn al-Walid in 637. In 944, it became the capital of an independent emirate ruled by the Hamdanid prince Sayf al-Daula and experienced a period of great prosperity.

On August 9, 1138, a deadly earthquake destroyed much of Aleppo and the surrounding area. Although estimates from that time are unreliable, it is believed that 230,000 people died, making it the fifth deadliest earthquake in recorded history.

After Tamerlane invaded Aleppo in 1400 and destroyed it, Christians left the city walls and established a new settlement in 1420 in the city’s northwestern suburbs, creating the district of Jdeydeh. The people of Jdeydeh were mainly traders who helped connect foreign merchants with local businesses. Many other districts were built outside the city’s historic walls during the 15th and 16th centuries.

In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, written between 1603 and 1607, one of the witches mentions the city.

Main sights

Aleppo has a mix of different architectural styles because it was ruled by many groups, including the Romans, Byzantines, Seljuqs, Mamluks, and Ottomans.

In the old city, you can find many buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as caravanserais, caeserias, Quranic schools, hammams, and religious buildings. The Jdeydeh district has many houses from the 16th and 17th centuries, built by the wealthy Aleppine people. These homes have stone carvings.

Aleppo’s location made it an important trading center. People from many places, including China, Mesopotamia, Europe, the Fertile Crescent, and Egypt, settled there to use the trade routes. The largest covered market in the world, called Al-Madina Souq, is in Aleppo. It is about 13 kilometers (8.1 miles) long.

Al-Madina Souq is a busy place where traders sell goods like raw silk from Iran, spices and dyes from India, and coffee from Damascus. It also sells local items such as wool, agricultural products, and soap. Most of the souqs were built in the 14th century and are named after the trades they support, like the wool souq, the copper souq, and others. The souq also has khans (caravanserais) for traders and their goods, as well as smaller markets called caeserias. These caeserias are smaller than khans and were used as workshops by craftsmen. The khans were often named after their location or purpose and are known for their beautiful entrances and strong wooden doors.

Important khans in and around Al-Madina Souq include Khan al-Qadi (1450), Khan al-Saboun (early 16th century), Khan al-Nahhaseen (1539), Khan al-Shouneh (1546), Khan al-Jumrok (1574), Souq Khan al-Wazir (1682), and others.

Other traditional souqs and khans in the Jdeydeh quarter (outside the walled city) include:
– Souq al-Hokedun or "Khan al-Quds": Built for Armenian pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem. The older part dates to the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and the newer part was built in the 17th century. Today, it is a large market with many clothing stores.
– Souq as-Souf: A wool market near Salibeh Street, surrounded by old churches.
– Bawabet al-Qasab: A center for wooden products.

Important historic buildings in the ancient city include:
– The Citadel: A large fortress built on a high mound. It dates back to the first millennium BC. Recent discoveries include a temple and 25 statues from that time. Many buildings from the 13th century remain, though the Citadel was damaged by earthquakes, especially in 1822.
– Al-Matbakh al-Ajami: A palace from the early 12th century, renovated in the 15th century. It housed a museum from 1967 to 1975.
– Al-Shibani Church-School: A 12th-century church and school, now a cultural center.
– Khanqah al-Farafira: A 13th-century Sufi monastery built by Dayfa Khatun in 1237.
– Bimaristan Arghun al-Kamili: A hospital that operated from 1354 until the early 20th century.
– Dar Rajab Pasha: A mansion from the 16th century, now a cultural center with a nearby theater.
– Junblatt Palace: Built in the late 16th century by the founder of the Jumblatt family.
– Beit Marrash: A mansion from the late 18th century, built by the Marrash family.
– Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower: Built in 1898–1899 by an Austrian architect.
– Grand Serail d'Alep: The former governor’s office, built in the 1920s and opened in 1933.
– National Library of Aleppo: Built in the 1930s and opened in 1945.

Important historic buildings in the Jdeydeh Christian quarter include:
– Beit Wakil: A mansion from 1603 with unique wooden carvings. One carving is in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
– Beit Ghazaleh: A 17th-century mansion with fine decorations by an Armenian sculptor. It was a school in the 20th century.
– Dar Zamaria: A house from the late 17th century, now a boutique hotel.
– Beit Achiqbash: A house from 1757, now home to the Popular Traditions Museum.
– Dar Basile: A house from the early 18th century, now a private school.
– Beit Dallal: A house built in 1826 on the site of an old church and monastery, now a boutique hotel.

Other important buildings include:
– Al-Halawiyah Madrasa: Built in 1124 on the site of a 5th-century Byzantine cathedral. It was converted into a mosque by a judge during the Crusades and later into a madrasah (Islamic school). The old cathedral’s 6th-century columns are still visible.
– Al-Muqadimah Madrasa: Built in the 12th century, though details are incomplete.
– Al-Muqadimah Madrasa: Built in the 12th century, though details are incomplete.
– Al-Kamiliyah Madrasa: Built between 1230–37 by Fatima Khatun, daughter of Ayyubid Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil.
– Al-Sharafiyah Madrasa: Located near the Great Mosque, though details are incomplete.

Districts and subdivisions

Old quarters located within the walls of the ancient city:

• Al-A'jam district includes the neighborhood of ad-Dahdileh.
• Altunbogha district includes the neighborhoods of Oghlubek and Sahet al-Milh.
• Aqabeh district includes the neighborhoods of Bahsita, Khan al-Harir, al-Masaben, and Jebb Asad Allah.
• Bayadah district includes the neighborhoods of Jbeileh, Keltawiyeh, and Mustadamiyeh.
• Farafira district includes the neighborhoods of Bandara, Qastal Hajjarin, ad-Dabbagha al-Atiqa, Suweiqat Ali, and Suweiqat Hatem.
• Jalloum district includes the neighborhoods of Saffahiyeh, Khan al-Wazir, and Souq al-Madina.
• Qal'at al-Sharif district includes the neighborhood of Tallet Alsauda.
• Al-Qasileh district includes the neighborhood of al-Hawraneh.
• Sahet Bizzeh district includes the neighborhood of Maghazleh.

Old quarters located outside the walls of the ancient city:

• Abraj district includes the neighborhoods of Haret al-Pasha and Shaker Agha.
• Aghyol district includes the neighborhood of Shmesatiyeh.
• Almaji includes the neighborhoods of Qastal Harami, Wakiliyeh, and Shara'sous.
• Bab al-Maqam district includes the neighborhoods of al-Maghayer and Maqamat.
• Ballat includes the neighborhoods of Qattaneh and Sahet Hamad.
• Ad-Dallalin district.
• Ad-Dudu includes the neighborhoods of Safsafeh, Jubb al-Qubbeh, Jubb Qaraman, and Barriyet al-Maslakh.
• Fardos district.
• Hazzazeh includes the neighborhoods of at-Tadribeh and Zuqaq al-Arba'in.
• Ibn Ya'qoub district includes the neighborhoods of Banqusa and Mushatiyeh.
• Beit Meheb district or Al-Jdayde quarter includes the neighborhoods of Sissi, Salibeh, Bawabet al-Qasab, Basatneh, al-Muballet, and Sahet at-Tananir.
• Kallaseh district.
• Muhammad Bek district (also known as Bab al-Nairab) includes the neighborhoods of Badenjk, Baggara, and Sakhaneh.
• Qadi Askar district includes the neighborhood of Hamza Bek.
• Qarleq district.
• Qastal al-Mosht district includes the neighborhoods of al-Aryan, Trab al-Ghuraba, and Mawardi.
• Sajlikhan district includes the neighborhood of Aghajek.
• As-Salheen district.
• Tatarlar district.

Preservation of the ancient city

Aleppo was an ancient trading center, and its historic markets, caravanserais, bathhouses, schools, mosques, and churches need more care to protect them. After World War II, the city was changed a lot. In 1954, a French architect named André Gutton created wide new roads through the city to make it easier for modern traffic. Between 1954 and 1983, many buildings in the old city were torn down to build modern apartment buildings, especially in the northwestern areas (Bab al-Faraj and Bab al-Jinan). As people became more aware of the need to protect Aleppo’s cultural heritage, Gutton’s plan was stopped in 1979. A new plan was created by a Swiss expert, Stefano Bianca, who focused on keeping the traditional architectural style of Ancient Aleppo. This helped local activists, like Adli Qudsi, convince UNESCO to declare the Ancient City of Aleppo a World Heritage Site in 1986.

The armed conflict in Syria began in March 2011 and grew worse, causing serious violence and harm to people. Since 2015, the conflict has damaged the World Heritage Site and twelve other sites on a list of possible heritage areas. Damage was caused by shelling, fighting, explosions, illegal digging, military use, construction violations, quarrying, and the misuse of archaeological sites by displaced people.

International groups, along with local leaders and the Aleppo Archaeological Society, worked to restore the old city by making space for modern life while keeping the old parts intact. The local government and city officials started programs to improve the ancient city and the Jdeydeh quarter.

The German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the Aga Khan Foundation, part of the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, helped preserve the old city. From 1999 to 2008, Adli Qudsi, a local representative of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, worked to protect the Old City from damage caused by urban growth.

The restoration of the Old City of Aleppo won the Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in 2005.