Aleppo travel guide — Aleppo tourism and travel information

Aleppo travel guide

about Aleppo

Aleppo (حلب Arabic Ḥalab; חלב Tiberian Hebrew Ḥālāḇ: both names mean "fresh milk") is a city and province in northern Syria. The city has a population of around 1.7 million (1999), making it the second largest city in the country after Damascus. It is one of the oldest cities in the region, known to antiquity as Khalpe and to the Greeks as Beroea, and occupies a strategic trading point midway between the sea and the Euphrates; initially, it was built on a small group of hills in a wide fertile valley on both sides of the river Quweiq. The province or governate extends around the city for over 16,000 km² and has around 3.7 million inhabitants.

There is a relatively clear division between old and new Aleppo. The older portions were contained within a wall, 3 miles in circuit with seven gates. The medieval castle in the city is built atop a huge partially artificial mound rising 50 m above the city, the current structure dates from the 13th century and had been extensively damaged by earthquakes, notably in 1822.

The city has many mosques including the Madrasa Halawiya. A temple that once stood on the site was rebuilt as Aleppo's great Byzantine cathedral founded by Saint Helena, mother of Constantine the Great which contains a tomb associated with Zachary, father of John the Baptist. During the Crusades, when the invaders pillaged the surrounding countryside, the city's chief judge converted St. Helena's cathedral into a mosque, and in the middle of the 12th century the famous leader Nur al-Din founded the madrasa or religious school that has encompassed the former cathedral.

The Al-Jami al-Kabir (Great Mosque) was originally built by the Umayyads, although the present structure begun for Nur al-Din dates from 1158, and a rebuilding after the Mongol invasion of 1260. As an ancient trading centre Aleppo also has impressive souqs and commercial courtyard khans. The city was significantly redesigned after WW II; in 1952 the French architect Andre Gutton had a number of wide new roads cut through the city to allow modern traffic easier passage. In the 1970s, large parts of the older city were demolished to allow for the construction of modern flat blocks.

The main role of the city was as a trading place, it sat at the crossroads of two trade routes and mediated the trade from India, the Tigris and Euphrates regions and the route coming from Damascus in the south, which traced the base of the mountains rather than the rugged seacoast. Although trade was often directed away from the city for political reasons, it continued to thrive until the Europeans began to use the Cape route to India and later to utilise the route through Egypt to the Red Sea. Since then the city has declined and its chief exports now are the agricultural product of the surrounding region, mainly wheat and cotton, pistachios, olives and sheep.

Near cities to Aleppo

• Gaziantep travel guide 100 km
• Hamah travel guide 120 km
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• Homs travel guide 170 km
• Ar Raqqah travel guide 170 km
• Adana travel guide 190 km
• Tripoli travel guide 230 km
• Batroun travel guide 250 km
• Baalbeck travel guide 260 km
• Beirut travel guide 300 km

Near webcams to Aleppo

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Aleppo travel services

cheap flights to Aleppo

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Aleppo travel insurance

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City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of Essential Travel Ltd., leading online travel insurance company, we can offer you health travel insurance for Aleppo, accident health Aleppo travel insurance, all using our online Aleppo travel insurance form. We also offer travel insurance for other cities in Syria. This offer is available for UK residents only.

Aleppo real estate

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City Travel Guide comes with Aleppo real estate guide with several tips on home valuation, realtors comparison, secrets on finding the "right" home, loans guide and other helpful real estate advices. Our partners also maintain Aleppo property for sale and rental listings, real estate laws and reviews. We will try to help you with buying property in Syria, choosing real estate agents, property finders, relocation help, and information for English speakers wanting to buy real estate in Aleppo.

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Aleppo travel books

Aleppo travel guide books

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Aleppo maps and atlases

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