The Ancient City of Aleppo () is the historic city centre of Aleppo, Syria. Prior to the Syrian Civil War, many districts of the ancient city remained essentially unchanged since they were initially constructed between the 11th and 16th centuries. Being subjected to constant invasions and political instability, the inhabitants of the city were forced to build economically independent cell-like quarters and districts, most of which were delineated along ethnic and religious lines. These urban subdistricts, along with the ancient walled city that they surround, comprise an approximate area of and are home to more than 120,000 residents.
Characterized by its large mansions, narrow alleys, covered souqs and ancient caravanserais, the Ancient City of Aleppo became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
An estimated 30% of the Ancient City of Aleppo was destroyed in the Battle of Aleppo during the Syrian civil war, including many sections of the Al-Madina Souq and other structures dating back to medieval times.
Origins and founding Lying on the left bank of Queiq River the ancient city was surrounded by a circle of eight hills surrounding a prominent central hill on which the castle (originally a temple dating to the 2nd millennium BC) was erected in the shape of an acropolis. The radius of the circle is about . The hills are Tell as-Sawda, Tell ʕāysha, Tell as-Sett, Tell al-Yāsmīn (Al-ʕaqaba), Tell al-Ansāri (Yārūqiyya), ʕan at-Tall, al-Jallūm, Baḥsīta. With an approximate area of , the ancient city was enclosed within a historic wall of in circuit that was last rebuilt by the Mamlukes. The wall has since mostly disappeared. It had nine gates (5 of them are well preserved) and was surrounded by a broad deep ditch.
The newer Jdeydeh quarters of the old city were first built by the Christians during the early 15th century in the northern suburbs of the ancient city, after the Mongol withdrawal from Aleppo. Jdeydeh is one of the finest examples of a cell-like quarter in Aleppo. As a result of the economic development, many other quarters were established outside the walls of the ancient city during the 15th and 16th centuries.
History
Aleppo has scarcely been touched by archaeologists, since the modern city occupies its ancient site.
Throughout its history, Aleppo has been part of the following states:
Early Bronze Age Early Bronze IV In the Early Bronze IV (c. 2350-2020 BCE), the nature of Aleppo is debated. This period at the end of the EBA was characterized by climate variability and severe droughts at 2210-2130 (4.2 ka event, Fall of the Akkadian Empire in 2154 BCE) and 2036-2023 BCE (Decline and Fall of Ur III in 2004 BCE).
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 the identification of Aleppo as Armi, a city-state closely related to Ebla is correct. Armi has also been identified with the modern Tell Bazi. Giovanni Pettinato describes Armi as Ebla's alter ego. Naram-Sin of Akkad (or his grandfather Sargon) destroyed both Ebla and Arman in the 23rd century BC.Pettinato, Giovanni (1991), Ebla, a new look at history, Johns Hopkins University Press, p.135Hawkins, John David (2000), Inscriptions of the iron age, p.388
Middle Bronze Age In the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2020-1550 BCE), Aleppo became a dominant regional power in the region.
Middle Bronze I In Middle Bronze IA (MB IA, c. 2020-1900 BCE), the region recovered from the Collapse of the Early Bronze Age. In the aftermath, settlement patterns shifted and new centers emerged. Comparison can be made with Ebla Mardikh IIIA1, and Isin-Larsa period in Mesopotamia.
In Middle Bronze IB (MB IB, c. 1900-1820 BCE), the region of Aleppo started to gain a dominant role paving the way for the Great Kingdom of Yamhad in the following MB IIA-period. Comparison can be made with Ebla Mardikh IIIA2.
Middle Bronze II In the Middle Bronze IIA (MB IIA, c. 1820-1630 BC), Aleppo was the capital of the Great Kingdom of Yamhad under its Amorite kings Sumu-Epuh (c. 1810 BCE) and Yarim-Lim I. Aleppo reached its peak of power in the first half of the MB IIA, contemporary with famous great kings as Shamshi-Adad I (r. 1808-1775 BCE) and Hammurabi of Babylon (c. 1792-1750 BCE) who built similar great kingdoms in the region. In the second half of the MB IIA (c. 1750-1630 BCE) its power slowly waned along with other regional powers. This corresponds with the Old Babylonian period, when Aleppo's name appears as Ḥalab (Ḥalba) for the first time. The heartland was known as the 'land of Ḥalab', was one of the most powerful kingdoms in the Near East at the time.Kuhrt, Amélie (1998), The ancient Near East, p.100 The king subjugated nearby petty kingdoms becoming a great king with several vassals, controlling centers such as Ebla Mardikh IIIB1, Alalakh, Ugarit, Emar etc. In the south, it was rivalled by the Great Kingdom of Qatna.
In Middle Bronze IIB (MB IIB, c. 1630-1590 BCE), Yamḥad was first attacked by the Hittite king Hattusili I (c. 1620 BCE) and later destroyed by Mursilis I in the 16th century BC. However, Aleppo soon resumed its leading role in Syria when the Hittite power in the region waned due to internal strife. This ended the MBA in Inner Syria (Northern Levant), transitioning into LB IA, while a remnant MB IIC (c. 1590-1550 BCE; Hyksos period) continues further south in the Southern Levant.
Late Bronze Age Taking advantage of the power vacuum in the region, Parshatatar, king of the Hurrian kingdom of Mitanni, conquered Aleppo in the 15th century BC. Subsequently, Aleppo found itself on the frontline in the struggle between the Mitanni and the Hittites and Egypt.
The Hittite Suppiluliumas I permanently defeated Mitanni and conquered Aleppo in the 14th century BC. Aleppo had cultic importance to the Hittites for being the center of worship of the Storm-God.
Iron Age When the Hittite kingdom collapsed in the 12th century BC, Aleppo became part of the Syro-Hittite kingdom of Palistin, then the Aramaean Syro-Hittite kingdom of Bit Agusi (which had its capital at Arpad), it stayed part of that kingdom until conquered by the Assyrians in the 9th century BC, and became part of the Neo-Assyrian Empire until the late 7th century BC, before passing through the hands of the Neo-Babylonians and the Achaemenid Persians.
Classical antiquity Alexander the Great took over the city in 333 BC. Seleucus Nicator established a Hellenic settlement in the site between 301 and 286 BC. He called it Beroea (), after Beroea in Macedon.
Northern Syria was the centre of gravity of the Hellenistic colonizing activity, and therefore of Hellenistic culture in the Seleucid Empire. As did other Hellenized cities of the Seleucid kingdom, Beroea probably enjoyed a measure of local autonomy, with a local civic assembly or composed of free Hellenes.Phenix, Robert R. (2008) The sermons on Joseph of Balai of Qenneshrin
Beroea remained under Seleucid rule for nearly 300 years until the last holdings of the Seleucid dynasty were handed over to Pompey in 64 BC, at which time they became a Roman province. Rome's presence afforded relative stability in northern Syria for over three centuries. Although the province was administered by a legate from Rome, Rome did not impose its administrative organization on the Greek-speaking ruling class.
Beroea is mentioned in 2 Maccabees 13:4.
Medieval period and the expansion of the city
The Sassanid King Khosrow I pillaged and burned Aleppo in 540 CE. Later on, the Sassanid Persians invaded Syria briefly in the early 7th century. Soon after, Aleppo fell to Arab Muslims under Khalid ibn al-Walid in 637. In 944, it became the seat of an independent emirate under the Hamdanid prince Sayf al-Daula, and enjoyed a period of great prosperity.
On 9 August 1138, a deadly earthquake ravaged the city and the surrounding area. Although estimates from this time are very 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, the Christians migrated out of the city walls and established their cell in 1420, at the northwestern suburbs of the city, thus founding the quarters of Jdeydeh. The inhabitants of Jdeydeh were mainly brokers who facilitated trade between foreign traders and local merchants. Many other districts were built outside the historic walls during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Mention is made of the city, by one of the witches, in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, written between 1603 and 1607.
Main sights Aleppo is characterized by mixed architectural styles, having been ruled, among the other, by Romans, Byzantines, Seljuqs, Mamluks and Ottomans.
Various types of 13th and 14th centuries constructions, such as caravanserais, caeserias, Quranic schools, hammams and religious buildings are found in the old city. The quarters of Jdeydeh district are home to numerous 16th and 17th-century houses of the Aleppine bourgeoisie, featuring stone engravings.
Souqs and Khans
The city's strategic trading position attracted settlers of all races and beliefs who wished to take advantage of the commercial roads that met in Aleppo from as far as China and Mesopotamia to the east, Europe to the west, and the Fertile Crescent and Egypt to the south. The largest covered souq-market in the world is in Aleppo, with an approximate length of .
Al-Madina Souq, as it is locally known, is an active trade centre for imported luxury goods, such as raw silk from Iran, spices and dyes from India, and coffee from Damascus. Souq al-Madina is also home to local products such as wool, agricultural products and soap. Most of the souqs date back to the 14th century and are named after various professions and crafts, hence the wool souq, the copper souq, and so on. Aside from trading, the souq accommodated the traders and their goods in khans (caravanserais) and scattered in the souq. Other types of small market-places were called caeserias (قيساريات). Caeserias are smaller than khans in their sizes and functioned as workshops for craftsmen. Most of the khans took their names after their location in the souq and function, and are characterized with their beautiful façades and entrances with fortified wooden doors.
The most significant khans within and along the covered area of Souq al-Madina are: Khan al-Qadi from 1450, Khan al-Saboun from the early 16th century, Khan al-Nahhaseen from 1539, Khan al-Shouneh from 1546, Khan al-Jumrok from 1574, Souq Khan al-Wazir from 1682, Souq al-Farrayin, Souq al-Dira, Souq al-Hiraj, Souq al-Attarine, Souq az-Zirb, Souq Marcopoli, Souq as-Siyyagh, The Venetians' Khan,*Souq Khan al-Harir from the second half of the 16th century, Suweiqa, etc.
Other traditional souqs and khans in Jdeydeh quarter (outside the walled city): Souq al-Hokedun or "Khan al-Quds". Hokedun means "the spiritual house" in Armenian, as it was built to serve as a settlement for the Armenian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. The old part of the Hokedun dates back to the late 15th and early 16th centuries while the newer part was built during the 17th century. Nowadays, it is turned into a big souq with a large number of stores specialized in garment trade. Souq as-Souf or the wool market, located at Salibeh street, surrounded with the old churches of the quarter. Bawabet al-Qasab, a trade centre for wooden products.
Historic buildings The most significant historic buildings of the ancient city include:
The Citadel, a large fortress built atop a huge, partially artificial mound rising above the city, dates back to the first millennium BC. Recent excavations unearthed a temple and 25 statues dating back to the first millennium BC. Many of the current structures date from the 13th century. The Citadel was extensively damaged by earthquakes, notably during the 1822 Aleppo earthquake.