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Aleppo, souq - Aleppo
Aleppo, souq
by siaki68
Things to Do in Aleppo: souqs tips and photos posted by real travelers and Aleppo locals.
souqs
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• 31 Reviews
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souqs: Mediaeval market
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  • Updated By TheWanderingCamel on April 4, 2005
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  • Gee-up! - Aleppo
    Gee-up!
    by TheWanderingCamel
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    With everything you could ever think of for sale, the souks of Aleppo are endlessly fascinating. Stone-vaulted, narrow alleyways lead you deeper and deeper into a world so far removed from the muzak and bright lights of modern shopping you can lose yourself for hours. Look out for the section where everything you could need to construct a Bedouin tent can be found - bolts of black goathair tentcloth, great coils of black and white woven webbing and thick rope - and the little yellow pelts of foxes - but no photos here please. Agonize over which pattern to choose from the huge array of the fine black and red Bedouin scarves - they make great sarongs - or choose a bright silk one from the rainbow of colours available. Drink flower tea with an Armenian and his cousin as you choose a necklace in the Gold Souk. Smell the spices and admire the intricate patterns made with them in glass cases. Taste the olives and nuts you are offered as you pass through. Watch out for donkeys laden with huge paniers - or old men. Feel a bit queazy as you pass through the meat souk. Buy some good olive oil soap - that rough mud-coloured exterior covers a silky-smooth green interior that lathers beautifully. And when your feet feel as though they are going to drop off, make your way to one of the cafes in the street outside the main entrance (if you can find your way back) for a huge glass of fresh fruit juice before you dive back in again. leyle

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  • Address: Across the road from the Citadel and to the right

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    souqs: The Covered Souqs
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  • By Groverdean on May 24, 2004
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  • Covered Souk-Aleppo-Syria - Aleppo
    Covered Souk-Aleppo-Syria
    by Groverdean
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    The fabulous covered souqs are the city's main attractions. This labyrinth extends over several hectares, and once you're under the vaulted stone ceiling you're whisked away to another world. Swoon to the sweet scents of cardamom and cloves, gag at the hanging carcasses in the meat souq - it's all here. Most of the markets were built in the Ottoman era, but some date back to the 13th century. Very easy to get lost here, and lose track of time!

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    souqs: The Labrynthine Souqs of Aleppo
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  • By maykal on October 30, 2003
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  • Aleppo's famous souqs are fascinating to explore, and this was one area in which I didn't mind getting lost. In some alleys, donkeys have right of way, transporting goods to shops deep in the domed maze. The low ceilings make the souqs much more intimate than the ones in Damascus...I think this is possibly the only place where, for me, Aleppo scores over Damascus. Unfortunately I don't seem to have any photos, but other people on VT do have plenty...they can also probably explain about them in a more eloquent way too!

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    souqs: the tourist souq
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  • By call_me_rhia on January 17, 2003
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  • inside the tourist souq - Aleppo
    inside the tourist souq
    by call_me_rhia
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    A truly nice souk... possibly the nicest of all when it comes down to architecture... all covered, spacious, quiet... and with very little on sale. Mind you, it's not even very touristic. if it weren't for the two shops specializing in Aabic calligraphy (closed, when I went there), and for the name, one would never know. Anyway you should visit it for the interesting decorations on the ceiling, and for the large "jars" on display there.

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  • Address: as-kosrofiyyeh square
  • Directions: in the old town. next to the as-kosrofiyyeh mosque, around the corner from the citadel's main entrance

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    souqs: Khan al-Gumruk
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  • Updated By MM212 on August 9, 2007
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  • The grand portal of Khan al-Gumruk (Dec 06) - Aleppo
    The grand portal of Khan
    al-Gumruk (Dec 06)
    by MM212, 1 more photos
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    The largest of Aleppo's khans, Khan al-Gumruk (or al-Joumruk), was built in 1574 by the Ottoman governor, Hanzade Mehmet Ibrahim Pasha, in the heart of the covered Aleppo souk. It housed banks, as well as the consulates of French, British and Dutch commerce, and thus became the centre for foreign trading and diplomacy. Gumruk translates to "customs", which perhaps accurately describes the function of Khan al-Gumruk in the 16th/17th centuries when it was frequented by foreign merchants. Khan al-Gumruk continues to house approximately 250 shops to this day, mostly specialising in textiles.

  • Directions: South of the Omayyad Mosque

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    souqs: Khan al-Shouna
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  • Updated By MM212 on July 27, 2007
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  • Stained Glass in Khan al-Shouna - Aleppo
    Stained Glass in Khan
    al-Shouna
    by MM212, 4 more photos
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    The 16th century Khan al-Shouna is atypical in that it was never a caravanserai, hence the lack of a courtyard. This khan is more of what is traditionally referred to as a qaysariya -- a gated, covered market with vaulted ceilings and shops alongside its main nave. It is said that qaysariyas (a word derived from "Caesar") originated in Roman basilicas, and may have been the basis for the Parisian passage and eventually the American shopping mall. Khan al-Shouna was successfully restored by the government in the 1990's and turned into a market for Aleppine artefacts. With its location just outside the Citadel, Khan al-Shouna has since catered more for tourists than locals, yet its merchandise is authentic and not necessarily overpriced.

  • Address: Facing main Citadel entrance

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    souqs: Madrassa al-Muqaddamiya
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  • Updated By MM212 on July 29, 2007
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  • Muqaddamiya Entrance into the souk - Aleppo
    Muqaddamiya Entrance into
    the souk
    by MM212
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    The oldest surviving madrassa (religious school) in Aleppo was originally a church. In 1123, the ruler of Aleppo converted several churches, including the Byzantine Cathedral of St Helena, into mosques in retaliation for atrocities committed by the Crusaders in the vicinity of Aleppo. Al-Muqaddamiya was one such church, but soon afterwards, it was turned into a madrassa by Izzeddine Abdelmalek al-Muqaddam, who also passed on his name. Al-Muqaddamiya is located in the heart of the Aleppo souk off the main east-west axis, just west of Khan el-Gumruk.

  • Address: al-Suden alley, Jallum District
  • Directions: Off the main east-west axis of the souk, just west of Bahramiya Mosque

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    souqs: Khan al-Wazir
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  • Updated By MM212 on July 25, 2007
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  • Architectural Details - Aleppo
    Architectural Details
    by MM212,
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    Khan al-Wazir is one of the larger of the caravanserais of Aleppo and possibly the most beautiful. It was built in 1683 in the typical Aleppine style with alternating black and white stripes and intricately carved stonework. The large open courtyard is surrounded by storage units where merchants stored their goods, while they slept in the upper floor with its arched gallery wrapping around the courtyard. Khan al-Wazir is located between the Citadel and the Omayyad Mosque, just north of the covered Aleppo souks.

  • Address: Sharia al-Jamea al-Omawi (Omayyad Mosque St)
  • Directions: East of the Omayyad Mosque, just north of the souk

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    souqs: SHOPPING!!! Aleppo is a big...
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  • By Turco on August 24, 2002
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  • SHOPPING!!! Aleppo is a big market in the middle of the crossroads! Aleppo has been long known for the amazing good quality of its fabrics, rugs, tapestries and carpets; further more, there are wonderful silver, copper and gold handcrafts that may be bought in the enormous choice of stores that this city offers you. Enjoy the wealth, passion and art of Aleppo, you should not leave Aleppo without buying one of these products which are definitely among the world's best and most exotic.

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    souqs: Souq
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  • By Claire78 on October 26, 2004
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  • Souq Merchant with humour! - Aleppo
    Souq Merchant with
    humour!
    by Claire78
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    Give at least half a day to thoroughly explore the souq and get lost - much less hassle than Turkey and facinating to see a working market rather than a tourist trap

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