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 Gee-up! by TheWanderingCamel
leyle Leave a Comment Address: Across the road from the Citadel and to the right
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Arguably, the souq is Aleppo's biggest attraction - even eclipsing the gigantic fairytale Citadel and the very atmospheric Al Jdeida quarters. It may lack the grandeur of Istanbul's Kapali Carsi (Grand Bazaar), and the rough-as-guts charm of Cairo's Khan el-Khalili, but it certainly is most authentic, charming, even exuding a deep sensuality that comes from a complete assault of the five senses: colorful aromatic spices, glittering gold, roaring motorbikes, unceasing honking from delivery vans, smell of raw blood from butchers' stalls only to be masked by powerful Arabic scents from the nearby perfumeries, lathery olive oil soaps, furry carpets, sweetness from unadulterated organic honey and the tastiest shawarmas (Arabic sandwich) on the planet!
Hands down, this is my favorite in all Aleppo. It's amazing how one of the most basic forms of social interaction, i.e. shopping/commerce, could be as entertaining and engrossing as this. The beauty behind Aleppo's souq is its authenticity - almost everything is geared for local trade, and souvenir shops for tourists are a rarity (think Khan el-Khalili in Cairo), as are pushy carpet salesmen (think Kapali Carsi in Istanbul).
To gain a different perspective of the souq, try coming here on a Friday as well, when almost every shop closes for the holy Islamic Friday. The whole place takes on a different aura - somber with a straight-from-a-horror-movie mood. But it gives you the chance to see that the souq - with its Ottoman motif - is in itself an attraction.
Please do visit my travelogues for more images from the souq. Leave a Comment
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Despite all the flies-infested garbage carelessly piled near the entrance, Bab Antakya (Antioch Gate) deserves a visit. This massive stone portal built in the 13th century, now surrounded by workshops, used to be the grand entrance to the old city, onto the main street leading to the Citadel. Its centuries-old soot-and-dust-covered walls belie the lofty purpose it was built for during the Roman era when Aleppo was known as Beroia - as a grand entrance to this prosperous city which linked Asia with the Mediterranean.
Spend a few minutes here not only examining the massive stonework and imagining how the place would had been during the Roman times, but also observing the hustle and bustle of daily Aleppine life. Leave a Comment Directions: From the Citadel, walk straight down Souq al-Zarb to Souq Bab Antakya. Bab Antakya is right at the western end of this narrow road.
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 Covered Souk-Aleppo-Syria by Groverdean
Very easy to get lost here, and lose track of time! Leave a Comment
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 Courtyard of Madrassa
Halawiyya by Tijavi
Today, the building is in a state of disrepair and badly needs restoration. The only remaining element of the cathedral is the prayer hall, which has been incorporated into the madrassa's design. Leave a Comment Address: Souq area in the old cityDirections: Opposite the western entrance of Al Jamaa al-Kebir
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Built in the 16th century, Khan al-Sabun is a pretty little corner within Aleppo's souq. East of the Great Mosque, the khan's charm is found in the Mamluk facade, the vine-covered courtyard and the graceful arched staircase that leads to nowhere. I find this little corner very relaxing and a refuge from the hustle and bustle in the souq. Unfortunately there are no tea gardens where weary tourists could linger on and soak up the khan's relaxing ambiance. Leave a Comment Directions: East of the Great Mosque
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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! Leave a Comment
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Aleppo's souk is the best in Syria and perhaps the whole of the middle east. An entire day or more could be dedicated to exploring intriguing shops in a narrow grid of alleys with vaulted ceilings and stalactite domes, set along the straight roads that were once the Roman cardo maximus and decumanus maximus. Although the souk has existed since ancient times, much of what the visitor sees from an architectural perspective dates from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Much like Damascus, Aleppo is considered a "desert port" due to its location near the edge of the Syrian desert. It has thus served a terminal for desert caravans along trade routes, specifically, the Silk Road which passed through Asia and Mesopotamia. Aleppo's rise or fall throughout its history has been linked to the Silk Road. When the Romans conquered the eastern Mediterranean, Aleppo witnessed a slow decline as trade routes were diverted further south through Palmyra and into Antioch. It wasn't until the 13th century, when a treaty was signed between the Ayyubid rulers and the Republic of Venice to allow merchants from la Serenissima to settle and trade in Aleppo, that the city saw a renewed apogee. This zenith continued under the Mamlukes and Ottomans, as other European merchants followed the Venetians, but it came to an end with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 as trade routes moved to sea.
The attached photos show some of the scenes in the souk of Aleppo. For more photos, click on the travelogue: "Shopping in the Aleppo Souk". Address: Old AleppoDirections: From the Citadel to Bab Antakya, south of the Omayyad Mosque
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 inside the tourist souq by call_me_rhiaLeave a Comment Address: as-kosrofiyyeh squareDirections: in the old town. next to the as-kosrofiyyeh mosque, around the corner from the citadel's main entrance
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 The grand portal of Khan
al-Gumruk (Dec 06) by MM212, 1 more photos |
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