Ancient hammams/baths
renovated during the Ottoman period
Wiki 2010
Madrasa Halawiye
built in C12th
alisariram
The city surrounded a monumental medieval Citadel which looked like a hillside acropolis, the intellectual centre of traditional Syrian architecture, science, poetry, cuisine, music and crafts. The relics of ancient civilisations lay in the remains of madrasas-religious school, palace and bathhouses. The early Graeco-Roman streets showed C6th Christian buildings, medieval walls and gates, Mameluke mosques, and later Ottoman mosques and palaces. The Citadel reflected C12th-14th Arab military might.
Hammam baths interior
Wiki 2001
In Damascus, 310 ks from Aleppo, each hospital was beautifully designed and built. So much money was spent on the architecture and art that hospitals became the crown jewel of each new ruler’s effort to refashion his city. Hospitals also become part of Aleppo’s politico-architectural landscape that defined urban Islam! But not just hospitals. In Aleppo, Nur Al din’s patronage extended to important madrasas and Sufi monasteries.
On the crossroads of some trade routes, Aleppo was ruled successively by the Hittites, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Umayyads, Ayyubids, Mameluks and Ottomans, each leaving their mark. See the C12th Great Mosque founded under the Umayyads and rebuilt. See the C12th Madrasa Halawiye, which incorporated remains of Aleppo's Great Cathedral of St Helena. The mosques, madrasas, suqs and khans beautifully reflected the social, cultural and economic aspects of that very rich city.
On the crossroads of some trade routes, Aleppo was ruled successively by the Hittites, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Umayyads, Ayyubids, Mameluks and Ottomans, each leaving their mark. See the C12th Great Mosque founded under the Umayyads and rebuilt. See the C12th Madrasa Halawiye, which incorporated remains of Aleppo's Great Cathedral of St Helena. The mosques, madrasas, suqs and khans beautifully reflected the social, cultural and economic aspects of that very rich city.
Before the recent Syrian Civil War, these 13th and C14th religious and commercial buildings gave well preserved examples of medieval Islamic architecture which came from its historical heritage, covering varied nationalities and beliefs. Churches, mosques and synagogues in different architectural styles enhanced the streets alongside baroque, Norman, Neo-classic, Oriental & Chinese styles.
Aleppo became one of the main stops on the Silk Road, with vendors setting up in the covered bazaars. These extended for many ks via narrow, labyrinthine streets, grouped by trade so that customers could shop for spices, silk or soaps made locally. Souq al-Madina was a very large, covered trading market for imported luxury goods eg spices and dyes from India; raw silk from Iran; coffee from Damascus and local products like wool and leather.
Great Synagogue Aleppo
before it was destroyed
Times of Israel
Aleppo’s Great Synagogue embodied the once-thriving Jewish community. Built in C5th AD, it lasted until recently when the last Jews were exiled. Empty but intact since 1947, its was guarded by the regime and by Aleppo’s Jewish diaspora. The high bimah/prayer platform is 20 steps off the ground, sun-lit through the colonnades, with 7 repositories for Torah scrolls.
Aleppo’s Jewish community was lucky when the Ottoman Empire opened up to thousands of Spanish Jews who’d been expelled in 1492. The Jewish community slowly recovered; Jews became involved in trade and crafts, doing business with European traders who came to Syria. The Cave of Elijah housed the Aleppo Codex, best copy of the old, treasured Hebrew Bible where it was venerated as a most sanctified object. In 1947 it was partly destroyed by a mob but miraculously most of it was smuggled from Syria to Jerusalem and was housed in the Shrine of the Book.
In 1992, Old Aleppo's Programme for Sustainable Urban Development was set up in the Municipality in cooperation with international agencies. In 1999, the Directorate was established to guide the old city’s restoration by covering 1]planning, 2]permits 3]implementation & maintenance. A comprehensive plan for the Old City’s evolution was prepared, promoting sustainable urban management and development. Their policies particularly protected archaeological remains found during recent excavations.
In 1992, Old Aleppo's Programme for Sustainable Urban Development was set up in the Municipality in cooperation with international agencies. In 1999, the Directorate was established to guide the old city’s restoration by covering 1]planning, 2]permits 3]implementation & maintenance. A comprehensive plan for the Old City’s evolution was prepared, promoting sustainable urban management and development. Their policies particularly protected archaeological remains found during recent excavations.
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| Citadel |
Beautiful view from Aleppo's Citadel
before the Civil War
Yahoo News
Since UNESCO’s coverage, conservation efforts in the Old City have focused on the dominant Citadel, preserving the stunning historical value. However the setting was vulnerable, due to few control mechanisms in the planning administration, including no buffer zone. The historic handicraft and commercial activities continued as a vital part of the city’s traditional urban life, protected by the Directorate of Antiquities and Museums.
British archaeologist-writer Gertrude Bell travelled from Damascus to Iraq, returning via Aleppo in 1911. And then another Iraqi trip in 1913-14. Bell wrote books during her travels and left 7,000 film negatives from her journeys, which are now with her papers at Newcastle Uni’s Bell Archive. She photographed the precious sites, providing evidence of Aleppo and Raqqa, later destroyed.
Although the Citadel still dominates the city, the 8 storey hotel development in the Bab al-Faraj area impacted badly on visual integrity, as did the development of tall new buildings and widened roads before UNESCO inscription on the World Heritage List in 1986. Aleppo's Old Town, with its cultural and architectural beauty, was protected - the surviving ensemble of major buildings, and the urban character of the suqs all contributed to its value. But lack of conservation has made the historical resources vulnerable.
Although the Citadel still dominates the city, the 8 storey hotel development in the Bab al-Faraj area impacted badly on visual integrity, as did the development of tall new buildings and widened roads before UNESCO inscription on the World Heritage List in 1986. Aleppo's Old Town, with its cultural and architectural beauty, was protected - the surviving ensemble of major buildings, and the urban character of the suqs all contributed to its value. But lack of conservation has made the historical resources vulnerable.
War destruction in Aleppo, near the citadel.
Francesco Bandarin
Read the excellent Destruction of Aleppo: The Impact of the Syrian War on a World Heritage City by Francesco Bandarin