Travel in Aleppo - Syria - Culture - WorldTravelGate.net®-

Aleppo is famous for its ancient citadel with medieval fortress and the extraordinary souks (bazaars) with every conceivable kind of article for sale. It was and is still the far distant trade centre when Shakespeare mentioned it in Macbeth and Othello.

Aleppo is also known for its mosques and churches and is considered the third city in the Islamic world because of the number of its mosques and schools. The Archaeological Museum contains exhibits from the Stone Age to modern times. It has particularly interesting collection of antiquities from some of the most ancient sites in Syria including Mari, Ugarit and Ebla as well as objects found in the Euphrates Basin, Hama, Tell Halaf and Ein Dara, in addition to remains from Greek, Roman, Arab and Islamic periods.

The 12^th-century Great Mosque or Al-Jami al-Kabir was built by the Umayyad dynasty witch is one of the largest mosques in the world. The great mosque built in 1213 whose square minaret is 21 meters high and from which can be seen a splendid view.

In terms of spaciousness and originality, the covered souqs (old markets): of Aleppo that extends for more than 10 kilometres are the most striking in any Islamic city. The souqs are named after the various crafts: hence, we find the souq of gold, the souq of copper, cotton, etc. Traditionally, there is always a fountain in the centre and sometimes a little garden planted with jasmine and roses. Most of these souqs date back to the 15^th century. They are living museum, which depict medieval life.

The Commercial Khans (caravanserais) are in the same area as the souqs, since they were used for the accommodation of traders and their goods. Their beautiful facades and entrances characterize these Khans; their high arches wooden doors. Some of these Khans are Banadiqa Khan, ‘Banadiqa’ in Arabic being the term of ‘inhabitants of Venice', Jumruk Khan (customs), Wazir Khan (minister) and Saboun Khan (Soap).

There are various 17^th-century medersas (Old schools), churches, palaces, hammams (public bath houses), ancient houses, some dating back to the 15^th century, like the al-Bunduqiah (Venetian) Consulate that contains superb ornaments and antiquities.

Because the city of Aleppo is such a melting-pot of nationalities and cultures, there is a fine selection of local dishes in the restaurants of the modern town. Arab, Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian and Assyrian dishes are all available for the visitor to sample and enjoy.

The population of Aleppo consists of many Christians consisting of Armenian refugees from Turkey and many street signs are written in Armenian script.