Aleppo Sights

  1. Al-Adliyya Mosque

    Towards the bottom of Souq al-Nahaseen, just before it becomes Sharia Bab Qinnesrin, a short passageway leads to Al-Adliyya Mosque, built in 1555 and one of the city's major Ottoman-era mosques. It's worth a quick look inside for the fine tiling.

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  2. Al-Bahramiyya Mosque

    A few steps along from where the souq proper starts, on the right is Al-Bahramiyya Mosque , built in early Ottoman style in the late 16th century.

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  3. Al-Khosrowiyya Mosque

    Al-Khosrowiyya Mosque is notable for being one of the earliest works of the famed Turkish architect Sinan, dating to 1537. It still serves as the main place of worship for the neighbourhood and each Friday streams of men and young boys make a beeline here to assume their places for noon prayers.

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  4. Al-Qaiqan Mosque

    Take a quick detour left, immediately after Bab Antakya, up a flight of stone steps beside a hammam (often flagged by towels drying outside), to a street that follows the line of the old city ramparts. In addition to fascinating views, there's the little Al-Qaiqan Mosque with its doorway flanked by basalt Byzantine columns, a façade studded with column segments, and a block inscribed with Hittite script embedded in the south wall.

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  5. Armenian Cathedral of the 40 Martyrs

    Al-Jdeida is home to five major churches, each aligned to a different denomination. On Haret al-Yasmin, is the entrance to the 17th-century Armenian Cathedral of the 40 Martyrs. If possible, it's worth visiting on a Sunday to observe the Armenian mass performed here, which is still pervaded with a sensuous aura of ritual. It starts at and lasts two hours.

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  7. Bab al-Qinnesrin

    Sharia Bab Qinnesrin is the southern continuation of Souq an-Nahaseen (Coppersmiths' Souq, which unfortunately no longer houses coppersmiths), and it runs down to Bab al-Qinnesrin, the surviving southern Old City gate. It's been a prime beneficiary of the attentions of the GTZ and the Old City rehabilitation project. It only stretches for a little over 500m, but in that stretch there's quite a lot to see.

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  8. Bab Antakya

    The 13th-century Bab Antakya, the western gate of the old walled city, is all but completely hidden by the swarm of busy workshops surrounding it, but you definitely get a sense of 'entering' as you pass under its great stone portal and through the defensively doglegged vaulted passageway. Once through here you emerge onto Souq Bab Antakya, the bazaar's bustling main thoroughfare, which runs due east to halt abruptly at the foot of the Citadel, some 1.5km away.

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  9. Beit Ghazzali

    Backtrack across Saahat al-Hatab and make a beeline south along Sharia al-Kayyali. On the right is a door with a plaque announcing Beit GhazzaliNew. This is the largest house in the quarter. It was built in the 17th century and served as an Armenian school for much of the 20th century. It's now owned by the city council and is undergoing restoration until its fate is decided. Some of the walls have fine painted decoration and there's a splendid private hammam.

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  10. Beit Sissi

    Beit Sissi is a 17th-century residence that was one of the first of the area's many historic houses to be restored; it's now a renowned restaurant.

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  11. Beit Wakil

    Beit Wakil is two 18th-century houses lovingly transformed into a stunning boutique hotel and courtyard restaurant.

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  13. Bimaristan Arghan

    The splendid Bimaristan Arghan, is one of the most enchanting buildings in the whole of Aleppo. Dating from the 14th century, it was converted from a house into an asylum, a role it continued to perform until the 20th century. The main entrance gives access to a beautifully kept courtyard with a central pool overhung by greenery. Diagonally across, a doorway leads through to a series of tight passages, one of which terminates in a small, octagonal, domed courtyard.

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  14. Citadel

    Rising up on a high mound at the eastern end of the souq, the Citadel is Aleppo's most famous and most spectacular landmark. Dominating the city, it has long been the heart of its defences.

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  15. Great Mosque

    On the northern edge of the souq is the Great Mosque or Umayyad Mosque, the younger sibling (by 10 years) of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. It's also known as Al-Jamaa Zacharia after Prophet Zacharia, the father of St John the Baptist. Started by Caliph Al-Walid (r AD 705-15), who earlier founded the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the work was completed by his successor Caliph Suleiman (r AD 715-17).

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  16. Greek Catholic Church

    On Saahat Farhat, is a small Greek Catholic Church, which dates to the 19th century.

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  17. Greek Orthodox Church

    Al-Jdeida is home to five major churches, each aligned to a different denomination. The 19th-century Greek Orthodox Church is one of them.

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  19. Hammam al-Nahaseen

    The renovated, men-only Hammam al-Nahaseen, in the heart of the souq just south of the Great Mosque, is open long hours and is still a local favourite despite increasingly attracting tourists.

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  20. Hammam Na'eem

    Hammam Na'eem, also known as Hammam al-Jedida, is a quiet, clean, friendly, men-only place north of the main souq street. To find it, coming from Bab Antakya along Souq Bab Antakya, take the first left after the start of the corrugated-iron roofing and it's just ahead on the right.

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  21. Hammam Yalbougha an-Nasry

    Originally constructed in 1491, Hammam Yalbougha an-Nasry was one of Syria's finest working bathhouses and something of a city showpiece, yet was closed for maintenance at the time of research with no opening date fixed. If you can manage to get in to take a look around, there's a splendid sun clock inside the dome above reception. If it is operational again, don't leave Aleppo without having a massage and scrub here.

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  22. Khan al-Jumruk

    The great gateway of the magnificent Khan al-Jumruk, completed in 1574, is the largest and most impressive of Aleppo's khans. At one time it housed the consulates and trade missions of the English, Dutch and French, in addition to 344 shops. Its days as a European enclave are now long gone but the khan is still in use, serving as a cloth market. The decoration on the interior façade of the gateway is splendid.

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  23. Khan al-Nahaseen

    Next to Al-Jumruk (but entered from the east side) is the much smaller Khan al-Nahaseen , dating from the first half of the 16th century. Until the 19th century, rooms on the 1st floor housed the Venetian consul, and during the 20th century they were the residence of the Belgian consul, Adolphe Poche, and his family. Madam Jenny Poche, descended from the last of the Venetian consuls, maintains the property, which may well qualify as the oldest continuously inhabited house in Aleppo.

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  25. Khan al-Sabun

    Away from the shopping temptations in the souq, there are some other khans well worth your time. In the block east of the Great Mosque is the early-16th-century Khan al-Sabun, largely obscured by a clutter of shops but with a distinctive, richly decorated Mamluk façade, considered to be one of the best examples of Mamluk architecture in the city. Internally it's one of the prettiest of khans , with vine-hung trelliswork and the brightly hued wares of carpet sellers draped over the balconies.

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  26. Khan al-Tutun Kebir

    Beyond Al-Kamiliyya mosque, a corrugated-iron roof blots out the sunlight and the souq proper starts. To the left are entranceways to two adjacent khans, or travellers' inns, Khan al-Tutun Sughayyer and Khan al-Tutun Kebir, the little and big khans of Tutun, although in fact they're both fairly modest in scale.

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  27. Khan al-Tutun Sughayyer

    Beyond Al-Kamiliyya mosque, a corrugated-iron roof blots out the sunlight and the souq proper starts. To the left are entranceways to two adjacent khans, or travellers' inns, Khan al-Tutun Sughayyer and Khan al-Tutun Kebir, the little and big khans of Tutun, although in fact they're both fairly modest in scale.

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  28. Khan al-Wazir

    The 17th-century Khan al-Wazir, has a beautifully decorated gateway. It's one of the grandest such structures in Aleppo and largely unaltered by modern development.

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  29. Madrassa as-Sultaniyya

    Opposite the Citadel entrance is the Ayyubid Madrassa as-Sultaniyya. The prayer hall has a striking mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) with eye-catching ornamentation achieved through multicoloured marble inlays. Unfortunately this part of the building is often locked.

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