Aleppo 159244 226107311 2008-07-16T21:16:19Z 24.30.119.157 /* Notable people */ :''For other meanings, see [[Aleppo (disambiguation)]]. '''Halab''' redirects here; for other meanings, see [[Halab (disambiguation)]].'' {{contradict}} {| class="infobox" |- ! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF" |''مدينة حلب''<br>City of Aleppo |- | colspan="2" align="center" | [[Image:Aleppo citadel001.jpg|250px]] |- | colspan="2" align="center" |<small>''Citadel of Aleppo''</small> |- ! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|General Information |- | [[Country]]: | [[Syria]] |- | [[Governorates of Syria|Governorate]]: | [[Aleppo Governorate|Aleppo]] |- | [[Area code]]: | 21 |- | Website: | [http://www.ealeppo.sy/ eAleppo] |- ! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Aleppo in Syria |- | colspan="2" align="center" | {{location map|Syria|label=Aleppo|lat=36.203|long=37.159}} |- | [[Governor]] | [[Tamer Alhajeh]] |- valign="top" ! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Population |- | valign="top" | [[Population]]: | 1 671 673 (2008 est.) <ref>[http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&dat=32&geo=-202&srt=npan&col=aohdq&pt=c&va=&srt=pnan Syria: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population]</ref> |- ! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Geography |- | valign="top" | [[Geographic coordinate system|Location]]: | 36° 12' N, 37° 9'E |- | valign="top" | Elevation: | 390 m |- |} {{Infobox World Heritage Site | WHS = Ancient City of Aleppo | Image = [[Image:Aleppohalab.jpg|250px|Skyline of Aleppo]] | State Party = {{SYR}} | Type = Cultural | Criteria = iii, iv | ID = 21 | Region = [[Arab States]] | Year = 1986 | Session = 10th | Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/21 }} '''Aleppo''' ({{lang-ar|حلب}} ['ħalab], {{coor dm|36|13|N|37|10|E|}}) is a city in northern [[Syria]], capital of the [[Aleppo Governorate]]; the Governorate extends around the city for over 16,000 km² and has a population of 4,393,000, making it the largest Governorate in Syria (followed by [[Damascus]]). Aleppo is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world; it knew human settlement since the eleventh millennium B.C. through the residential houses that were discovered in [[Tell Qaramel]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pcma.uw.edu.pl/cas/index.php?p=111|title=Pre- and Protohistory in the Near East: Tell Qaramel (Syria)|author=Polish Centre of Mediterranear Archeology |accessdate=2008-03-23}}</ref> It was known to antiquity as ''Khalpe'', ''Khalibon'', to the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] as ''Beroea'', and to the [[Turkish people|Turks]] as ''Halep''. During the [[Crusades]], and again during the French Mandate, the name ''Alep'' was used: "Aleppo" is an Italianised version of this. It occupies a strategic trading point midway between the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the [[Euphrates]]. Initially, Aleppo was built on a small group of hills surrounding the prominent hill where the castle is erected.<ref name="Duden6">{{cite book | editor = Alexander Russell | title = The Natural History of Aleppo | edition = 1st ed. | year = 1856 | publisher = Unknown | location = London | language = English | isbn = | pages = 266}}</ref> The small river [[Quweiq]] (قويق) runs through the city. The main role of the city was as a trading place, as it sat at the crossroads of two trade routes and mediated the trade from [[India]], the [[Tigris]] and [[Euphrates]] regions and the route coming from [[Damascus]] in the South, which traced the base of the mountains rather than the rugged seacoast. Although trade was often directed away from the city for political reasons, it continued to thrive until the Europeans began to use the [[Cape of Good Hope|Cape route]] to [[India]] and later to utilize the route through [[Egypt]] to the [[Red Sea]]. Since then the city has declined and its chief exports now are the agricultural products of the surrounding region, mainly [[wheat]], [[cotton]], [[pistachios]], [[olives]], and [[sheep]]. ==History== The ancient name of Aleppo, Halab, is of obscure origin. Some have proposed that Halab means 'iron' or 'copper' in Amorite languages since it was a major source of these metals in antiquity. ''Halaba'' in Aramaic means white, referring to the color of soil and marble abundant in the area. Another proposed etymology is that the name Halab means "gave out milk," coming from the ancient tradition that [[Abraham]] gave milk to travelers as they moved throughout the region. The colour of his cows was ashen (Arab. ''shaheb''), therefore the city is also called "Halab ash-Shahba'" (he milked the ash-coloured). Because the modern city occupies its ancient site, Aleppo has scarcely been touched by archaeologists. The site has been occupied from around 5000 BC, as excavations in Tallet Alsauda show. It grew as the capital of the kingdom of [[Yamkhad]] until the ruling [[Amorite]] Dynasty was overthrown around 1600 BC. The city remained under Hittite control until perhaps 800 BC before passing through the hands of the [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] and the [[Persian Empire]] and being captured by the Greeks in 333 BC, when [[Seleucus Nicator]] renamed the settlement Beroea, after [[Veria|Beroea]] in [[Macedon]]. The city remained in Greek or [[Seleucid]] hands until 64 BC, when [[Syria]] was conquered by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]]. The city remained part of the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire]] before falling to [[Muslim conquests|Arab]]s under [[Khalid ibn al-Walid]] in 637. In 944, it became the seat of an independent Emirate under the [[Hamdanid]] prince [[Sayf al-Daula]], and enjoyed a period of great prosperity, being home to the great poet [[al-Mutanabbi]] and the philosopher and [[polymath]] [[al-Farabi]]. The city was sacked by a resurgent Byzantine Empire in 962, while Byzantine forces occupied it briefly from 974 to 987. The city and its Emirate became an Imperial vassal until the [[Byzantine-Seljuk Wars]]. The city was twice besieged by [[Crusades|Crusaders]] — in 1098 and in 1124 — but was not conquered. On [[August 9]], [[1138]], [[1138 Aleppo earthquake|a deadly earthquake]] ravaged the city and the surrounding area. Although estimates from this time are very unreliable, it is believed that 230,000 people died, making it the [[List of earthquakes#Deadliest earthquakes on record|fourth deadliest]] earthquake in recorded history. The city came under the control of [[Saladin]] and then the [[Ayyubid]] Dynasty from 1183. On [[January 24]],<ref>{{cite journal|author=Jackson, Peter|title=The Crisis in the Holy Land in 1260|journal=[[The English Historical Review]]|volume=95|number=376|date=July 1980|pages=481–513}}</ref> 1260 the city was taken by the [[Mongols]] under [[Hulagu]] in alliance with their vassals the [[France|Frank]] knights of the ruler of [[Antioch]] [[Bohemond VI]] and his father-in-law the [[Cilician Armenia|Armenian]] ruler [[Hetoum I]].<ref>"Histoire des Croisades", René Grousset, p581, ISBN 226202569X</ref> The city was bravely defended by [[Turanshah]], but the walls fell after six days of bombardment, and the citadel fell four weeks later. The Muslim population was massacred, though the Christians were spared. Turanshah was shown unusual respect by the Mongols, and was allowed to live because of his age and bravery. The city was then given to the former Emir of [[Homs]], [[al-Ashraf]], and a Mongol garrison was established in the city. Some of the spoils were also given to Hethoum I for his assistance in the attack. The Mongol Army then continued on to [[Damascus]], which surrendered, and the Mongols entered the city on March 1, 1260. In September, the Egyptian Mamluks negotiated a treaty with the Franks of Acre which allowed them to pass through Crusader territory unmolested, and engaged the Mongols at the [[Battle of Ain Jalut]] on [[September 3]], [[1260]]. The Mamluks won a decisive victory, killing the Mongols' Nestorian Christian general [[Kitbuqa]], and five days later they had re-taken Damascus. Aleppo was recovered by the Muslims within a month, and a Mamluk governor placed to govern the city. Hulagu sent troops to try and recover Aleppo in December. They were able to massacre a large number of Muslims in retaliation for the death of Kitbuqa, but after a fortnight could make no other progress and had to retreat.<ref>Runciman, p. 314</ref> The Mamluk governor of the city became insubordinate to the central Mamluk authority in Cairo, and in Autumn 1261 the Mamluk leader [[Baibars]] send an army to reclaim the city. In October 1271, the Mongols took the city again, attacking with 10,000 horsemen from [[Anatolia]], and defeating the [[Turcoman]] troops who were defending Aleppo. The Mamluk garrisons fled to [[Hama]], until Baibars came north again with his main army, and the Mongols retreated.<ref>Runciman, pp. 336-337</ref> On October 20, 1280, the Mongols took the city again, pillaging the markets and burning the mosques. The Muslim inhabitants fled for Damascus, where the Mamluk leader [[Qalawun]] assembled his forces. When his army advanced, the Mongols again retreated, back across the [[Euphrates]]. Aleppo returned to native control in 1317,{{Fact|date=September 2007}}. In 1400, the Mongol leader [[Timur|Tamerlane]] captured the city again from the Mamluks.<ref>Runciman, p. 463</ref>. He massacred many of the inhabitants, infamously ordering the building of a tower of 20,000 skulls outside the city.<ref>[http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Battle%20of%20Aleppo Battle of Aleppo@Everything2.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The city became part of the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1517, when the city had around 50,000 inhabitants. Reference is made to the city in 1606 in William Shakespeare's 'Macbeth.' The witches torment the captain of the ship the Tiger which was headed to Aleppo from England but endured a 567 day voyage before returning unsuccessfully to port. The city remained Ottoman until the empire's collapse, but was occasionally riven with internal feuds as well as attacks of the [[Black Death|plague]] and later [[cholera]] from 1823. By 1901 its population was around 125,000. The city revived when it came under French colonial rule but slumped again following the decision to give [[Antioch]] to [[Turkey]] in 1938-1939. Aleppo was named by the Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) as the capital of Islamic culture in 2006.[http://www.aleppo-cic.sy] == Design == [[Image:05-03-23 InsideTheSoukInAleppo.JPG|thumb|Inside the suq]]There is a relatively clear division between old and new Aleppo. The older portions were contained within a wall, 3 miles in circuit with seven gates. The medieval [[castle]] in the city -- known as the [[Citadel of Aleppo]] -- is built atop a huge, partially artificial mound rising 50 m above the city. The current structure dates from the 13th century and had been extensively damaged by earthquakes, notably in 1822. As an ancient trading centre, Aleppo also has impressive ''[[suq]]s'' (shopping streets) and ''khans'' (commercial courtyards). The city was significantly redesigned after [[World War II]]; in 1952 the French architect [[Andre Gutton]] had a number of wide new roads cut through the city to allow easier passage for modern traffic. In the 1970s, large parts of the older city were demolished to allow for the construction of modern apartment blocks. ===Gates of Aleppo=== * [[Bab al-Hadid]] (Iron Gate). * [[Bab al-Maqam]] (Gate of the Shrine). * [[Bab Antakeya]] (Gate of Antioch). * [[Bab al-Nasr]] (Gate of Victory). * [[Bab al-Faraj (Aleppo)|Bab al-Faraj]] (Gate of Deliverance). * [[Bab Qinnasrin]] (Gate of Qinnasrin). * [[Bab al-Jnean]] (Gate of Gardens). * [[Bab al-Ahmar]] (Gate of Red). == Population and religion == [[Image:AleppoAlJdeida.jpg|left|thumb|Narrow street in the Christian quarter]] While more than 70% of Aleppo's inhabitants are [[Sunni]] [[Muslims]] (mainly [[Arabs]], but also [[Kurds]], and other diverse ethnicities, most notably [[Circassians]], [[Aramean-Syriacs]], [[Adyghe people| Adyghe]], [[Albanians]], [[Bosnians]], [[Bulgars]], [[Turkish people|Turks]], [[Kabardin]]s, [[Chechens]], and others), Aleppo is home to one of the richest and most diversified [[Christian]] communities of the Orient. Christians belonging to a dozen different congregations (with prevalence of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian]] and [[Syriac Orthodox Church]] and other Orthodox denominations) represent between 15% and 20% of its population, making it the city with the second biggest Christian community in the Middle East after [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]. [[Image:Alepp0fashion.jpg|right|thumb|A [[Jewish]] woman and a couple of [[Bedouins]], 1873.]]The city had a large [[Jewish]] population in ancient times, traditionally since the period of [[King David]]. The great [[synagogue]] housed the famous [[Aleppo codex]], dating back to the ninth century. The codex is now housed in [[Jerusalem]]. The vast majority of Aleppo's 10,000 [[Jewish]] residents preferred to go to the state of [[Israel]] upon its formation, as part of the [[Jewish exodus from Arab lands]]. The Syrian government imposed a ban on emigration, and to break or circumvent the ban took the covert effort of Syrian Jews and their rescuers in other countries. Emigration began in earnest in 1948 and continued to the 1990s. Besides for the pogroms and riots in 1947, further pogroms proved to be falsely anticipated, and there was virtually no such backlash from the already religiously diverse Aleppan residents in response to Israel's controversial formation. There was, however extensive Syrian government repression of the Jewish community, coupled with demonization of the Jews on part of the Syrian government-controlled media. To this day, the properties and houses of the Jewish families which were not sold after the migration remain uninhabited. The Syrian Government is currently protecting the properties, mostly in the areas of Al-Jamiliah and Bab Al-Naser and the neighbourhoods around the [[Central synagogue of Aleppo]]. There are only a handful of Jewish families still living in Aleppo today, and the synagogue remains virtually empty.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} At one point it was a thriving Jewish community, especially under the guidance of the Chief Rabbi Jacob Dwek and his brother in law Rabbi Ezra Soued. Their offspring have since settled around the world in such places as the [[United States]] ([[Syrian Jews]] mostly moved to [[Brooklyn]], [[New York]], where there is still an ethnic community called [[Little Syria]]), [[Mexico]], [[Brazil]] and other countries, by dint of the efforts of the Canadian musician [[Judy Feld Carr]], which secured the rescue of almost all Syrian Jews from the pressures of the Syrian government and population.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} Currently hundreds of buildings, many of beautiful late Ottoman style stand empty and deteriorating in many sections of town, chained symbolically against repossession by Christians or Muslims. The city has many [[mosque]]s including the [[Madrasa Halawiya]]. A temple that once stood on the site was rebuilt as Aleppo's great [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] cathedral founded by [[Helena of Constantinople|Saint Helena]], mother of [[Constantine the Great]], which contains a tomb associated with [[Zechariah (priest)|Zachary]], father of [[John the Baptist]]. During the [[Crusade]]s, when the invaders pillaged the surrounding countryside, the city's chief judge converted St. Helena's cathedral into a mosque, and in the middle of the 12th century the famous leader [[Nur al-Din]] founded the ''[[madrasa]]'' or religious school that has encompassed the former cathedral. The [[Jami al-Kabir]] or "Great Mosque" was originally built by the [[Umayyads]], although the present structure begun for Nur al-Din dates from 1158 and a rebuilding after the [[Mongol]] invasion of 1260. ==Program for Sustainable Urban Development in Syria== The “Program for Sustainable Urban Development in Syria” (UDP) is a joint undertaking of the [[German Development Cooperation]] (BMZ/GTZ), the Syrian Ministry for Local Administration and Environment (MLAE), and several other Syrian partner institutions. The program promotes capacities for sustainable urban management and development at the national and municipal level. Four components have been agreed as major fields of cooperation during the first phase (2007 – 2009): # Urban development in the City of Aleppo; this includes further support to the rehabilitation of the Old City, as well as to a long-term oriented city development strategy (CDS) and the management of informal settlements. # Rehabilitation of the Old City of [[Damascus]]; this will build on instruments and experiences established during the urban rehabilitation support for Old Aleppo. # Promoting support structures for municipalities; this includes capacity building, networking, and promoting municipal strength in the national development dialogue. # Policy advise on urban development; rapid urbanization in Syria requires adequate legislative and institutional frame-conditions as well as specific promotional programs for urban development. The UDP cooperates closely with other interventions in the sector, namely the EU-supported 'Municipal Administration Modernization' program. Planned operational period: 2007 – 2016. ==Notable people== {{see also|Rulers of Aleppo}} *[[Paul of Aleppo]], 17th century Archdeacon of Aleppo, traveler and chronicler. *[[Phillip Stamma]] Chessplayer and writer, was born in 1705 . *[[Ali Sadreddine Bayanouni]], deputy leader of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] in 1977. *[[Muhammed Faris]] (born 1951), first Syrian [[cosmonaut]]. *[[Mohamed Naoulo]], Highest ranked Engineer from the Universities in Syria, born in 1946 *[[Adnan Dabbagh]], former minister of interior of Syria. *[[Moustapha Akkad]], film producer and director, born in 1935. *[[George Tutunjian]], [[Armenian Revolutionary Songs]] performer. *[[Levon Ter-Petrossian]], former president of the Republic of Armenia. *[[Abdul-Rahman Mowakket]], famous sculptor who created great sculptures in the city. *[[Mo'ayyeduddin Urdi]], famous astronomer working in Marageh observatory *[[Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi]], thinker and religious reformer. *[[Tony Rezko]], American restaurateur and real estate developer *[[Mike Silyan]], American entrepreneur and real estate developer *[[Anthony Batri]] former New York High School Golden Boot of 2001 ==See also== *[[Aleppo Codex]] *[[Central Synagogue of Aleppo]] ==Photo gallery== <gallery> Image:Aleppoaleppoaleppo.jpg|The National Park is in the heart of the city Image:Aleppoaleppo.jpg|The entrance to the [[Citadel|Citadel of Aleppo]], the most famous monument in the city Image:Citadel-amphitheatre.jpg| The amphitheatre inside the citadel Image:Byzantine-hall.jpg| The Byzantine hall inside the citadel Image:AleppoViewFromCitadel.jpg| Old Aleppo with entrance to the main suq (view from the citadel) Image:MapAleppo 1912.jpg|Aleppo in 1912, centered on its citadel mound Image:churchofAleppo.jpg|The [[Church of Saint Simeon]] (Samaan) is considered to be one of the oldest remaining churches in the world. </gallery> ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://aleppo-sy.com/news/ official website of Aleppo] *[http://almashriq.hiof.no/syria/900/the_lure_of_aleppo/ Lynn Simarski, 'The lure of Aleppo" history and architecture.] *[http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Haleb Armenian history and presence in Aleppo] *[http://www.alepuniv.shern.net/index_en.php University of Aleppo] *[http://www.gtz-oldaleppo.org/ Rehabilitation of Old Aleppo] *[http://www.aleppocitadelfriends.org Aleppo Citadel Friends] - Local non-profit with information on old city and citadel. *A walk through [http://www.oldworldwandering.com/2007/04/22/aleppo-syria/ Aleppo] from a [http://www.oldworldwandering.com/ travelogue], with [http://www.oldworldwandering.com/wp-gallery2.php?g2_itemId=1590&g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT/ pictures] (2006). *Keith David Watenpaugh, [http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8210.html''Being Modern in the Middle East: Revolution, Nationalism, Colonialism and the Arab Middle Class''] (Princeton: 2006) (a comprehensive account of Aleppo's diverse middle class in the early-20th Century)<br /> *Heghnar Zeitlian Watenpaugh, [http://www.brill.nl/m_catalogue_sub6_id10325.htm''The Image of an Ottoman City Imperial Architecture and Urban Experience in Aleppo in the 16th and 17th Centuries''] (Leiden: 2005) ===Photography=== {{commons|Category:Aleppo|Aleppo}} *[http://www.zeledi.com/gallery/index.php?cat=31 A large picture gallery] about Aleppo, sorted after the old, the modern city and the souk. *[http://www.zeledi.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-66 Citadel of Aleppo, inside and outside.] *[http://www.zeledi.com/public/Photography/SyriaWinter03/Aleppo/ A collection of pictures] made in 2003 on Aleppo (a mosque, the Citadel, the souk). *[http://web.mac.com/dwb217/iWeb/WorldViewBender/Aleppo.html Pictures of Aleppo] ===Local=== *[http://ittihadonline.net 'Ittihad club of Aleppo" forum for local sport and Aleppo community .] *[http://www.jalaaclub.com/ 'Jalaa Club of Aleppo" local basketball team and rivals of Ittihad .] <!-- Template removed per [[Wikipedia:Templates_for_deletion/Log/2008_April_22#Template:AL_LargestCities]] --> {{Cities of Syria}} {{World Heritage Sites in Syria}} [[Category:Aleppo| ]] [[Category:Settlements established in the 5th millennium BC]] [[Category:Cities along the Silk Road]] [[Category:Cities, towns and villages in Syria]] [[Category:History of Syria]] [[Category:Amorite cities]] [[ar:حلب]] [[br:Aleppo]] [[bg:Халеб]] [[ca:Alep]] [[cs:Aleppo]] [[cy:Aleppo]] [[da:Aleppo]] [[de:Aleppo]] [[et:Ḩalab]] [[es:Alepo]] [[eo:Alepo]] [[eu:Alepo]] [[fa:حلب]] [[fr:Alep]] [[gl:Alepo - حلب]] [[ko:알레포]] [[hy:Հալեպ]] [[id:Aleppo]] [[it:Aleppo]] [[he:חאלב]] [[ku:Heleb]] [[lv:Haleba]] [[lt:Alepas]] [[hu:Aleppó]] [[nl:Aleppo]] [[ja:アレッポ]] [[no:Aleppo]] [[pl:Aleppo]] [[pt:Alepo]] [[ro:Alep]] [[ru:Халеб]] [[scn:Aleppu]] [[sl:Alep]] [[sh:Alep]] [[fi:Aleppo]] [[sv:Aleppo]] [[tg:Вилояти Ҳалаб]] [[tr:Halep]] [[uk:Халеб]] [[ur:حلب]] [[zh:阿勒颇]]