Built on a small group of hills in the wide valley on the river Quweiq, Aleppo is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and was inhabited as early as the 6th millennium B.C.
Home to more than 30 civilizations, Aleppo was controlled by the Hittites in the 14h and 13h century BC. , It fell under Assyrian rule from the 9th to the 7th century B.C. and was later occupied by the Persians and the Seleucids. Alexander the Great took over the city in 333 BC where it remained under Greek rule for 300 years. Aleppo fell under roman rule in 64 BC and remained under their control in the form of the Byzantine Empire, who made it a Christian stronghold until the Arabs took it over in 637 AD and joined it to the Abbasid Caliphate. The city has since remained under Muslim rule though under different dynasties and only experienced relative stability during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, which annexed the city in 1517. Syria came under French occupation following the decline of the Ottoman Empire after WW1 and finally gained independence in 1945.

Historical Aleppo
Historically, the old city of Aleppo was built around the acropolis where the citadel today stands. Aleppo flourished under many civilizations and developed a highly organized social, religious and economical structure early on in history. Being subjected to constant invasions and political instability, the inhabitants of the city were forced to build cell-like quarters and districts that were socially and economically independent. Each district was characterized by the religious and ethnic characteristics of its inhabitants.
One of the finest examples of a cell-like quarter in Aleppo is Al Jedaideh. After Tammourlank invaded Aleppo in 1400 and destroyed it, the Christians migrated out of city walls and established their own cell in the north western region of the city. The inhabitants of Al Jedaideh, were mainly brokers who facilitated trade between foreign traders and local merchants. The quarter houses some of the finest churches, court yard houses and palaces, some of which were converted into museums, schools and hotels and restaurants

Walls were built to protect the city and the first walls date back to the roman era. Ironically, invaders who destroyed the walls to enter the city made it their primary task to rebuild and consolidate them. Today there is clear division between old and new Aleppo. The old city is contained within a wall, 3 miles in circuit, with seven gates and is home to 100,000 Aleppinens.

The World’s Largest Shopping Center
The city’s strategic trading position attracted settlers of all races and beliefs who wished to capitalize on the commercial roads that met in Aleppo from as far as china and Mesopotamia to the east, Europe to the west, and the fertile crescent of Egypt to the south. It is therefore not surprising to find the largest covered markets, or souq, in the world in Aleppo; approximately 12 hectares or 10 km. The Medina, as it is locally known, actively traded in imported luxury goods, such as raw silk from Iran, spices and dyes from India, and coffee from Damascus. The Medina also traded in local products such as wool, agricultural produce and soap. Most of the souqs date back to the 15th century and are named after various professions and crafts; hence the wool souq, the copper souq, and so on. Aside from trading, the souq accommodated the traders and their goods in Khans (caravanserai) scattered in the souq. The Khans also take their names after their location in the souq and function and are characterized by their beautiful facades and entrances with fortified wooden doors.

Aleppo maintained a strong trading position until the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the Europeans started to use alternative routes to India and the Far East. Aleppo’s chief exports today are local agricultural products, such as wheat, cotton, pistachios and olives, and sheep and textiles.

A World Heritage Site
Aleppo city underwent major replanning after World War 2, as the French architect and urban planner, Andre Gutton, cut through the old city in an attempt to allow modern traffic easier passage. Gutton’s Master plan did not take the social, cultural and historical values into account and by the 1970s large parts of the old city were demolished. As awareness for the need to preserve this unique cultural heritage grew, the Gutton Master plan was finally abandoned in 1979 paving the way for UNESCO to declare the Old City of Aleppo a World Heritage Site in 1986. Several international institutions have joined efforts with local authorities to rehabilitate the old city of Aleppo by accommodating contemporary life while preserving the old one.
Today, Aleppo city has a population of around 1.7 million (2002), making it the second largest city after Damascus. Aleppo’s governate occupies 16,000 km and has around 3.7 million inhabitants .