Sign in with Facebook"The World Oldest City Called Halab !" Aleppo by coceng
Aleppo Travel Guide: 757 reviews and 1,848 photos
SYRIA
The First Day...
I arrived in the wee hour of 4 am in Aleppo from Tripoli in Lebanon. Arrived at the hotel at about 5 am, greeted by a drunken guy ! Read the story on this link below :
After checking in, I slept for a few hours as I couldn't sleep on the bus previous night !
At about 10 am, started to go out & explore...
Called up Mohammed ( A university student who worked part-time at his dad's shop...), who came to greet me & took me around The Souqs & got me a short-cut to The Citadel in Aleppo. He left me there as he had to rush back to work & we planned to meet up again on that evening.
Explored The Citadel on my own, it's a vast place ! Amazing sceneries from the top over Aleppo.
Coming out & down from The Citadel, I got lost ! It's good to get lost but I always ended up in The Souqs where the sellers tried to sell me things. The things were cheap but bluntly I said to them, "Sorry, No Money !" God knows that was the honest truth from my side.
When I finally found my way, I went to a garage ( small station for service taxis...) & asked for a service taxi to Qala'at Samaan.
That was around 2.30 pm...
To reach Qala'at Samaan, first I had to reach a village called Darret Azze from where I could get a service taxi or hire a taxi to Qala'at Samaan.
Sure, there's a tour from Aleppo going to Qala'at Samaan but I intend to reach there on my own, by public transport, would be cheaper I thought.
Coming back from Qala'at Samaan was around 6 pm. I was dropped near the vegetable market & that was a lively scenario ! All kinds of vegetables & fruits were on display. took some nice photos of the scenes & walked around The Square where President Assad standing erect in the middle of it. Took some sunset photos around Aleppo. Feeling nice, people were smiling but couldn't really making a conversation with them.
Bought myself schwarmas & back to the hotel.
At about 10 pm, I went out again, waited for Mohammed in front of The Aleppo Museum.
He came on time & asked me what I wanted to do, I said up to him.
He took me to meet his 2 freinds ( also university students like Mohammed...) who live nearby & it was pleasant at first.
They invited me to eat : Some spices, some breads, some mayonaise, stuffs like that ! I said I would be happy with my schwarmas !
They joked that if I didn't eat what they prepared for me they would force me to consume it !
It was a joke allright ! It was err, 'heavy' !
We talked; We laughed; We joked about English language as they wanted to learn English as that would bring them far, they said...
They started asking about me, about my country !
What would I want to hide ?
I told them about Malaysia : Tthe 3 races with 3 religions, 3 cultures & we live together as Malaysians.
More questions : They started to ask about how an Islamic country like Malaysia could tolerate with other religions ? I gave my comments !
I said it's about the upbringings, the teachings & the backgrounds of 3 races to respect & understand people through their cultures & religions.
Long story...
The bottom line is :
They just couldn't see it !
They couldn't understand how a mosque can be built side by side with a Hindu or Chinese temples !
They couldn't understand how restaurants selling pork can be built in the same complex which are also frequented by Muslims !
They look at alcohol as the evil thing ! They should see the Muslim guy who greeted me at 5 in the morning who was drunk, who couldn't even find my hotel booking !
They asked me whether I'm Sunni or Shiite, I said all Muslims in Malaysia are Sunnis because we follow the teachings of Shafie..,Blah Blah Blah !
Still, they questioned me this & that !
I felt that the conversation was going nowhere !
When they started to raise their voices, I started to raise mine !
I stood up & said, "I'm coming to your country because I'm the previleged here !
You wanted me to explain about my country, I did that ! If you don't agree with my own country that's fine by me ! If you don't agree with my country that's fine by me too !
For me, you have insulted a guest coming to your country !
You insulted me because I come from Malaysia !
Next time, don't ask a guest about what we just argued about !
You don't live in their countries, you didn't have their upbringings, you don't have their cultures !
Most importantly, you don't have their tolerance !"
They replied, "Come on it's just a discussion !"
I said look for somebody else ! I went to the door & couldn't open it. They tried to calm me to sit down & I yelled, "Open this ***ing door !"
They did & off I went out !
Went back to my hotel & the drunk guy (he's not drunk at that time...) asked me what happened because my face was so red ! I said, "Nothing..."
Went back to my room & forced myself to sleep with a clench teeth !
The Second Day... ( Click here )
ALEPPO is Syria's second city.
It is the municipal city for the northern Syria.
It has been mentioned since Roman times & it's also (together with Damascus) the oldest inhabited city in the world !
Now, it is called as Halab by the local people in the region.
Population is around 3 millions mostly Muslims.
Aleppo was ruled by most major conquerors like The Seleucids, The Romans, The Persians, The Muslims, The Mongols, The Crusaders, The Ottomans & The Byzantines.
Earthquakes have destroyed this city a few times along the reigns of the above so many buildings, including The Citadel, The Fortress & The City itself have been rebuilt many times over.
Now, there are 2 parts of Central Aleppo :
The Old City
The New City
The Old City has all the sightseeings like the huge Citadel; The heart of The Old City is The Souqs ! You can get lost inside The Souqs ! It's like a vast maze !
The New City has the commercial areas, places to stay & some public parks...
- Pros:The Citadel In Aleppo Is Impressive !
- Cons:Don't Talk Politic & Religion With Anybody In Aleppo ! ( Well, my experience ! )
- In a nutshell:Aleppo Is A Base To Explore Sites In The North Of Syria !
Reviews (58)
Travelogues (2)
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Written Jun 16, 2005
8 photos
From Tripoli To Aleppo...
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Written Jun 14, 2005
5 photos
The Second Day in Aleppo...
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Comments (4)
I have to say I thorougly enjoy reading your pages..YOu have a wonderful pictures, great commentary/stories of your travels. Purely entertaining and enjoyable. Keep on doing what your doing. Take care and happy happy travels always.
Stunning photos of your trip. What camera do you use? Looking forward to seeing the gaps filled. leyle
very nice nite photo taking.....
Nice photo of the citadel!