Aleppo General Tips by call_me_rhia

Favorite Thing: Aleppo, and especially the old town, is like entering another dimension - or better like a step back in time: just close your eyes and it's easy to be transported back in time - to the time of the great merchant's era , when it was at the crossroad of many trading routes.

Fondest Memory: walking around the old town after dusk, in the badly lit (or even unlit) little narrow lanes. After the shops have closed for the day, Aleppo's true beauty shines clearer: a maze of wonderful solid old builgings, unchanged throughtout the centuries. I loved walking around there - getting lost - finding myself somehow back where I started from.

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Favorite Thing: Al-aziziah, the chic(ish) area of Aleppo - which I found interesting just because it's so different from the old town: roads are broader here, there are parks and green patches, and the recent buildings are quite imposing and some nicely decorated. Having said this, it lacks a bit of middle-eastern charm - but in comparison it is not deprived of old french charm.

Fondest Memory: Whereas I have mixed feeling about this area, it's the best place to come for internet cafés. There are plenty of them - not all with internet facilities. I'm not kidding: just go inside a few and ask to go online - sorry, no internet connection available. Just in case for a while you forgot you are in the Middle East...

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Favorite Thing: Al-Jdeida means "the new ", in the sense that this part of town was built anew during the early ottoman period. Originally it was the home of many Armenian Christians, and you can still see a plethora of little churches in the area. It's a fascinating place to stroll about admiring the simple yet great architecture and the charming little alleys.

Fondest Memory: Getting lost in this area (read: approximative map) and enjoying the little details: the stone buildings, the vaulted arches, the little windows, the ornated doorknobs. Magical! It was a bit hard to get out of this maze: I found no one who spoke English (or French or anything) and my pronunciation of street names in Arabic proved completely a disaster. but i kept walking, kept marvelling, and eventually came out somewhere... from where I could make out the shape of the citadel in the distance. I was "found"!

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