The Halawiyah Madrasa

Step out of the west gate of the Great Mosque and this is the building in front of you. From outside it is an ordinary madrasa. The columns inside say otherwise: in the 5th century this was the great cathedral of Aleppo, founded by tradition by Helena, the mother of Constantine. It became a mosque in 1124, and in 1149 Nur al-Din Zangi turned it into a madrasa for the Hanafi school of law. Each change wrote over the last one rather than erasing it.

Getting there

In the al-Jalloum quarter. Leave the Great Mosque by its west gate and cross the lane. That is all. The road running west out of the Al-Madina souq comes out at the same point.

What to see

The columns along the west side of the prayer hall are the cathedral’s own. Look up. The acanthus leaves on their capitals look less carved than curled, and they count among the finest Byzantine stonework still standing in Syria. The mihrab and the woodwork sit beside them, two centuries sharing one wall.

How it stands today

Al-Jalloum and the souqs around it were on the front line between 2012 and 2016, and roughly a third of the old city was destroyed. Repair work in the souqs continues and the shops are reopening in turn. Whether the madrasa’s door is open varies from day to day, so confirm it on the spot.

Do not miss

Most visitors look at the mihrab and leave. The capitals stand along the west side in low light; the detail does not read until you are next to them.