Khan al-Harir
An Ottoman caravanserai built for the silk trade inside the Aleppo souq. Damaged in the war, it is among the parts repaired and reopened with the market.
- Opening hours
- With souq hours; may be closed around Friday midday
- Entry
- Free
- Duration
- 30 minutes
- Best time
- Morning, as the souq opens and the courtyard is empty
- Period
- Ottoman
- Address
- Aleppo souq, al-Jalloum quarter, Old City, Aleppo
Inside the covered souq of Aleppo, you pass through a stone gate and the sky opens all at once: the courtyard. The khan was built for the silk trade and takes its name from it. The khans of the souq all did the same work — where goods were stored, where merchants lodged, where deals were closed.
Getting there
On foot through the souq, on the route between the Citadel of Aleppo and the Great Mosque. To find the door, look for arched stone entrances rather than a sign.
How long it takes
Half an hour: the courtyard, the arcades and the upper floor.
What is there
A rectangular courtyard with two storeys of arcading and rooms around it, storage below and lodging above. The khan was heavily damaged along with the rest of the souq in the fighting between 2012 and 2016; its stone gate and courtyard are among the sections renewed under the repair programme. New stone and old stone do not yet match in colour, and that difference has been left deliberately visible.
What most people miss
Follow the line on the arch of the gate where new stone meets old. It is the clearest place to see how far the repair has reached.
Tips
- Do not look for a sign; look for the arched stone doors in the souq
- Repair work continues and some parts may be closed
- Go in the morning; the souq fills up after midday
- The Citadel and the Great Mosque join the same walk
Transparency
- How this was chosen
- Written by hand; opening hours, entry fee and coordinates are kept as data. A field that is not known for certain is marked as variable rather than guessed.
- Facts checked
- August 2026
- Last updated
- August 20, 2026