Salqin, an Olive Town above the Orontes Valley

A town in the Harim district, 46 kilometres from Idlib and about 80 from Aleppo, built between two mountains at 460 metres. Its houses climb the slope, and to the west the land opens onto the Orontes valley and, beyond it, the Amuq and Iskenderun plains. What Salqin is known for is not a monument but its land: orchards fed by springs, and an oil called Salqini, pressed from the Surani olive that is particular to Idlib.

Where the name comes from

Local tradition links the name to Seleucus I, who is said to have founded the town as a summer retreat. Another explanation takes it from Syriac for those who climb, a picture of the houses rising up the hillside. An inscription on a stone standing between two cypress trees in the town dates its founding to 98 BC. We could not verify where the stone is today.

What happened to the castle

The 13th-century historian Izz al-Din Ibn Shaddad lists Salqin among 22 abandoned or ruined castles of the Aleppo region. The castle most likely fell during the Mongol raids, and the Mamluks never rebuilt it. Its site has not been confirmed.

Orchards and olives

Many springs water the orchards, where olives, pomegranates, walnuts, almonds, figs and vines grow. The town has olive presses, oil filtering works and olive canning plants. From the 1950s to the 1970s Salqin’s orchards sent tomatoes and red peppers to Aleppo, along with apricots, plums and cotton.

The spring that ran through the centre of town and fed the orchards has dried up because of unplanned building. Before the war the town held a tourism and shopping festival every year.

How long it takes

An hour to walk the centre and the quarters on the slope.

Before you go

Salqin is close to the Turkish border. Unexploded ordnance remains a risk across Idlib governorate: do not walk into olive groves or off the road without someone local. Roads and checkpoints change; check the current situation before you set out.

Don’t miss

The view west from the upper quarters. The Orontes valley and the plains beyond explain at a glance why the town was built where it is.