Souq al-Attarin

One of the covered lanes at the heart of the old city of Aleppo. It runs between Souq al-Aba and Souq al-Saqatiyya and crosses the lanes of al-Mahmas and al-Hibal. The name comes from the attar, the seller of spices and remedies, and for a long stretch of its life this was the main spice souq of Aleppo. Today cloth hangs in most of its 82 shops. The name stayed.

Getting there

If you are coming through the souq the lane is already on your route; no detour is needed. To reach the Great Mosque, turn into Souq al-Hibal, because that lane delivers you to the south door of the mosque, the qibla gate. The passage from market to mosque happens at this crossing rather than across any square.

From spices to textiles

The attars of Aleppo were among the largest suppliers not only to the city but to the whole of Syria, and the lane took its name from that trade. What is sold along the main axis now is textiles, and only a handful of spice shops remain. There is no need to describe the change in the abstract, because the count is there: 82 shops, a few of them still spice sellers. Like most lanes of the souq, this one goes back to the 14th century.

How long it takes

The lane is short; walking it end to end takes under a quarter of an hour. But al-Attarin is not a place you visit on its own. Al-Saqatiyya lies on one side, Souq al-Hibal on the other, and the Great Mosque waits at the end. Put it in the middle of a half-hour walk and the measure is right.

What most people miss

The spice shops that are left. They are easy to walk past. They disappear between the rows of cloth on the main axis, and they are now the only thing carrying the name of the lane. Then turn into Souq al-Hibal and walk as far as the qibla gate; only that short stretch shows how the market is joined to the Great Mosque.