Tell Aran, Site of Ancient Arne

Tell Aran is a mound rising in the middle of a town southeast of Aleppo, near the Jabbul salt flats. It is the largest mound in the Aleppo region: about 30 metres high and 150 metres wide. It is thought to cover Arne, an Iron Age city. Arne was the first capital of Bit Agusi, an Aramaean kingdom founded in the 9th century BC. After the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III plundered it, the capital moved to Arpad, today’s Tell Rifaat.

Where it is

The town lies between Aleppo and as-Safira, in the Safira district. It is known for its vineyards, grapes and gardens, and had 17767 people at the 2004 census. The mound rises from among the houses: not a separate archaeological site, but a hill in the middle of a living town.

How long it takes

Half an hour. No source describes excavation areas, signs or visitor arrangements on the mound. What you see is the hill itself, a 30-metre mass rising over the town when you look up from its foot.

What kind of kingdom was Bit Agusi

Arne was first settled by Aramaeans and then became the kingdom’s first royal seat. Gusi of Yakhan founded the kingdom early in the 9th century. At its largest it ran from the Azaz area in the north to Hama in the south. King Hadram, also called “Arame, son of Gusi”, ruled from here; his name also appears on the Assyrian Kurkh monoliths.

Why Arne was abandoned

In 858 BC Arame submitted to Assyria of his own accord. In 849 BC, though, he joined Sangara, king of Carchemish, and other local rulers in a revolt against Assyria. The revolt failed. Shalmaneser III plundered Arne, and the kingdom’s centre shifted north to Arpad. Mati’el, the king of Arpad in the Sefire treaty, came from the same dynasty.

Before you go

The town is close to the Aleppo-Safira road. There is no recent source on road conditions or on getting up the mound. Because the mound sits in the middle of an inhabited town, ownership and permission need to be asked about on the spot. The countryside south-east of Aleppo saw fighting several times between 2012 and 2024. Unmarked fields and slopes may still hold unexploded ordnance, so stay on the paths villagers use.

What most people miss

The chance to add as-Safira to the same trip. Two links in the Bit Agusi story lie a few kilometres apart: here the kingdom’s first capital, and in as-Safira to the south, the inscriptions carrying the treaty of Mati’el, king of Arpad.