A day in Aleppo: six stops from the citadel to Jdeideh

The old city of Aleppo has two ends. At one stands the citadel on its mound, at the other the Jdeideh quarter, laid out beyond the wall around 1420. This route joins them in a day: 2700 metres on foot, six stops, and the covered souq in between. The climb comes only at the start — the citadel is done in the morning and the rest is flat.

The route

Start at the citadel. The ramp is steep and without shade, which is the reason for going up early. From the walls the roofs of the souq, the courtyard of the Great Mosque and the re-roofed quarters all read on one plane. Down again, walk west: 700 metres to the Khan al-Sabun at the east end of the souq. Soap is sold stall by stall here, and cutting a bar in half shows gold on the outside and green within. Then take the main arm of the souq and keep west, 300 metres; most visitors on the main axis never see the khan courtyards, so turn off into the side lanes. Leaving the souq to the northwest, Bab al-Faraj square comes up after 700 metres. The 28 metre clock tower in the middle of it went up in 1898. From here walk northeast, outside the wall: 700 metres to Sahat al-Hatab, the paved square of Jdeideh, 2500 square metres of it. The last leg is short. Take al-Qayali street north out of the square; Beit Ghazaleh is 250 metres on, and the wooden oriels on the facade opposite make a good marker.

Timing

08:30 at the citadel: entry 1500 SYP and the ramp still cool. 10:30 at the Khan al-Sabun, as the stalls open. 11:30 in the souq, and give it two hours — walking it end to end without stopping takes half an hour, but nobody crosses it that way. 14:00 at Bab al-Faraj. The tower is lit at night, but look at its four dials by day as well: two facing each other were set to Ottoman time, the other two to European time. 15:30 at Sahat al-Hatab, 16:00 at Beit Ghazaleh. Come back through the square afterwards, because the quarter gathers under the tree in the middle of it in the late afternoon.

Take care

Repair work in the souq continues and which arm is open changes; asking before you go in beats hunting for a way through. Beit Ghazaleh keeps no regular visiting hours, as the restoration there is still under way — if it is shut, the street front and the door are worth the walk anyway. The citadel ramp has no shade, and flat soles help inside. If you buy soap, ask for the share of laurel oil; if the seller gives the same answer for every bar, try another stall. The souq stays cool at a summer midday but the squares do not, so keep the open-air stops for the morning and the late afternoon.