Aleppo from Bab al-Hadid to Suleimaniyeh: the churches of Hamidiyeh and Suleimaniyeh

This walk leaves the city’s north-east gate for the neighbourhood churches of Hamidiyeh and goes on to Suleimaniyeh and Villat. Stop by stop, it shows how Aleppo’s Christian communities spread beyond the walls over the last two centuries. It starts at Bab al-Hadid, rebuilt in 1509 by Qansuh al-Ghawri, the last Mamluk sultan. Next come Saint George’s, the city’s first Melkite Greek Catholic church, consecrated in 1836; the Qastal al-Harami Mosque of 1461; and the Maronite Church of Our Lady of Montligeon, consecrated in 1909. In Suleimaniyeh stands the Armenian Catholic Holy Saviour and Saint Barbara Church, founded in 1937. The last stop is the National Evangelical Church, opened in 2019 by an Arabic-speaking Protestant congregation whose old building was destroyed in 2012. Close to three kilometres, six stops, three hours.

The route

Bab al-Hadid is at the north-east corner of the old city, on the square in front of it. After the façade, walk into the passage between its two gates, where metalworkers’ shops line both sides. From the gate head north-west into Hamidiyeh. Saint George’s Melkite Greek Catholic Church is close to 850 metres on, in the Sharaasus quarter. It cannot be seen from the street, because it stands behind a courtyard; ask for ‘Maqam Mar Jirjis’, the Saint George shrine. From here walk north: the Qastal al-Harami Mosque is about 400 metres away, beside the fountain that gave the quarter its name. The Church of Our Lady of Montligeon is again to the north, close to 300 metres on. From Montligeon walk about 800 metres north-west towards Suleimaniyeh; the Holy Saviour and Saint Barbara Church is on the north side of Suleimaniyeh Street. The last leg runs west: the National Evangelical Church is in the Villat quarter, close to 650 metres ahead.

Timing

Be at Bab al-Hadid at 08:30, while the square is empty and the light falls on the face of the tower. The rectangular inscription panel is on the left of the façade and the round medallions sit above the arch; both come from the Mamluk repair. Twenty minutes. At 09:05, Saint George’s: if the courtyard door is open, go in and look closely at the marble iconostasis. Pieces of red, black and yellow stone are inlaid into the marble; from a distance it reads as one colour, up close the pattern appears. Half an hour. At 09:45, the Qastal al-Harami: look at the stone fountain by the entrance and at the octagonal minaret. Tomb, sebil, minaret and mihrab share one building, founded by the emir Berdbek. A quarter of an hour. At 10:05, Montligeon: the church is only reliably open at service times. If the door is shut, look at the front; if it is open, ask how much of the wooden ceiling destroyed in the war has been replaced. Twenty minutes. At 10:40, Holy Saviour and Saint Barbara: cross to the far pavement, because the façade stands very close to the street and you only see all of it from there. The church was founded in 1937 and the stone front added in 1943; there is no two-colour stone, no stalactite work and no bell tower. Twenty minutes. At 11:10, the National Evangelical Church: the garden is fenced with iron railings, so the whole building can be seen from the street even when the gate is closed. Twenty minutes. The route ends around 11:30.

Take care

At five of the stops access has changed since the war, and we could not verify service or prayer times; if a building is shut, look at the façade and move on. The dome of the Qastal al-Harami was damaged in the war, and we found no dated record of how far repairs have gone. Montligeon was hit by mortar fire during the civil war; its state of repair changes from year to year. The Saint George’s on this route is the old building; do not confuse it with the congregation’s new church in Suleimaniyeh, opened in March 1969. Services at the National Evangelical Church are in Arabic, and the congregation is separate from the city’s Armenian Evangelical churches. If you walk into a church during a service, stay at the back and ask before taking photographs. In the mosque, women need a head covering and shoes come off at the door. All stops are free. Do not turn into closed lanes or enter ruined buildings.