Aleppo’s southern road on foot: from Bab al-Maqam to al-Salihin

Bab al-Maqam was built not for defence but for a pilgrimage road: the way out of the gate led south to the shrine attributed to Abraham. This walk follows that road. It starts at the al-Sakakini Mosque of 1371, passes under the arch of the gate and heads south. First comes the tomb of Khayr Bak, built in 1514 for a man who was never buried in it. Then the Al-Kamiliyya Madrasa, whose inscription panel was left blank, and the Al-Zahiriyya Madrasa, begun in 1217. The walk ends inside the Al-Salihin cemetery, at the shrine that gave the gate its name. 1800 metres, six stops, three hours.

The route

The al-Sakakini Mosque stands inside Bab al-Nayrab, on the road to Bab al-Maqam. Walk south from it; the gate is 550 metres on, a single arch flanked by thick masses of stone. Beyond the arch the street carries on south, and after 100 metres the inscription band of Khayr Bak’s tomb appears at the edge of the street. The Al-Kamiliyya is a little further along the same line, 300 metres from the gate; the Al-Zahiriyya is west of it, a few minutes away. From the Al-Zahiriyya walk 700 metres south and you enter the Al-Salihin cemetery. The shrine is inside, on the west side of the path; its white front and its black-and-white entrance arch set it apart from the graves. A second small mosque stands further north in the cemetery, so check the arch.

Timing

Be in front of the al-Sakakini at 09:00. Its door is usually shut outside prayer times; if it is, reading the recess and the muqarnas from the street takes twenty minutes. You are at Bab al-Maqam by 09:30: look for the round inscription medallion left of the arch. At 10:00 spend a quarter of an hour at the front of Khayr Bak’s tomb. Give an hour to the Al-Kamiliyya and the Al-Zahiriyya together; the Al-Zahiriyya works as a Quran school today and its courtyard can be shut during class. You reach the cemetery by 11:30, and the shrine takes twenty-five minutes. The walk ends towards midday; you return to the gate the same way, with Khayr Bak’s tomb on the road again.

Take care

The al-Sakakini, the Al-Zahiriyya and the shrine are in use for prayer or visits: do not go in at prayer times, women need a head covering, and at the shrine shoes come off at the door. Al-Salihin is a working cemetery; walk quietly, wait if there is a burial, and ask before you take photographs. Khayr Bak’s tomb is not open to regular visits and its interior is empty; what there is to see is the front. The Al-Kamiliyya is under repair and its door does not open every day, so do not ring the bell. The al-Sakakini has been waiting for repair for a long time; this part of the old city was near the front line in 2012-2016. Do not confuse Khayr Bak’s tomb with Khan Khayr Bak in the souq, a different building. None of the stops charges an entry fee. There is little shade on this line in the afternoon.