Aleppo’s Bayyada quarter: from the Citadel to Bab al-Hadid

A single road links Citadel Square with Bab al-Hadid. It crosses the Bayyada quarter from end to end, and four centuries of building line its two sides. The walk starts at the al-Hamawi Mosque of 1560, at the north-east foot of the citadel. Hammam al-Bayada, built in 1450, and the al-Sarawi Mosque of 1378 stand twenty metres apart. The route then climbs Kiltawiyya hill, where the emir Toqtamur al-Kiltawi was buried in 1385, and ends at Bab al-Hadid, the gate Qansuh al-Ghawri rebuilt in 1509. Close to two kilometres, six stops, two hours.

The route

From Citadel Square take the road that rings the castle and walk north-east. The minaret of the al-Hamawi Mosque shows from this road; the mosque is close to 600 metres on foot from the citadel gate. The endowment’s school stands opposite the mosque, its public fountain to the south and its tomb west of the fountain. Hammam al-Bayada is right next to the mosque. The al-Sarawi Mosque is 20 metres from the bath, towards the Bayada market. On the same main road, directly opposite the mosque of Saadallah al-Malati, is Qastal al-Tawil: from the street you see only the head of a stairway going down, and you find it by asking. From al-Sarawi it is close to 400 metres to Kiltawiyya hill, and the last part is a narrow stepped lane. Come down from the hill to Bab al-Hadid, which stands at its foot. The square in front of the gate is the end of the route; Citadel Square is about 600 metres back along the main road.

Timing

Be on Citadel Square at 09:00 and walk north-east. At 09:10 you are in front of the al-Hamawi Mosque: look at the minaret first, then at the plant carving on the fountain south of the mosque; twenty minutes. At 09:30, Hammam al-Bayada. Looking without bathing takes a quarter of an hour; ask at the door whether it is in service. You reach al-Sarawi at 09:45. In the morning bread stalls go up at its door and the light falls on the portal; twenty minutes is enough. At 10:10 start up the Kiltawiyya lane. The climb and the view from the top take half an hour. At 10:45, Bab al-Hadid: see the face, then walk into the passage between the ironworkers’ shops. The route ends around 11:05.

Take care

The al-Hamawi and al-Sarawi mosques are mostly locked outside prayer times; ask in the quarter whether the door is open. If you go in, women need a head covering and shoes come off at the door. There is no dated record of whether the bath is working; hours and price are found out at the door. The school on Kiltawiyya hill is a working institution. Its teaching wing is closed to visitors on lesson days, so ask before you walk into the courtyard. Of the Mamluk college only the courtyard walls and a small prayer hall remain, so do not expect a grand façade. Cars cannot climb the lane. Repairs to Bab al-Hadid were completed in 2021. There is no dated damage report for the quarter as a whole; do not enter ruined buildings or closed lanes. The mosques and the gate charge no entry fee.