Aleppo’s Farafira and Suwayqat Ali: Mamluk khans, an Ottoman madrasa and Nasimi’s tomb

This walk runs from the household-goods khans west of the citadel into the quiet lanes of Farafira to the north, and what ties its stops together is the waqf, the religious endowment. The first stop is the khan built in 1514 by Khayr Bek, the last Mamluk governor of Aleppo. Next door, Khan Qurt Bek was built by the son of Khusraw Pasha, founder of the Khusrawiyya Mosque: the mosque came from the father, the khan from the son. To the north stands the Sha’baniyya madrasa of 1674, whose endowment deed housed only students from outside Aleppo. 100 metres east of it is the Khanqah al-Farafira, a Sufi lodge Dayfa Khatun built in 1237. After the tomb of the poet Nasimi, the route ends at Bab al-Nasr, rebuilt by az-Zahir Ghazi in 1212. Close to two kilometres, seven stops, three hours.

The route

From Citadel Square walk west. Suwayqat Ali is one of two long streets where the khans — merchants’ inns and warehouses built around a courtyard — selling household and kitchen goods cluster. Khan Khayr Bek is close to 400 metres on foot from the citadel gate. Khan Qurt Bek is next door, so see the two courtyards in one go. From here head north into the Farafira quarter: the Sha’baniyya madrasa is close to 600 metres away. Between the souq and the quarter the noise stops at a single bend, and the lanes narrow to two metres. The Khanqah al-Farafira is 100 metres east of the madrasa, its door in a narrow lane. For Nasimi’s tomb, ask in the quarter for “al-Nasimi”. It stands opposite the bath house known locally as Hammam al-Sultan, next to a government building, and the lane sign reads, in Arabic, “Takiyyat Hadrat al-Nasimi”. Sources place the tomb a few hundred metres apart, so we give no distance for this leg. From the tomb walk north; Bab al-Nasr stands on the south side of Khandaq Street.

Timing

Be on Citadel Square at 09:00. At 09:10 you are at Khan Khayr Bek. In the morning the wholesalers are unloading, so let the laden handcarts pass before you step into the courtyard. Twenty minutes. At 09:30, Khan Qurt Bek: courtyard, storage floor and the row of rooms above; a quarter of an hour. By 09:55 you are at the door of the Sha’baniyya. If you can get into the courtyard, look at the height of the doors of the 29 cells; twenty-five minutes. At 10:25, the Khanqah al-Farafira: read the inscription panel above the portal before going in, then follow the bent passage into the courtyard. Half an hour. At 11:00 start looking for Nasimi’s tomb; asking the way and reading the inscription take half an hour. At 11:40, Bab al-Nasr: read the inscription band inside the arch from the street, with the booksellers lining the square in front. The route ends around 12:00.

Take care

The khans are working warehouses and some sections may be shut; ask the shopkeepers before entering a courtyard. The Sha’baniyya is a working mosque and madrasa: the courtyard is closed during lessons, and repairs to recent damage are still under way. Hours at the khanqah vary. In July 2025 a decision was taken to repair Nasimi’s tomb; whether work has started is not known, so check at the door whether it is open. If you enter a mosque, women need a head covering and shoes come off at the door. Khan Khayr Bek, the Sha’baniyya, the khanqah and Bab al-Nasr are free; at Khan Qurt Bek and the tomb the fee varies, so check at the entrance. Bab al-Nasr was repaired in 2018 and is open ground. Do not enter ruined buildings or closed lanes.