From the museum to the citadel: a walking day in Aleppo

You cross from the modern centre of Aleppo into the old city in a single walk. Four stops, 1800 metres in all, and you head east all day. It begins at the museum on Baron Street and passes the clock tower on the square, then goes under the vaults of the covered souk and ends at the citadel on its mound. The order is deliberate. The museum is quiet in the morning, the souk is busiest around midday, and the wall top is clearest at the end of the day.

The route

The National Museum of Aleppo is on Baron Street, northwest of Bab al-Faraj square. Turn east as you come out: the clock tower is 220 metres on, three minutes. Carry on southeast from the square; you reach one of the northwest gates of the Madina souk after 700 metres, and from that point you are under cover. Inside, follow the main axis and keep walking east: it is 890 metres to the citadel square and the entrance bridge, twelve minutes. As you leave the souk the mound stands in front of you, and the ramp begins behind the bridge.

Timing

Be at the museum door at 09:00 and give it two hours. The entrance is already an exhibit: the basalt figures from Tell Halaf stand above the steps and you walk in underneath them. At 11:00 walk to the clock tower; a quarter of an hour is enough, and see all four dials. Enter the souk at 11:30. Two hours is a realistic figure, and half of it should go to the khan courtyards rather than the main axis. At 14:00 you are at the citadel bridge. The last hours of the day are the best time to go up on the walls: western light catches the souk roofs from the side and the city reads as one plane. Come down around 16:00.

Take care

In summer, reverse the order. The citadel ramp is steep and has no shade; in July and August it is easier to be up there at 08:00 and leave the museum for the afternoon. The museum was hit during the war, and the earthquake cracked its facade; which halls are open changes, so ask before you go. Repairs are still going on in the souk, some arms are closed and there is no signage — you may have to ask the way. Walking west in the souk brings you to the Great Mosque, walking east brings you to the citadel. Sections of the citadel also open in turn. Entrance fees change, so carry cash. The ramp and the ground inside are uneven stone, and shoes with grip are needed.