Raqqa’s four cities: a half-day walk and drive from the Abbasid walls to Tuttul

Raqqa is not one city but four, built side by side and on top of each other. The oldest is Tell Zeidan: three low mounds from the Ubaid period, between 6000 and 4000 BC. Then comes Tuttul, a Bronze Age city where the Balikh meets the Euphrates. The south-west gate of ancient Kallinikos opened onto the old cemetery east of Bab Baghdad. The fourth is al-Rafiqa, the garrison city Caliph al-Mansur founded in 772, and its walls still stand. This route fits all four into half a day. The first three stops are on foot and the last two by car: about 27 kilometres in all, 2400 metres of it walking.

The route

Start the walk at the old cemetery about 250 metres east-south-east of Bab Baghdad. The shrine complex over the tombs of Uwais al-Qarni and Ammar ibn Yasir was brought down by two blasts in 2014. Its state today could not be confirmed, so ask nearby before you go in. From there walk west to the brick façade of Bab Baghdad. The wall runs north from the gate, and modern roads cut across it in places: follow the towers for about 2200 metres and you reach the section with the excavated north gate. Meet your car there. Tuttul lies 3 kilometres north-east of Raqqa at the mouth of the Balikh, 7 kilometres by road. From Tuttul to Tell Zeidan, east of the city on the Deir ez-Zor side, is about 9 kilometres. The drive back to Bab Baghdad is 8 kilometres.

Timing

Be at the cemetery at 07:30. The façade of Bab Baghdad faces east and its brick frieze only reads in morning light, so aim to stand in front of the gate at 08:00. The wall walk takes about an hour; get into the car at the northern section around 09:30. Give Tuttul an hour: climb the mound and look over the flat ground where the Balikh and the Euphrates meet. Move on to Tell Zeidan around 11:00 and allow 40 minutes. You are back at Bab Baghdad around 12:00, before the midday heat.

Take care

Rubble and unexploded ordnance are still a reported risk in Raqqa. On the empty plots and dug-over ground at the foot of the wall, stay on the marked path, and do not climb the mud-brick core. Keep out of the rubble of the demolished shrine. Tuttul and Tell Zeidan have no guard, no sign and no shade; both are pitted with looters’ holes, so keep away from the edges. Nothing stands at Tell Zeidan — three mounds, fields and a river — so set your expectations accordingly. Have the car wait for you at the mounds, as there is no other way back. Control of the area changed in early 2026: ask in Raqqa about the roads and the sites before setting out, and take no photographs at checkpoints. The route does not go near the Tell Abyad strip. There is nowhere to stop for a meal along it; carry water and food.