The citadel was rebuilt, the traditional souks and bazaars expanded, and the defensive walls and gates were fortified. It successfully withstood attacks by Crusading armies, and passed into the control of the Ayyubid dynasty in the early 12 th century, initiating a period of vibrant economic development. The city was renamed Halab following its conquest by Muslim troops in 637 AD, and developed as a cultural centre, attracting philosophers, poets and other intellectual luminaries, including the renowned philosopher al-Farabi. It became part of the Roman Empire in the 1 st century BC, and prospered as a prime destination for merchant caravans, until being pillaged by the Sasanian king Khosrow I in 540 AD. The city was conquered by the Seleucids in the 3 rd century BC, who named it Beroea, and became increasingly important from this period as a commercial hub connecting the Mediterranean with Central Asia. This is reflected in the historic citadel, which contains one of the largest and best-preserved bazaars in the region, a testimony to the integral role of trade in the city's development.Ĭonsidered to be one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities, Aleppo, or Ḥalab, in Arabic, has changed hands between rival powers many times throughout its long history. ![]() It is the largest city in Syria, and is situated on a plateau in the northwest of the country, some 100 kilometres from both the Mediterranean to the west, and the Euphrates River to the east, a location that has kept Aleppo at the centre of international communication and commerce. Aleppo has stood at the crossroads of trade routes across Syria since at least the 3 rd millennium BC, when the city was first mentioned in ancient Syrian manuscripts.
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