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Friday 2004-05-14 - Aleppo, Syria
Tea on the square
Today is Friday, so all Islamic stores will be closed, including most of the Souk. We go to Aleppo’s Armenian (Al-Jdeida) quarter instead where we visit a few old merchant’s houses. One, Sissi House (Beit Sissi), lovingly restored with as much as possible of the original interior, is now a bar and restaurant; the other, Beit Wakil, is beautifully restored but somewhat less authentically; this is now a four-star hotel. Here we can also see the cellars, part of an old system of underground passages which connected all the houses and ended up below the citadel where people could find safety when the city was attacked. In both houses, visitors are often welcome to look around, even if they are not guests. It’s very interesting to see such old (and rich) houses with their pleasant courtyards.
Afterwards we end up at a little square - the three of us would like some tea. Thom goes off to find some while Carla and I sit down but he returns without having found anything. Just at that moment we see a man serving some tea to three men across from us; a little wave and he comes to us: yes, he sells tea! So here we sit in the shade of some trees on a little bench, sipping our tea and watching the comings and goings across the square at the bakery: people in a crush in front of the hole-in-the-wall store, getting piles of piping-hot round flat bread which is then immediately spread out on benches and fences to cool off before repacking it and taking it home.
City on a hill
After lunch with a very big glass of freshly-squeezed juice, we go to the Citadel, finding the entrance only after walking nearly all the way around — which gives us a good impression of the enormous size of this stronghold built on a natural hill. Much of it is still in rubble but parts are restored, such as the throne room; also two small mosques are restored now, as well as some other small buildings. Restoration is still in full swing though and well done, in a way that one can also see the difference between the old remains and newer additions to walls to complete the structures. From the top and the walls one also has a beautiful view over the city of Aleppo.
