TOURISTS RETURN TO AN ANCIENT CROSSROADS IN SYRIA
By Lionel Beehner

Saudi Gazette
Jan 26, 2010

TRAVEL

TO shouts of "yella-yella" – move along! – the driver of a donkey
lugging a wagon overstuffed with pistachios parted the throngs of
shoppers in Aleppo’s medieval souk. It was the middle of Ramadan, just
hours before the Iftar and the market’s serpentine rows of squat stalls
were filled with black-veiled women and keffiyeh-clad men, sniffing
the handmade olive soaps and stocking up on spices. But there was
another kind of shopper blocking the donkey’s path: Western tourists.

Not that Aleppo is any stranger to outsiders – T. E. Lawrence, Agatha
Christie and Charles Lindbergh all made this city in northern Syria
their stomping ground at one point.

Yet, as tensions between Damascus and Washington begin to ease, a new
wave of visitors is rediscovering this ancient trading center, eager to
take advantage of its low prices, spicy cuisine and maze-like bazaar.

In September, tourism in Syria was up by more than a third from
the same month a year earlier, and the recent loosening of visa
restrictions with Turkey means that Aleppo is being flooded with
traders and tourists from across the border.

"The whole infrastructure of tourism is improving dramatically,"
said Joshua Landis, an American professor and Mideast expert who runs
a popular blog called Syria Comment (joshualandis.com/blog).

"The spate of new boutique hotels and restaurants has shown the
moneymaking potential of Aleppo’s Old City. But the pitch is to go now,
before the masses arrive."

What makes Aleppo unique is its blend of Ottoman, Armenian, Jewish and
French influences, owing to its historic position at the crossroads
of empires. Bright-green domed mosques rub shoulders with Armenian
cathedrals, Maronite churches and even a synagogue. Its setting amid
rolling plains dotted with olive groves and the ruins of dead cities
calls to mind a scene out of "One Thousand and One Nights."

Aleppo may also boast the Arab world’s most impressive souk, a
sprawling network of noisy corridors and cramped stalls where, for the
past seven centuries, every kind of spice, sweet, soap, silk, dried
fruit, carpet, metal, jewelry and water pipe imaginable has been sold.

If you’ve ever wondered what a slab of camel meat looks or smells like,
just wander through the butcher section. And unlike bazaars in Istanbul
or Cairo, Aleppo’s functions as an actual market, not a tourist trap.

The souk is a city unto itself. Old looms turn yarn into
splashy-colored textiles, parrots squawk in cages and pictures of
Presidents Bashar (current) and Hafez (former) al-Assad are everywhere.

A buffet of scents – the sweet perfume of smoke, the laurel-like
smell of olive soap – follows visitors. Sure, the incessant barking
of "Welcome!" and "Where you from?" gets old quickly, but a few
shopkeepers at least throw in some humor. "Very expensive. Very bad
quality," one beckoned to me with a wink.

The best time to visit Aleppo’s Old City may be in early morning, when
the stalls are shuttered and their inlaid, ornately carved wooden doors
become visible. At this hour, the city’s ruddy cobblestone streets go
silent, save for the Arabic pop music blaring from a nearby barbershop,
and the floral patterns of the enclosed balconies come into focus.

After the obligatory visit to the Grand Mosque, peek into any of the
black-and-white stone archways to check out the courtyards of Aleppo’s
khans (inns), full of jasmine and citrus trees. Or climb the stone
bridge to the citadel, an imposing hilltop fortress completed in the
13th century.

Buried within its ruins are a palace, hammam (bathhouse), temple,
dungeon and two mosques. But the best reason to visit is the view of
Aleppo’s minaret-dotted skyline.

Afterward, men can head to the restored Hammam el Nahasin for a
relaxing massage or steam bath. Or, for a nice chaser, swing by the
all-night juice stand on Bab al-Faraj square.

The square is mostly noted for its clock tower and the charmless
Sheraton Hotel in the middle of it. In a travesty of 1970s-era
Soviet-style urban planning, large swaths of the Old City were leveled
to make room for wider, car-friendlier avenues. In the mid-1980s,
the Syrian government reversed course and invited the German aid
agency GTZ to rehabilitate its historic buildings.

The center of town is divided into three main parts: New City, Old
City and Al-Jdeida, the old Christian quarter.

Aleppan cuisine reflects the city’s diverse history. It is not
uncommon to order a half-dozen dishes in one sitting from as many
culinary influences, which might include mezze, or appetizer dishes,
of pureed dips with walnuts and hot peppers and main courses of soujouk
(peppery sausage) and kibbeh (minced lamb).

And a new wave of Aleppan restaurants is laying claim to rooftops and
courtyards across town, while merchants’ houses from the Ottoman era
are being converted into trendy boutique hotels.

"Before, you had the government-run hotel on the square, and
that was it," said Thomas Pritzkat, project manager of the Aleppo
Urban Development Project. "Now people are buying up old homes and
transforming them into hotels and restaurants."

For tasty tabbouleh salad smothered in parsley on an Oriental-themed
rooftop, try Al-Hareer Restaurant. Another Aleppo mainstay is Sissi
House, which can feel a bit stuffy – French-only menus, no prices
listed – but whose lamb kebob lathered in tangy cherry sauce is worth
the visit.

"Aleppo has a rich mix of cultures," said Karam Artin, 20, an
interior design student who was singing at a newly opened karaoke bar
bedecked in red velvet. "In a few years, this city will be swarming
with tourists, and, hopefully, even more American visitors." – New
York Times