- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 12th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Style
- Ayyubid architecture
- Heritage
- part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (an old town or a valley, for example)
- Coordinates
- 36.1992°, 37.1625°
History
The mound at the centre of Aleppo was occupied as early as the 3rd millennium BC, and archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a temple of the storm god Hadad here. The citadel owes its present form mainly to al-Zahir Ghazi, a son of Saladin, who around 1200 surrounded it with a moat, faced the slopes with stone and built the monumental entrance with its bridge. It was sacked by the Mongols in 1260 and by Timur's army in 1400, then rebuilt and strengthened by the Mamluks. Under the Ottomans it lost its military role, and an earthquake in 1822 caused serious damage. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Ancient City of Aleppo; it suffered during the fighting of the civil war, and the 2023 earthquake caused further damage.
What to see
You enter by a long stone bridge over the moat and through a massive gate block whose bent passages were designed to slow attackers. Inside are the Mamluk Throne Hall with its richly decorated ceiling, the remains of the Ayyubid palace, mosques and the excavated foundations of the Temple of Hadad. The top of the mound looks out over the roofs and minarets of the old city, though some buildings show damage and may be closed to visitors.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q206231
Popularity: articles about this site in 30 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).