The dead cities

A dead city at the north of Aleppo


The ruined basilica of Qala'at at Samaan



The Roman-era tombs cut into the rock at Qatura.

There are a lot of dead cities in the north part of Syria. Most of them are Roman-era ruins, including the famous Qala'at at Samaan. However, they are located in the remote areas. It's not easy to get to these places since no bus gets to them. I was able to visit only some of them from a hotel's tour.

Aleppo-Mosque

This is a small mosque near the citadel in Aleppo.

A grandfather entered the pray room with his grandson at Great Mosque in the old city.

Two prayed at Great Mosque when the group praying had finished.

The blind folks spent their time at Great Mosque.

Aleppo-Market

There are some interesting markets in Aleppo. I didn't spend too much time in the markets at the old city area. However, the chaos and great energy at a vegetable and fruit market outside the old city attracted me a lot. The market seemed open all day long. More people shopped at night than during the day time. The loud shouting from vendors could be heard every corner of the market.

Aleppo was an important trading post on the silk road route. Even now, the wholesale business can been seen anywhere in the city. It's also famous for making olive oil soaps. I didn't run into any soap factory but walked through one street near the old city where there were a lot of shops making cheese.

Aleppo-Streets

Aleppo is the second biggest city in Syria. It's located on the north of the country. The city is very old and has a lot of historical houses in the old city and Al-Jdeida areas. I also went to a huge park near the train station where the local folks socialize with friends or family. It's always lot of fun to see something interesting, such as several men gathering around to play games with bottle' caps and stones.