Citadel of Aleppo

The Citadel of Aleppo

The Citadel of Aleppo (Arabic قلعة حلب, Qal ʿ at DMG Halab ) stands on a hill ( Tell) in the old city of Aleppo in northern Syria. It is considered one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. The earliest traces of settlement lead to the middle of the third millennium before Christ returns. The place was inhabited by many civilizations, including the Greeks, Byzantines, Ayyubids and Mamluks. Most of the present buildings and fortifications probably dates from the time of the Ayyubids in the 13th century. Great restoration work took place mid-2000s and were conducted by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Archaeological Society of Aleppo. Since 1986, the citadel that dominates the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a tourist attraction and a place of excavations and archaeological studies.

• 2.1 mound and moat
• 2.2 input range
• 2.3 Ayyubid Palace and Hammam
• 2.4 mosques
• 2.5 wells and subterranean passages
• 2.6 amphitheater

History

In the cuneiform texts from Ebla and Mari a main sanctuary of the weather god Adad in Aleppo was mentioned. This temple from the third millennium BC was discovered recently. Aleppo was later the capital of the empire Jamchad ( 19th to 17th century BC). According to a popular story, the name of Aleppo from the fact infers that Abraham milked his sheep on the hill. After the collapse of the late Hittite State of Aleppo, the Assyrians dominated the region (8th to 4th centuries BC ), which were then ( 539-333 BC) replaced by the Babylonians and the Persians.

Seleucids

After Aleppo was conquered by Alexander the Great, the city was by the General Seleucus I - the founder of the Seleucid Empire - managed and renamed " Beroia ". The Seleucids built between the Citadel and the river a city after a Hellenistic model. Medieval Arab historians report that the history of the Citadel began under Seleucus. Up to 2 meter thick cultural layers of this Hellenistic era can be found in some parts of the citadel. A colonnaded street from this period resulted from the west up to the citadel; the souq of Aleppo is on this road network.

Rome and Byzantium

The last Seleucid was deposed AD 63 by the Romans. During a visit of the Emperor Julian in 363 in Aleppo he said: " I stayed there for one day, visited the Acropolis, Zeus sacrificed a white bull by the imperial tradition and briefly spoke with the City Council about the gods cults ". There are few Roman remains in the citadel. After the Roman Empire division of 395 Aleppo became part of the Eastern Roman Empire. During the fighting between Ostrom and the Persian Sassanid Empire under Khosrau II in the 7th century, the townspeople fled to the citadel, as the city walls were in poor condition. From the Byzantine period there are a few remnants. Two mosques were found to be converted Byzantine churches.

Early Islamic rulers

Muslim armies conquered Aleppo 636 It is not much of this early Islamic period known except that after a major earthquake were performed repair work. Aleppo was a border town between the Arabs and Byzantium. 944 conquered the Hamdanide Sayf al - Dawla the city, whereupon Aleppo as its capital experienced a political and economic rebirth. The Hamdanids built their palace on the river, but had 962 transfer their palace in the Citadel after attacks of the Byzantines. After the Hamdanids was followed by a period of instability, characterized by Byzantine and Bedouin attacks, and a brief reign of the Fatimids.

Zengids and Ayyubids

The Citadel had its most important time during the Crusades. The Zengide Imad ad-Din Zengi and his son Nur ad -Din united the areas around Aleppo and Damascus and prevented attacks of the Crusaders. Many well-known crusaders were imprisoned in the citadel, such as the Count of Edessa Joscelin II, who died here, the prince of Antioch, Renaud de Châtillon and the King of Jerusalem, Baldwin II, who spent two years here. Nur ad -Din built the city walls again and fortified the citadel. He built the ramp to the entrance of the citadel, a palace and a racecourse. He had it repaired, the two mosques and donated a wooden mihrab for the Abraham Mosque. This mihrab disappeared during the French mandate rule in the 20th century.

The az- Zahir Ghazi Ayyubide, a son of Saladin, Aleppo ruled 1193-1215. During his reign, more work has been done on the attachment of the citadel and new buildings built, Zitadell got its present form. Az- Zahir Ghazi strengthened the walls, smoothed projecting parts and disguised the slope of the hill at the entrance with stones. The moat was deepened, connected with water canals and a large viaduct, which nowadays serves as a gateway to the citadel spans. Beginning of the 13th century, the citadel was transformed into a palace city with many different functional buildings: palaces, baths, mosques, shrines, arsenals, military training areas, water cisterns and storehouses. Most important, the renovation of the entrance area 1213. Az- Zahir Ghazi was restored the two mosques and extended the city walls, which now also included the southern and eastern parts of the city and moved to the Citadel more into the center of the city.

Mongols and Mamluks

The Citadel in 1260 damaged during the Mongol invasion of Syria and destroyed again by 1400/1401 by Tamerlane, from Central Asia. 1415 the Mamluk Prince Sayf al -Din Dschakam set out to build the citadel again. Aleppo was then a great trading city with between 50 and 100,000 inhabitants. Dschakams works included two new observation towers on the northern and southern slopes and a new palace on a tower; the Ayyubid palace was almost completely abandoned. The Mamluk Sultan al - Ghuri replaced the flat roof of the throne room with a new ceiling with new domes.

Ottoman Empire

During Ottoman rule, the military role of the citadel took off, as the city grew over the city walls and beyond Aleppo became more and more to the big city. The citadel was still used to house the Ottoman garrison. The size of the garrison is not known. A Venetian traveler spoke of about 2000 people living in 1556 inside the citadel; 1679 said the French consul Laurent d' Arvieux of 1400 people, of which 350 were Janissaries ( Ottoman elite soldiers). Sultan Suleiman restored the citadel 1521.

1822 an earthquake damaged the citadel and city difficult. Then only lived soldiers in the Citadel, the Ottoman Governor Ibrahim Pasha use the stones of the ruined building to build barracks. Abdülmecid I renovated the citadel 1850/51, a windmill probably dates from this time.

French mandate

During French rule ( 1920-45 ), the French had their soldiers stationed in the citadel. They started in the 1930s with archaeological excavations and extensive restoration work. The Mamluk Throne Hall was extensively restored, including a new ceiling in the Damascene style of the 19th century.

Construction

Among the numerous components of the citadel are mainly the following noteworthy.

Mound and moat

Today's citadel perched on a 50 -meter-high hill, whose base is 450 x 325 meters. The area of ​​the citadel itself is 285 x 160 meters. In the past, the slope of the hill was completely covered in limestone; of this disguise but do not get much anymore.

To the hill runs a 22 m deep and 30 m wide trench. What is striking is the fortified entrance to the bridge over the moat. Access before the viaduct dates from the 16th century.

Input range

The enormous stone bridge of az- Zahir Ghazi leading to a majestic entrance complex. Possible attackers had to penetrate the citadel, take a multi- angled way: There is a succession of five right angle turns and three large doors leads to the entrance of the inner main castle. Defenders could tilt hot liquids on the attacker Machicolation ( holes ) in the walls. In addition, the defenders had secret ways to get behind the attacker. The main path was decorated with figurative reliefs. On these Ayyubid Mamluk buildings erected later her throne room.

Ayyubid Palace and Hammam

Az- Zahir Ghazi's own palace of glory burned in his wedding night from, but was rebuilt and is one of the most impressive and most important monuments of the citadel. From the Ayyubid rule also derived an entrance porch with wabenartigem muqarnas decoration and a tiled courtyard.

The medieval hamam was built in traditional style and therefore had three sections: the first was changed clothes and rested, in the second there was a warmed room, the then in the third section followed by a hot room and a steam room with niches. Cold and hot water were passed through ceramic tubes.

Mosques

In the citadel are two mosques that were once Byzantine churches: the Abraham Mosque and the Grand Mosque. The highest point of the citadel is the 21 m high minaret of the Great Mosque.

Wells and subterranean passages

The Citadel has driven not only about buildings on the surface, but there were several wells up to 125 m below the surface. There are also underground tunnels that connect the towers together and perhaps even lead under the ditch and into the city.

Amphitheater

1980, a modern theater for events and concerts was built in the citadel.