| Aleppo Ever since the third millennium BC., Aleppo has been a flourishing city. It has a distinctive role from the days of the Akkadian and Amorite kingdoms until modern times. Aleppo was subject to invasions from various races like the Hittites, Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. Aleppo was especially glorious during the Ommayad and Abbassid periods. The Hamadani state established by Emir Sayf-Addawla in 944 AD., made Aleppo the northern capital of Syria |
Aleppo is famous for its various types of architecture, attractive churches,
mosques, schools, tombs, baths and for being a trade center between the East and the West. During the days of the Ottomans,
Aleppo was an important center of trade with Europe and Turkey this caused various types of European architecture
to be adopted in it. Places to visit in Aleppo The national museum, museum of popular arts and traditions, mosques, churches, baths, oriental bazaars and ancient houses, some date back to the 15th century. |
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| Deir Mar Musa Perched in a ravine in the hills 14 km to the northeast of Nabck is the tiny Monastery of Deir Mar Musa. With stunning views out over the Syrian Desert to the east, as well as some remarkable frescos in its church, it is a unique almost magical place and well worth the effort involved in reaching it. The monastery can be feasibly visited as a day trip from Damascus as a detour en route to Homs. But staying overnight gives you the opportunity to really appreciate the sense of space, the tranquility and the overwhelming beauty of sunset and sunrise. History An Ethiopian monk, Mar Moussa (St. Moses), is believed to have retreated here some time in the sixth century, having founded several monasteries in the area. Already there was a Roman watchtower on the site, guarding the caravan's route to Palmyra; the arched doorway to the kitchen of the present monastery is thought to represent part of the original tower. A parchment part now held in the British museum confirms that a small community existed here by the end of the sixth century, though nothing else is known about this early phase of settlement. By the 11th century the church had been built and for the next four centuries the monastery flourished, before falling into decline after the 15th century and eventually being abandoned in 1831. Then in 1984 restoration began initiated by a former Italian Jesuit, Paulo Dell'Oglio, with the help of the Syrian Catholic community and an eclectic groups of monks and nuns from Europe and the Middle East, was officially refounded under the aegis of the Syrian Catholic Church. |
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