Al-Madina Souq
Al-Madina is the oldest covered market in the Syrian city of Aleppo and is considered one of the largest historic markets in the world. Al-Madina’s narrow streets are about 13 kilometers long. Since 1986, the ancient bazaar, as part of the Old City, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
General Information
The rich Al-Madinah market has long been the place to buy anything your heart desires. Iranian silks, elaborately made copper jewelry, fabrics, gold, Indian spices and dyes, high quality wool, lamb skins, souvenirs, meat carcasses, and fresh fruits and vegetables were traded here for centuries. Numerous artisans’ workshops were located near the stores.
Al-Madinah consisted of several small souqs or bazaars, most of which appeared in the city as early as the fourteenth century. All of them had their own names after the names of the craft workshops or the goods sold – the copper souq, the woolen souq, and others. The suq al-Atiq purchased leather, the suq al-Hiraj purchased coal and firewood, and the suq al-Sabun purchased soap.
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Remarkably, local soap factories have been making soap for 300-500 years, and natural olive soap is considered by tourists to be a very good souvenir. Depending on the quality and the seller’s requests, 1 kg of soap can cost as much as $1.5 to $9.
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In addition to the stalls, the Al-Madinah market included several caravanserais or khans, where traders who came from far away stayed and stored their goods. Most of them were real monuments of oriental architecture with beautifully decorated facades and heavy entrance doors. Caravanserais, like markets, also had their own names, such as Khan al-Burgul or Khan al-Qadi.
.Damage during the civil war
Unfortunately, the ancient buildings were heavily damaged during the fighting that took place in Aleppo in 2012. Some markets and caravanserais of Al-Madina were razed to the ground, while others were severely damaged. During the exchange of fire between the warring parties, a massive fire broke out in the market area, which could not be extinguished for more than 24 hours.
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According to local authorities, the restoration of architectural monuments may take at least 10 years. In the early fall of 2017, the ancient covered market resumed its work, and now about two dozen stores are open.
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How to get there
Al-Madina is located in the historic part of Aleppo, near the citadel. The closest bus stop to the market is the Al-Qalaa bus stop.
