Sitting atop a huge, man-made, earthen mound east of the Old City, the citadel dominates the city skyline. The first fortifications were built by the Seleucids (364-333 BC), but everything seen today dates from much later. The citadel served as a power base for the Muslims during the 12th-century Crusades, when the moat, 20m deep and 30m wide, was dug. Much rebuilding and strengthening occurred during Mamluk rule from 1250 to 1517 and it’s largely their work that survives.
On the southern side, its moat is spanned by a step-bridge that then climbs at a 45-degree angle to the imposing 12th-century fortified gate . As you climb up, it’s easy to imagine just how the citadel’s defenders were able to hold out against invaders; attacking armies would have been dangerously exposed on the bridge, as they confronted the massive fortifications of the gate, and the twisting entrance of five right-angled turns inside the gate made storming the structure a complicated task.
Once inside, the castle is largely in ruins, although the throne room , above the entrance, has been lavishly restored. On your right as you climb up through the ruins, note the Ayyubid Palace dating from the 13th century – it has a soaring entrance portal with stalactite stone decoration. To the rear of the palace is a recently renovated Mamluk-era hammam .
Back on the main path, off to the left is the small 12th-century Mosque of Abraham , attributed to Nureddin and one of several legendary burial places for the head of John the Baptist. Atop the hill, at the citadel’s northern end, there’s a sparsely endowed museum in an Ottoman-era barracks, which is next to the cafe and Great Mosque .
Although the ruins themselves are interesting to pick your way through, the main attraction is the views from the battlements over the patchwork of roofs, domes and minarets. To find out more about the ongoing restoration of the citadel, visit the website of the Citadel Friends (www.aleppocitadelfriends.org).
