Aleppo

Aleppo (Italianised form of Haleb), a town in the north of Syria, capital of a Turkish province between the Orontes and the Euphrates, in a fruitful valley watered by the Kuweik. It stands in a large hollow, surrounded by rocky hills of limestone, and beyond is mere desert. The fruitful gardens, celebrated for their excellent plantations of pistachios, are the sole contrast to the desolation which environs the city, whose numberless cupolas and minarets, clean, well-paved streets, and stately houses, make it even yet one of the most beautiful in the East. Formerly it was a principal emporium of trade between Europe and Asia, and was the centre of many of the chief trade routes; especially before the discovery of the sea route to India. It supplied a great part of the East with fabrics of silk, cotton, and wool, and gold and silver stuffs; but in 1822 an earthquake swallowed up two-thirds of the inhabitants, and transformed the citadel into a heap of ruins. The plague of 1827, the cholera of 1832, and the oppression of the Egyptian government, all but completed its destruction. It has only partially recovered from its misfortunes, but is still the principal emporium of the inland commerce of Northern Syria. Its port is Alexandretta or Scanderoun. Aleppo has a large trade in cotton and silk goods, skins, tobacco, wine, and oil; and manufactures much-admired cloth (of silk, cotton, wool; flowered and striped), carpets, cloaks, and soap. English goods are largely imported, and the exports are considerable. The trade is mainly in the hands of the native Christians (Greeks and Armenians), who may number 20,000, and have superseded the European houses that used to be established here. The Jews, 5000 in number, are a very important and wealthy community, occupying a special quarter of the city. The Mohammedans here are less bigoted than in some other cities of Syria; but religious riots sometimes occur—notably in 1850 and 1862. The climate is dry and not unhealthy; but residents are subject to a painful disorder called Aleppo boils, which most usually break out in the faces of children, last for a year or more, and disfigure the countenance badly. The pop., usually stated at 70,000, was estimated in 1895 at 120,000. Aleppo is a telegraph station in connection with Damascus and with Diarbekir, on the Indo-European line.