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Al-Jdeideh Quarter, Aleppo

حي الجديدة (حلب)

Historic quarter north of old Aleppo with old churches of several denominations and grand stone houses, some now hotels and restaurants.

Al-Jdeideh lies north of old Aleppo's walls, growing between the 15th and 17th centuries as merchants and craftsmen, many of them Christians active in the booming trade with Europe, settled outside the walls.

It holds several of Aleppo's most important churches — Armenian, Maronite, Syriac, Greek Catholic and Greek Orthodox — some very old with precious icons and manuscripts, standing side by side.

In the late 14th century these quarters were equipped with mosques and fountains, and a new water duct opened in 1490–91 allowed the neighbourhood to grow and to build its hammams. Most churches stand around Farhat Square, among them the Armenian Holy Forty Martyrs Church, enlarged in 1490. Armenians, who specialised in trade with Persia and India, were the main inhabitants, and after the Ottoman conquest in the 16th and 17th centuries the neighbourhood was divided into rectangular land parcels.

Narrow lanes are lined with grand courtyard houses with carved stone, such as Beit Ajiqbash, home to the Museum of Popular Traditions, and Beit Ghazaleh; many became heritage hotels and fine restaurants around Farhat Square. Part of the Ancient City of Aleppo World Heritage property.

Note: photos may not reflect the site's current condition.

For the visitor

Photos

Photos: Preacher lad — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Dosseman — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)