Aleppo From the Air
Cities of the Crusades
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Currently in northern Syria (one of the northern-most cities of Syrian, in fact), Aleppo is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world (competing with Damascus) and can trace its history back to at least 1800 BCE. The origins of the name Aleppo can be traced the Semitic word Halab, which means "fresh milk." According to tradition Abraham lived here briefly and gave milk to all who asked it of him.
Other names for the city have included Khalpe and Beroea. The oldest portions of the city are contained within a 3-mile-long wall with seven gates. The medieval portions of the city are mostly on a very large mound in the center. All around the nearby region are other, dead cities dating back hundred and thousands of years.
Originally a part of the Amorite kingdom of Yamkhad, it became a Hittite center when they overthrew the Amorites in 1595 BCE. Around 800 BCE the Assyrians took over and later control passed to the Persians until Alexander the Great arrived in 333 BCE. From there it was part of the Seleucid Greek empire until the province of Syria was brought under direct Roman control in 64 BCE.
