Went to Pullman bus station and got on the 9am bus to Aleppo. Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria with population of around 4.2 millions and is 4.5 hours north of Damascus. Aleppo and Damascus are vying for the title of oldest inhabited city in the world. Aleppo was said to be inhabited since 8000 years ago.

Met Jane, a Canadian on the bus and we spent time wandering around the city. We had kebab for lunch (250SP, around USD5).

Walked around the souq which is said to be the biggest in the middle east. The Souq is around 12km in total length. Most shops were closed because of the Eid holiday.

Visited the Citadel which is around 2000 years old.

View of Aleppo from the Citadel

View of the Citadel

We were walking around and Jane recognized a man who is one of the very few if any Buddhists in Aleppo. He has a small café

and is trying to create a meeting place to teach Buddhism to people who have an interest in the subject matter. Met some new friends at his café.

The great mosque

Decided to take an overnight train back to Damascus so I can sleep on the way back to save cost and time, and just to try something different. The train took around 6 hours (110SP around USD2).

2 Responses to “Aleppo”

1. Vi-Zanne says:

   September 29, 2009 at 3:55 am

   weren’t those train a “Treat”? lol. were u on the first class carriage?

2. journey26 says:

   September 29, 2009 at 11:18 pm

   I don’t even know which class is it. I just slept when I got on the train..I remembered that the train smelled funny though