Globalista

Often described as a male and a female city respectively, Aleppo and Damascus are siblings who love to hate each other. Think of their relationship as being what Kyoto is to Tokyo, or St Petersburg to Moscow. Aleppo lets Damascus wallow in dreary politics, while it can get down to the serious matters of food, culture and heritage. And cotton, soap and pistachios, of course, which drive its economy. Its Christian population, while smaller than that of Damascus, is nevertheless more dynamic, making the whole city feel more European than oriental. And yet, despite this, and despite Aleppo’s merchant past as a former Silk Road trading post and its proximity to Turkey, it remains a surprisingly conservative city in contrast to its elder sister. Expect to see a lot more veiled women and country folk shopping in town for the day. In Aleppo’s souks and in the Old City in general, you will see very few women with unveiled hair. Aleppo is probably the best-preserved Middle Eastern city you will be able to visit in the 21st century, with enough late-Ottoman architecture and unspoilt souks to give you a taste of pure, undistilled Arabia. And, most hearteningly, there are many more visible preservation efforts here than anywhere else in the country.

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Aleppo pioneered the concept of converting traditional Arab courtyard houses into hotels and restaurants long before Damascus cottoned on, as part of a concerted heritage preservation project (which Damascus would do well to emulate) that began in the mid 1990s and which carries on today thanks mainly to the Aga Khan Development Network. Most of the so-called ‘boutique’ hotels (and some would make you seriously question the term) are in Jdeidé, the labyrinthine Christian quarter to the north of the Old City, where you are as likely to wake up to the bells of an Armenian church as to a mosque’s call to prayer.

In the Old City, however, the most spectacular conversion is the Mansouriya, one of only a handful of places to stay inside the souk itself. To reach it you enter the city on foot Alice-in-Wonderland-style through a gigantic wooden door and are led by the hotel staff down a dark alley to the cloak and dagger entrance, before you erupt into a magnificent courtyard. And making that entrancing entrance is not even the best bit; nine bedrooms, all themed, cover the kitschtastic range from Hittite to Ottoman via Crusader Knights, and all have marble bathrooms – and particularly marble bathtubs – to die for. Service can be discreet to the point of exasperation, but this may be a hangover from the quite recent days when the hotel was only available to rent as a whole property. Breakfasts are legendary and copious (even if it’s a shame that they are taken in a cellar rather than in the sunny courtyard), the central fountain has been turned into a life-saving plunge pool in summer, and the private hammam is superb. Make sure you meet Roland, the Syrian but very Frenchified manager, and log his mobile number in case you get lost on the way home.

Back in Jdeidé, Beit Wakil may be the first and most famous small hotel in Aleppo – a converted merchant’s house – but it is rather resting on its laurels 10 years on. Poky rooms and scary electrics could be sorted out in a much-needed makeover, but the lobby remains charming and the hotel’s restaurant (local specialities) is excellent. Nearby, Dar Zamaria (formerly the Martini) is popular with groups, and keeps sprouting new annexes. It also has a good restaurant, and a lovely roof terrace in summer. If you have zero imagination or if needs (i.e. special access needs) must, the new Aleppo Sheraton is what you would expect: centrally located, boring and predictable. (Or perhaps not that predictable, though the following incident was nothing to do with the Sheraton group: guests staying there at the height of the tourist season in 2007 were slightly surprised to find a public hanging of five felons taking place outside the hotel one sunny morning.)

And finally, no list of Aleppo hotels could possibly omit the Baron Hotel. Once the hang-out of Lawrence of Arabia, Agatha Christie (did they spend all their lives in Middle Eastern hotels?) and everyone else of note in the interwar period, it now appears to wear its Syria’s Fawlty Towers badge with honour. Definitely visit for a drink (see Best Bar, below) and have a look upstairs at the old travel posters (if only we had a section entitled Most Desirable, Easy to Steal Thing in Aleppo!) before sighing, as everyone does, about things not being what they were. (Best fact: ‘Baron’ is a term of politeness among Armenian Levantines and the hotel was started by, and continues to be owned by, an Armenian-British family.)

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Globalista's Pick of the Press

02 May 2009 - The Times - Our Big Family Adventure in Syria
01 July 2008 - The Guardian - Great journeys: Istanbul to Aleppo by train