Aleppo in the Writings of Historians, Scholars, Visitors and Literati

The pivotal cause behind this book, which formed the primary motivation to compose it, was an interest in Aleppo’s rich history and culture. Both feature in this work, which showcases what has been composed about Aleppo over several centuries and identifies connections between these texts and the cultural facets of this glorious city. Aleppo is renowned for its longevity and diverse histories, its material and intangible heritage, and its diversity and openness throughout most of its history. Aleppo’s great standing in human history and the number of texts produced on it, as well as the significance of those texts and their writers, together called for thorough, comprehensive, and precise work to do justice to the city historically and on a literary basis. Aleppo’s standing also encapsulates its cultural wealth. I aimed to investigate Aleppo’s value to those who visited and wrote about it, observing how Aleppo appears in their texts.

Events affecting the city over the past two decades have significantly increased the number of works written on Aleppo, both in research and creative texts. These include happy events, such as the selection of Aleppo as the Islamic cultural capital in2006. It was the second city to win this honour, following Mecca. Painful events have also prompted writing on the city, such as the war a decade ago, which destroyed large areas of Aleppo. This conflict led many scholars to learn more about Aleppo and its culture, having witnessed the unfortunate and significant devastation that befell the city because of the long war. As authors and elites address a city in their literary and intellectual works, the history and outstanding characteristics of this city will be conjured before them. Together we shall discover what occurs when writers discuss the most ancient, constantly populated city in history. Panegyrics for Aleppo do not fall under the umbrella of hypocrisy or falsehood, unlike panegyrics which are composed for kings, princes, and those who wield influence. People who express their admiration for a city are sincere, not coerced, frightened, or sycophants.

Aleppo’s status as a city venerated and beloved by a wide swath of authors, historians, and visitors, is owed to several interwoven facets. Aleppo has always constituted a model cosmopolitan city due to its location, historical role, and its diverse and harmonious demographic communities, which have co-existed respectfully. Aleppo also represents a model tolerant and open city with diverse religious groups, ethnicities, and sects who live together with no issues, in addition to its uniquely beautiful architecture among Eastern cities.

I observe this in the testimonies of writers on the city. They describe the various aesthetic material and intangible qualities of Aleppo, such as art and architecture, music, literature and science, nature, cuisine, and people.

I have dedicated the anthology, Aleppo Through Poets’ Eyes (published in four volumes), to classify and discuss poems on Aleppo. The total number of poems reaches 2,279, composed by 1,576 poets, belonging to dozens of cultures, ethnicities, and languages, stretching across the centuries, from the seventh century through the twenty-first century of the Common Era.

The book employs diverse references: old and new Arabic books; texts translated into Arabic, as well as original language texts; old and new Arabic and English magazines and newspapers; in addition to specialized cultural websites. The citations of books include Titles, Author, Date of Publication, publishing houses and City. The citations of newspapers and magazines include Title, Volume, Date, and Place of Publication, as well as a page number range if possible. I have listed sources in footnotes.

As authors and elites address a city in their literary and intellectual works, the history and outstanding characteristics of this city will be conjured before them. Together we shall discover what occurs when writers discuss the most ancient, constantly populated city in history. Panegyrics for Aleppo do not fall under the umbrella of hypocrisy or falsehood, unlike panegyrics which are composed for kings, princes, and those who wield influence. People who express their admiration for a city are sincere, not coerced, frightened, or sycophants.

Aleppo’s status as a city venerated and beloved by a wide swath of authors, historians, and visitors, is owed to several interwoven facets. Aleppo has always constituted a model cosmopolitan city due to its location, historical role, and its diverse and harmonious demographic communities, which have co-existed respectfully. Aleppo also represents a model tolerant and open city with diverse religious groups, ethnicities, and sects who live together with no issues, in addition to its uniquely beautiful architecture among Eastern cities.

I observe this in the testimonies of writers on the city. They describe the various aesthetic material and intangible qualities of Aleppo, such as art and architecture, music, literature and science, nature, cuisine, and people.

The objective of this book was not to catalogue all the texts written on Aleppo across the centuries. That would be a difficult undertaking, regardless of the time and resources available. The objective also was not to assess these texts critically or aesthetically. The main purpose was to search for these texts, and document, catalogue, and analyse them. In the process, we discover the literal and symbolic worth of Aleppo for writers and how that worth is reflected in their writings.