The Amazing Souq in Aleppo, Syria

This is probably the 10th time I have written about how much Lindsay and I loved the city of Aleppo, Syria. One of the reasons we love this place so much is because of the ancient Souq in the heart of the city. A “Souq” is a distinctly Middle Eastern marketplace generally made up of narrow alleyways that wind past small merchant shops selling anything from spices, jewelry, clothes, food, etc. These Souqs are all over the middle east but Aleppo by far had the most unique. First of all Aleppo’s Souq is massive in size. There are numerous cobblestone alleyways that seem to go on forever (we loved getting lost). The alleyways are all cobblestone and the entire Souq is covered with an arched stone ceiling which kept the area cool from the harsh desert climate. These ceilings had the occasional opening and if it was a sunny day you could always see sun rays shinning through into the market. The Aleppo Souq is also unique because it is not nearly as touristy as some of them can get. Lindsay and I could spend an entire day exploring and would hardly ever see another westerner. While visiting Aleppo Lindsay and I probably walked around the Souq a dozen times. No matter where we were heading in the city we would always make it a point to go through the Souq to get there. No matter what time of day it is the alleyways and shops are always packed with locals. There are people coming and going, shop owners talking, machinery running, food stalls yelling for your business, etc. The entire area is a total assault on the senses in the best way possible. I will never forget our first day walking into the Souqs…there are these large medieval archways that we walked under and it truly felt like you were leaving the 21st century (streets, cars, etc) and walking straight into the middle ages. One of the first restaurants we saw was a butcher shop with goat heads, intestines, etc, etc. We asked if we could take a picture and were quickly told…NO! :) We half expected the rest of the shop owners to be this inpatient but that was certainly not the case. In fact, all the store owners were anxious to talk and would almost always invite you into their shop for a cup of coffee. Since a Souq is essentially an ancient shopping mall Lindsay and I took the opportunity to purchase numerous cool souvenirs. I purchased some unique leather sandals (worn by all the locals) and Lindsay picked up a few headscarves so that she could fit in better and to show respect for the local Islamic population. During one of our explorations through the Souq I had noticed a small shop selling Syrian soccer jerseys. I wanted one so bad so before we left we stopped by the shop to get some (one for me and one for our nephew Jack). The shop owner was an older man in his 60s and was very sweet. He spoke almost no English but with the help of a nearby shop owner who translated we sat with him in his little shop (on buckets) making small talk. He especially loved Lindsay and just held her hand saying “you look like my daughter.” Although our conversation was limited it was still a fascinating insight into the local customs/culture. We found out this shop owner had numerous wives and a large number of children. Lindsay and I have been blessed to travel all over the world and to this day I have never experienced nicer people than the Syrians and this sweet shop owner was no exception. When I think about traveling and all of the special experiences it provides I can’t help but remember sitting in the fascinating Souq of Aleppo, Syria talking with the sweet shop owner who sold me a soccer Jersey. If you ever want to experience something that is just incredibly unique get your self to Aleppo, Syria and get lost wandering its fascinating Souq.