10 Interesting Facts About Aleppo

1. Aleppo was the end point of the famous "Silk Road" from China.
2. Aleppo is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.
3. The name Aleppo comes from the arab word for "white," due to the color of the soil and marble in the city.
4. Aleppo has barely ever been touched by archaeologists.
5. Alexander the Great conquered Aleppo in 333 BC.
6. The old part of the city is still surrounded to this day by ancient walls and only accessible by the ancient gates that were built into the walls. Many of these ancient buildings have been destroyed as a result of the current civil war in Syria.
7. The father of John the Baptist, Zachary, is buried in a tomb in Aleppo.
8. Aleppo is surrounded by over 700 ancient stone settlements known as "The Dead Cities."
9. Prior to the Syrian civil war, Aleppo was one of the fastest growing cities in the entire middle east.
10. Prior to the Syrian civil war, Aleppo was the largest city in Syria, with a population of over 2 million inhabitants.  Currently, there are only an estimated 40,000 inhabitants left.