The souks of Aleppo were the longest covered market in the world — roughly thirteen kilometers of vaulted stone corridors running from Bab Antakia to the Citadel, with every kind of goods on offer. Much of the souk was badly damaged or destroyed during the siege. Reconstruction has been ongoing since 2018, and sections have reopened, though the market is a fraction of what it once was.
What remains is still remarkable. The semi-circular and pointed stone vaulting, the domes at intersections, the shafts of light from openings in the roof — the architecture alone is worth the visit. In the reopened sections you will find spices, textiles, soap, and copperwork. The coppersmiths' quarter north of the Citadel, where craftsmen still hammer great sheets of copper into jugs and pans, has partly resumed work. Aleppo soap — olive oil soap with laurel oil — is the city's most famous export and makes a good thing to bring home.