Trip to Aleppo end of 2011

Wed. Dec. 29, after a long trip by buss, about 8 hours, we were in Brad, northwest of Aleppo, Syria; not far away from the borders of Turkey. It was quite cold, however sunny & dry. Brad is the town that housed the body of Saint Maron after his death in 410. The beautiful ruins of churches and monasteries are obvious everywhere. sometimes 3 stories buildings that date back to 15 & 16 hundred years, when Upper Syria was a busy Christian hub, where monastic life flourished.
A new, poor & modest church was erected, in a quick fashion, in preparation for the celebrations of the 1600 jubelee of the death of St. Maron. In such an Islamic Syrian regime, it's hard to get a permit to build a church.
Brad is totally populated by Kurds, a very poor population. Many Kurds have adopted Islam as a way to gain access to the country's resources. However, most of the children of the town were playing in the public square. very few were seen walking out of school with the uniform on. Kurds towns in Syria are often very neglected, no pavements, no roads, no power, no running water ... but there few dishes (for TV) on the modest rooftops. houses are built out of the local stones, poorly. Several have used the well carved old stones, from surrounding churches & monasteries.
Behind me in the picture, is what is believed to be, in the far past, the tomb of Saint Maron, the patron Saint of the Catholic Maronite Eastern Church.
The soil there is very rocky, and hard to cultivate. the little soil is collected by locals to form small pockets where olives, figs, grenadines, & other cereals are planted. To the northwest the Toros mountains of Turkey can be seen covered with snow. As one goes east the rocks fade giving way to fertile plains with red soil.




These are the ruins of an old Maronite Cathedral that dates back to the early 5th century AD. The architecture is elegant and refined. Strong enough to survive (in part) several major earthquakes, and thousands of years. Some of the stones are 4 meters long, one thick & one meter large. Huge stones, very beautiful carved & built.
In the back of the picture, a new mosque minaret stands up. As the Kurds in Brad could sense the intention of the Syrian government to take over this touristic site, many hasted to build houses & buisnesses ... so that they can collect some recompenses later.



Inside the Aleppo Maronite Cathedral. A beautiful church that was build over years, since early 1700. Aleppo used to be a very important commercial hub, as it linked India with Europe and the Fertile Cresent. It was the main trade road for carvans of silk, spices, clothes, food, weapons ... & an important cultural hub that housed many embassies, libraries from the West & the East, schools.
Aleppo was the most important Maronite city. it's currently dominated by a Sunni, Muslim majority. Christian minorities are mostly Armenians, Greek Orthodox, Catholic Maronites and Greeks.
Aleppo is probably the most beautiful & vibrant Syrian city, with a population of about 5 million people. It's know for its castle, Turkish bathes, large and relatively affordable marketplace, and tasty restaurents.