Halep Kalesi

Citadel of Aleppo
قلعة حلب
Aleppo, Syria
The Citadel of Aleppo in 2010 CE
Citadel of Aleppo
Coordinates	36°11′57″N 37°09′45″E / 36.19917°N 37.16250°E / 36.19917; 37.16250
Type	Castle/Citadel
Site information
Owner	Government of Syria
Controlled by	Syrian Arab Republic
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Partially ruined (some parts repaired and destroyed)
Site history
Built	3rd millennium BCE – 12th century CE
In use	Until 21st century CE
Materials	Limestone
Battles/wars	Syrian Civil War

The Citadel of Aleppo (Arabic: قلعة حلب, romanized: Qalʿat Ḥalab) is a large medieval fortified palace in the centre of the old city of Aleppo, northern Syria. It is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. Usage of the Citadel hill dates back at least to the middle of the 3rd millennium BCE. Occupied by many civilizations over time – including the Greeks, Armenians, Romans, Byzantines, Ayyubids, Mamluks and Ottomans  – the majority of the construction as it stands today is thought to originate from the Ayyubid period. An extensive conservation work took place in the 2000s CE by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, in collaboration with Aleppo Archeological Society. Dominating the city, the Citadel is part of the Ancient City of Aleppo, an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986 CE.^[1] During the 2010s, the Citadel received significant damage during the lengthy Battle of Aleppo.^[2][3] It was reopened to the public in early 2018 CE with repairs to damaged parts underway, though some of the damage will be purposefully preserved as part of the history of the citadel.^[4] The citadel was damaged by the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.