ALE 



in" contains apartments for l!ie bafliaw, his harem, hoiilhold 

 olScers, and paj,'cs. It confids of tiiree courts, one of 

 » hicli is the divan, where the bafliaw gives public audience. 

 The whole of ihis building is much neglei^cd, and if it had 

 not been originally a very fubftantial edifice, it would long 

 ai-o have been in ruins. There are five or fix other fcraglios 

 D? more modern date, that are much fmaller, well built, and 

 gaudily decoi-atcd ; they were erefted at different periods by 

 Former bafhaws, and belong to their heirs. They are now 

 occalioiiallv let to fuch govcriiors as do not chufc to refide 

 in the old fcraglio, and to other officers of the Porte, who 

 vlfit Aleppo on public bufinefs. Other buildings, con- 

 ftrufted on the fame plan with thcfe, though not deno- 

 minated feraglios, arc occupied by the principal agas and 

 effcndees. 



The roofs ofall thehoufci.thofe that have domes excepted, 

 are flat, and plallered with a compofition of mortar, tai-, 

 afhes and fand, which in time becomes very hard. Thcfe 

 flat roofs, or terraces, are feparaH d by party walls, and moll 

 of the natives fleep on them in the fummer. The Franks, 

 who live near one another, have doors of communication, 

 and by means of their own and the bazar terraces, can make 

 a large circuit without defcending into the ftreet. The na- 

 tives have no intereourfe by the terrace, and guard by high 

 *al!s againll being overlooked. 



To the lower clafs of ftrangers, as Arabs, Kurds, and 

 other Turks- of foreign extraftion, and Armenian Chriftians, 

 there is appropriated a kind of accommodation, called Kei- 

 faria, which is a large area, furrounded by a number of 

 mean, low houfes, each confifling of two or three rooms. 

 Other buildings, in the form of a clofe or court, allotted to 

 weaving and other manufaftories, are called by the lame 

 name. 



The caflle of Aleppo is deemed, by the natives, abfo- 

 lutely impregnable ; but its walls and turrets are in fo bad 

 a flate, that a few cannon would foon demolifli them. It is, 

 however, of importance as a magazine for military ftores in 

 times of war with Pcrfia, for the awe of the city, and an 

 afylum to the magiflrates in cafe of infurredtion ; as a prifon 

 for flate criminals, and a place of execution for the Janiza- 

 ries, when condeinned to die. The Aga of the caftle is im- 

 mediately de-pendent upon the Porte, and fubjeft, only in 

 certain cafes, to the bafliaw. He commands a numerous 

 garrifon ; and the private men, with their families, lodge in 

 the caftle. 



The fuel ufed at Aleppo is wood and charcoal ; and that 

 *'hich is employed in heating the bagnios renders them a 

 public nuifanee. This confilts chiefly of the dung of animals, 

 the filth of llables, and the pairings of fruit, which, both in 

 drying and burning, are very cffenfive. Cow dung is feldom 

 ufed in the city, but by the Arabs and peafants it is ufed 

 not O'.ily as fuel, but for forming a kind of flat pan in which 

 they fry their eggs. Camel and theep's dung with brufh- 

 wood, or the ftalks of fuch plants as grow in the Defert, are 

 the common fuel. At Aleppo, in one of the fuburbs called 

 Mafhirka, they have a glafs manufaftory, and a tannery to 

 the fouth-wefl of the town near the river. Their flaughter- 

 houfes are fituated in an aiiy field, in the (l-;irts of the 

 fuburbs, towards Baukufa, and their principal flefh market 

 is in the fuburb called lideida. They have fevcral lime-kilns 

 near the walls, "on the fouth-v.'efl of the cily, and a manu- 

 faftory of catgut half a mile to the fouth, which occafionally 

 emits a very offenfive flench. Within the waUs, they have 

 •only one public burial ground befides fevcral private ceme- 

 teries ; but without the walls the burial grounds are of 

 v.jds txtcnt round the town, and the white tomb* ar.d grave 



ALE 



ftones, viewed at a dillance, add to the rocky flerik appear- 

 ance of the country. 



The city is fujiplied with water by means of an aqucduft 

 from two fprings, at the dillance of about eight miles to the 

 north. Tills aquedudl, which is faid to be coeval with the 

 city, was repaired by the emprefs Helena, the mother of 

 Conllantinc, and again repalied and enlarged by the fon 

 of LSaladiii, in 1218. It fupplics with water a range 

 of gardens, formed on its banks, and called the gardens of 

 BabuUah, which is the name of an adjoining village, and 

 the water is diftributed through the grounds by means of 

 fmall interfeifting channels dug in the eaith ; and regulations 

 are eftabliflied for its communication in due proportion to 

 difTeient perfons. This traft of gardens extends about la 

 miles, and generally belongs to fomc effendee or aga, pof- 

 fefiir.g fufficicnt authority for the proteftion of his tenants, 

 or forms a part of fome religious etlate. The whole extent 

 of thefc gardens is fubdivided into fquare or oblong fields, 

 bordered with dwarf trees, flowering Ihrubs, and taller trees, 

 fuch as the plane, weeping willow, afli, and white poplar. 

 Within thcfe inclofures are cultivated mad-apples, melons, 

 and cucumbers, with a variety of efculent roots, cabbages 

 and greens for the kitchen ; in others, cotton, tobacco, fe- 

 famum, pahna chrifli, and lucern ; and fome are town with 

 barley, which is ufed in the fpring as green fodder for the 

 horfes. Among thefe inclofures are large plantations of 

 pomegranate, plum and cherry trees, and fometlines groves, 

 compoted of the various fruit trees W'hich the country pro- 

 duces. The gardens,thofe of BabuUah excepted, are fupplled 

 from the river by means of Perfian wheels. In moft of the 

 gardens, there are fummer-houfes, furnifhed -viMth fountains, 

 and with kiofl-cs, or a kind of balconies, projefting over the 

 river. The Aleppo gardens are fpokeu of with rapture by 

 the natives. They lupply the city with greens.and fruits, 

 and contribute both to the health and amufement of the 

 inhabitants, by affording fcope for exercife and a pure 

 air. 



In the vicinity of the city are many cxtenfive quarries, 

 which afford a gritty Hone, when firfl dug eafily cut and in- 

 durated by expofure to the air ; and the more ancient of 

 thefe quarries have fubterrancous excavations of great length, 

 which ferve the Bedoween Arabs for winter habitations, as 

 ftables for the camels, and as dens of debauchery to the Ja- 

 nizaries. The marble of Aleppo is of a yello-wifh colour, 

 but by rubbing it with oil and expofing it to the moderate 

 heat of an oven, it is made to refemble the red marble of 

 Damafcus. Aleppo is fupplied with fait from an extenfive 

 plain at the diflance of about 18 miles, called the valley of 

 fait, or fait lake. 



Aleppo, though encompaffed by bills, is well ventilated, 

 and enjoys a pure penetrating air, which is reckoned fo fa- 

 lubrioiis, that from the end of May to the middle of Sep- 

 tember, the inhabitants are accuftomed to fleep expofed in 

 their terraces, without receiving any injury. The fpring 

 here commences early in February, when the fields are co- 

 vered with an agreeable verdure ; the almond tree bloffoms 

 about the middle of the month, and is foon followed by the 

 apricot, peach and plum. Early in May the corn begins to 

 be yellow ; and a few weeks bring on the hai-vefl, and when 

 the grain has been plucked \\p by the roots, the whole country 

 bears a parched and barren afpeft. Some fliowers commonly 

 fall in the beginning of June ; but from the middle of this 

 month to the middle of September, it is extraordinary to 

 fee any rain. The heat of July and Augutl is mitigated by 

 the weflerly breezes ; but when thefe fail, the weather be- 

 comes extremely hot. When the wind blows from the north, 



north-wtft> 



