Bāb Antakiya ( ar, بَاب أَنْطَاكِيَّة, Bāb ʾAnṭākīyah, Aleppo Arabic: , "Gate of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

") is a critical defense gate in

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

, and protects the city from the west. Bab Antakiya is located in the centre of the western wall of the old city of Aleppo, and its name was derived from

, the capital of ancient Syria, as the gate was the main exit which was leading to the city of Antioch.

History

This gate was considered the main ''bab'' of the city during the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

rule, but it lost its importance gradually during the Islamic and Arab rule, until the reconstruction by the

Ayyubid The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni ...

Emir of Aleppo The rulers of Aleppo ruled as kings, emirs and sultans of the city and its surrounding region since the later half of the 3rd millennium BC, starting with the kings of Armi, followed by the Amorite dynasty of Yamhad. Muslim rule of the city end ...

An-Nasir Yusuf An-Nasir Yusuf ( ar, الناصر يوسف; AD 1228–1260), fully al-Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn al-Aziz ibn al-Zahir ibn Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shazy (), was the Ayyubid Emir of Syria from his seat in Aleppo (1236� ...

(ruled 1242-60) on an 11th-century base. It was further rebuilt in the 15th century in

Mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

era when the gate regained its vital role as a main landmark for the old city. During the

Battle of Aleppo A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in the Syrian civil war the gate became a key target for rebel forces who tried to take the old Citadel.

Construction

The gate is topped by two rising parallel hexagonal bastions with a jagged entrance path, being located under the one which is on the right side due to defensive tactics, consisted of white stones of big sizes ( X (. The main axis of the old Souq of Aleppo is originated from the Antakeya gate.

References

{{coord, 36, 11, 55.25, N, 37, 9, 5.25, E, type:landmark, display=title Ziyarat Antakeya