Aleppo

Aleppo dates back to the early 2nd millennium BC, and competes with Damascus on being the oldest inhabited city in the world. While both cities claim the title, it is in Aleppo that the legacy of history feels more immediate.

At the centre of the city is the citadel; a vast 12th century fortress with roots that dig deep into a hill and into history. It dominates not just the old town, but the entire modern metropolis. Below the citadel's awesome walls lies the medieval souq, with its labyrinthine alleyways crammed with colourful stalls selling everything from leather and metalwork to herbs and spices.

Aleppo has a relaxed atmosphere and is an ideal base from which to explore the surrounding area. The so-called Dead Cities, centres of huge wealth from olive oil in the Byzantine age, reach their apotheosis in the 5th century basilica of St Simeon. Constructed on the spot where, on and off for 36 years, the saint sought solitude standing on top of a 55-foot pillar, it was for centuries the largest and most important church in the world.