Step into the ancient city of Halab — known today as Aleppo — one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
For thousands of years, Halab has stood at the crossroads of civilizations. Kingdoms rose around it, powerful empires fought for it, armies conquered it, and invasions repeatedly brought destruction to its streets. Yet the city survived.
In this 23-minute historical documentary, we travel through the long history of Halab — from its earliest settlements and the rise of the Yamhad Kingdom to the Hittites, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines.
We then follow the city through the arrival of Muslim armies, the Crusades, the Zengids and Ayyubids, the campaigns of the Mongols and Timur, and the later prosperity of the Mamluk and Ottoman periods.
Finally, we reach modern Aleppo, where war once again transformed the ancient city.
At the heart of it all stands the Citadel of Aleppo — a monument to a city that has witnessed thousands of years of conquest, destruction, rebuilding, and survival.
Directed by: Hammad Gillani
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Chapters / Timestamps:
0:00 — The City That Refused to Die
1:30 — The First Settlements
4:30 — Yamhad Kingdom & Ancient Empires
7:30 — Hittites, Assyrians & Persians
10:00 — Alexander the Great & Greek Rule
12:30 — Romans & Byzantines
15:00 — Islamic Conquest & Early Caliphates
17:30 — Crusades, Zengids & Ayyubids
19:30 — Mongol Invasion & Mamluk Era
21:00 — Ottoman Prosperity
22:30 — Modern Aleppo & the Syrian Civil War
