The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1923-04-11
prepared BY the National Geographic So
cisty. Washington. d. c.

SO
cisty. Washington. D. c.
Eastern dispatches are coming t.
carry more and more often the nam
Of Aleppo, little known to the ears O
the present generation. But the nam,
was once more familiar to western
ears than that Of almost any othel
city Of the Near East save Constan
tinople itself, and 1t Is probably deS
tined to be great again when its por
ton Of the world settles down.
-Four thousand years ago wher
Abraham moved to Palestine there was
an established caravan route north
and south through Syria from Egypt
toward Babylon. And at least from
the time Of Phoenician greatness there
was a similar route between the coast
cities on the west and Assyria and
Babylonia to the east. The oasis near
which these great trade routes Joined
became the site Of one Of the world 8
first Crossroads towns" and since
then, whenever the world about It has
enjoyed peace and carried on trade, it
has reaped the benefits In prosperity
and Importance.
It's own world suff1ced for many CEN
turtles to keep Aleppo a thriving city
into which scores of long camel cara
vans came yearly. The Crusades did
not greatly interfere with this pros
perity, for the successes Of the Cru
saders stopped literally at Aleppo's
walls. Antioch, on the Mediterranean,
barely 70 miles away, was the first
Syrian stronghold to be captured by
the Christian knights and the last to
be surrendered; but they were never
able to subdue Aleppo, which stood
for 300 years as a bar to Christian
advance inland. This Mohammedan
city, so close to the Crusaders strong
hold, became Saladin's capital, and 1t
vas from there that the Christians
we're finally driven out Of the country.
After the Crusades Europe demand
ID an ever-increasing supply Of spices
md other products from the Far East,
md Aleppo, near the western end of |
he land route over which such goods |
anne, became more and more prosper
us. Nearly all the western trading
ations established representatives
nd warehouses In the city. The es-
Adjustment Of a sea route around AZ
lea to the East injured Aleppo some
that, and the opening Of the Suez
anal almost dried up It's stream Of
ast-west trade and brought up the
essimistic picture Of time when
might be a curiosity.
Now 4 Railway Junction.
But the railroad locomotive which
esterners nickname "the steel horse"
IS proved Aleppo's ''steel camel" and
bringing the city back to It's old
ace Of Importance. The famous Bag
I'd railroad. which connects the
outh of the Euphrates with the Bos-
rus and Europe, dips to Aleppo al
ost exactly at its mid-point and
Gets the railway which now extends
ON Egypt northward through Syria
he old important camel trails have
US given way to more important
alls Of steel, and where the one con-
buted the equivalent of pennies the
tier may yield the equivalent of I
liars Aleppo Is In a fair way to
come "the Chicago of the Near {
ST."
The Aleppo of today may be COM
red In some ways to Damascus, 200 {
les to the south. Both, on GASES,
, well watered by streams that lose 0
,mselves in the desert-or more a
,perly are made to transform them
yes into delightful orchards and II
'dens through ancient irrigation sys- v
rs. Both are made up Of white, q
topped houses punctuated by the is
|, slender towers Of mosques. Both q
re their crowded, narrow streets W
ging with motley mixture of a
ny Arabs, Jews and Armenians, and c.
of almost every other u
pile Of the Near East. Now that IL
Ia Is under French mandate, there W
rs well In Aleppos crowded streets re
prinkling of the Latins who tried nj
My to penetrate there during the Pr
lsades. re
lost interesting OF Aleppo's sights, Ia
Ingly enough In city built by COM In
rec, are Its huge covered bazaars, u
dly to be matched elsewhere in the re
Id. These arched rooms of sub tn
ID lights are stocked with almost 81
ry conceivable ware from crude ar
terry to handsome Chinese vases Fl
N iron nails to golden chains of to
finest workmanship, and from
rse cloths to the most superb prod
Of the rug-weaver's art. In the
It bazaar one may choose a steak ar
beef, camel or horse and have It
sted to a turn while he looks on. 70