Aleppo is one of the oldest inhabited cities in history. It knew human settlement since the eleventh millennium B.C.
Old Aleppo was contained within a wall, 3 miles in circuit with seven gates. The medieval castle in the city, is built atop a huge mound rising 50 m above the city. The current structure dates from the 13th century. It is said that the name Halab means "gave out milk," coming from the ancient tradition that Abraham gave milk to travelers as they moved throughout the region.