I remember Aleppo

I have seen Aleppo. I was lucky enough to make it some time ago in 2004. It was quite short but I keep memories. We spent one night in a hotel (Probably El Hamedeyya). It was near downtown and had a square in front of its main entrance. I remember the first outing in Aleppo was in the evening, with a kind gentleman from the locals. We walked from the hotel to the nearby residential area. It seemed quiet and classy. I remember when he mentioned that Sabah Fakhri is from Aleppo. Back then I did not know the iconic singer. I was tripped by the fact that the name "Sabah" should be a female name. I remember how proud the gentleman was. He asserted that this is a city of arts and artists. I remember I walked afterwards for some time with a friend. It was very peaceful and quiet. We passed by a park, I believe. I bought some brown shoes that I kept for years later.
In the morning we did not have much time. We had to leave the city by the end of the day to spend in the night in Lattakia. We had a visit arranged to Citadel of Aleppo. I remember someone mentioned that it was called also the citadel of Saladin. I remember that I was impressed that they had one too! We had one in Cairo and the Syrians have one in Aleppo. I remember I was impressed by the citadel and how different it is from that of Cairo. It seemed to me smaller, but stronger. It seemed to me harder to break into. On the other side of the road from the citadel, there was a juice vendor. I drank peach juice. I did not know that in Syria peach is not "Khoakh" it's "Duraq". I later on delved into an ancient souk. Was the first time for me to see the red hot sauce, Harissa. It sounded strange, because the same name in Egyptian is used for a famous dessert. 

The program of our one-night visit to Aleppo in 2004.