Al-Otroush Mosque

Bab Qinnasrin is the first of the southern Qibla gates, named because it leads to the region of Qinnasrin, an Aramaic word meaning eagles’ nest. Its location dates back to ancient times, pre-dating Islam. The gate consists of four distinct doors: one facing the city, one facing the wilderness, and two in between. Today, Qinnasrin corresponds to the Al-Eis region.

The gate’s construction may have been renovated by Sayf al-Dawla al-Hamdani, as a tower bearing his name once stood beside it. King Al-Nasir Yusuf II also renovated the gate in 654 AH / 1256 CE, transferring stones from a palace tower built by Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik in Al-Na’oura, along with relocating the two gates of Al-Rafiqah.

Fortified defensive towers, resembling castles, were built upon this gate. It also housed mills, ovens, oil cisterns, water tanks, and served as a storage point for weaponry.

Bab Qinnasrin was the first gate destroyed by the Tatars upon their seizure of Aleppo. After their departure, Sultan Al-Zahir Baybars rebuilt it but transferred its armored iron and nails to Damascus and Egypt. Historian Al-Ghazzi described the gate, stating:
It is the greatest of the gates, and its location is ancient, pre-dating Islam. It consists of four doors: a door facing the city, a door facing the wilderness, and two doors in between. It is adjacent to the Sharif Citadel, and no traces of any king’s influence are apparent.

This gate facilitated Aleppo’s commercial connections with both nearby and distant regions. Even before the Mongol invasion and their extensive destruction of Aleppo, it linked the city to the large Al-Hadher suburb, which was considered a second city equipped with all necessary amenities.

The Directorate of Antiquities in Aleppo, with assistance from the City Council, carried out restoration work on the gate, both internally and externally, to preserve its structure.

A thoroughfare passes through Bab Qinnasrin, leading to a side entrance of the Great Umayyad Mosque. This axis once encompassed numerous schools, temples, mosques, bathhouses, and three caravanserais (khans). During the Mamluk period, the neighborhood retained its importance, with princes and dignitaries building their palaces there. Institutions such as the Arghun Bimaristan were founded in the 14th century, alongside another large mosque nearby. In the Ottoman period, the khans became more focused on industrial activities, such as soap production, rather than commerce.

However, the residential significance of the district along the Bab Qinnasrin – City axis declined during the Ottoman era. The original inhabitants gradually abandoned the numerous large palaces and houses built in the 16th century, largely due to the Al-Farafera district becoming the Sultan’s residence from the 17th century until the early 20th century.

The shrine of Sheikh Khalil al-Tayyar was located in the neighborhood, and on one of the walls of its south-facing bashoura (forecourt), the inscription read:
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. So look at the traces of God’s mercy—how He revives the earth after its death….

However, its architecture differs from that of the gate itself, making it impossible to definitively attribute Bab Qinnasrin to Sultan Al-Mu’ayyad Shaykh.