Bab Antakiyya formed one of the most important defense gates in Aleppo, protecting the city from the west. It is one of the oldest gates built due to its strategic site, and has thus seen several phases of reconstruction. The Hamdanid ruler of Aleppo Sayf-al-Dawla rebuilt the gate using its antique foundations and the Fatimids restored it during the 11th century. It went through periodical repairs and restorations until 1422. The two massive Ayyubid defense towers were built with thick stone walls into which the deep arrow slits were discreetly inserted. The gate contains the shrine of Sheikh Ali al-Rumi in the southern tower. The gate survived with both its towers still intact into modernity.
Sources:
Tabbaa, Yasser. Constructions of Power and Piety in Medieval Aleppo. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997.
