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REV'IT! Motorcycle Jackets
Take a look through our men's motorcycle jackets collection and you'll see pieces geared towards all genres of riding. But no matter where you take your motorcycle clothing – off road, on the track or in the urban jungle – one common theme echoes through every item we produce: safety. Our mission is to offer the best and most innovative products available and that means we take your personal safety very seriously.
GORE-TEX Motorcycle Jackets
Check out our selection of waterproof GORE-TEX motorcycle jackets. Riding in the rain should always be an option. These waterproof styles are also fitted with CE-rated armor at the shoulders and elbows. Stay safe in slippery conditions.
Leather Motorcycle Jackets
Check out our Urban motorcycle jackets collection and you'll find beautifully-crafted pieces that reflect various personal styles. Our latest urban leather jackets collection was designed around taking archetypal designs that have stood the tests of time. We then modernized them with technically-advanced materials and techniques.
Another part of our Urban Jackets collection includes clothing that transitions seamlessly from two wheels onto the sidewalk. We take on the classic wool overcoat, as well as a long, fishtail parka. Fashionable jackets, though they're motorcycle-ready at a moment's notice.
All-Season Gear
When you find yourself off the beaten path, we want to find ourselves right there with you. Our Adventure jackets are designed and dedicated to the people that love to explore some of the most remote places in the world. Our countless hours of research and development, combined with the input from serious adventure riders, are reflected in our motorcycle clothing collection. Whether it's a two or three-layer suit, one with GORE-TEX™ or a hydratex® removable liner, or an adventure jacket that's perfectly ventilated for warm weather riding, we have it all.
MotoGP Inspired
We look to our Heroes in MotoGP for advice and technical details on how we can create the best possible gear for both the road and track. We then take that information and apply in into our precision jackets, trousers and one-piece suits. We cover everything from a full-spec race suit to a one-piece that has technical elements that's perfect for street and track use.


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Subscribe to the USFamilyGuide.com KidsScoop! The monthly family event and savings newsletter. Receive coupons for Fun Activities, Summer Camps, Parties, Dining, Shopping, Field Trips, Child Care and more! We NEVER share your information.
My son Christian absolutely loves the amazing experience that Portable North Pole offers! As an online platform, it allows us to create personalized Santa videos for our children. The videos are incredibly lifelike and feature Santa himself as well as some of his beloved Christmas helpers. They customize each video according to your child's age and gender, so you can rest assured that it will be perfect for them. We have been using this service for the past few years and my son looks forward to it every year!
The video quality is top-notch – they look so realistic that I almost forget they aren't real! From Santa's jolly laughter to the adorable elves dancing in the background, everything feels so alive and magical. My son loves watching his own special video every year, hearing what Santa has to say about him. It feels like a true holiday experience!
The best part about Portable North Pole is how simple it is to use. All you have to do is fill out an online form with your child's details (name, age, etc.) and select from one of their many templates. Within minutes, you can have a unique Santa video created just for your child. It's really easy to download or share with family members via email or social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Overall, I highly recommend Portable North Pole for anyone looking for a unique way to spread holiday cheer! It's a fun way for kids of all ages to connect with Santa from anywhere in the world, creating memories that will last a lifetime. With its high-quality videos and customizable options, you're sure to make your little one feel extra special this festive season.
Did you get your Free Personalized Video? Let us know in the comments below.

subset: commoncrawl


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Ordering Information
For security purposes, BARFOOT keeps no credit card information in our databases.
After you submit a successful order, you should receive an email confirming your order, given your provided email address is valid. You can view your order history after you sign in as long as you have created an account. Once your order has been shipped, you will receive an email containing a tracking number. If you do not receive this email, you may request your tracking number.
Important: If the billing and shipping addresses you have specified are in two different states or cities, your phone numbers are different and your email address looks nothing like your name, BARFOOT will be in contact with you to ensure your order is legitimate. For your protection, no orders will be sent out until this communication is complete, so please make sure the phone number and email address you provide us are both operational.
Sale Items
BARFOOT does not accept returns on sale items. All sales on discounted items are final.
Payment Options
BARFOOT accepts Visa, MasterCard and Paypal only.
Promotion Codes
Promotion codes are codes that BARFOOT offers to customers for special discounts, special events, etc. These codes are to entered in the field labeled promotion code on the payment step of the checkout process.
BARFOOT does not apply promotion codes to existing orders after they have been placed.
Sales Tax
BARFOOT's distribution center is in California. Therfore, we are required to collect sales taxes on orders shipped to locations in the state of California.
Credit Card Security
BARFOOT servers use SSL, an encryption technology that works to protect the security of your online order information. You can be assured that all sensitive information will be handled with the utmost discretion and security. SSL technology encrypts your order information to protect it from being decoded by anyone other than BARFOOT.
You will also notice that when you look at the location (URL) field at the top of the browser you will see it begin with 'https:' instead of the normal 'http:'. This means that you are in secure mode.
Declined Transaction and Bank Information
Credit card transactions may be declined either by our processor or credit card issuing bank for several reasons. They can also be declined by the Authorize.Net® Payment Gateway settings, such as AVS and CCV settings and the individual filters in our FDS.
Transaction Has Been Declined
This generally occurs for one of two reasons.
- Your credit card issuing bank did not approve the transaction. This could be for lack of funds, frozen account status, invalid credit card number or expiration date, incorrect billing address zip code, etc. Unfortunately, your card issuing bank does not provide additional details regarding the reason for the decline. You will need to contact the card issuing bank for more information.
- Your transaction may have been declined by your processor based on transaction limits established by your MSP.
Declined Transaction (AVS Mismatch) or (Card Code Mismatch)
This means the transaction was declined due to the AVS or CCV results. AVS compares the billing address provided in a transaction with the cardholder's address on file at the credit card issuing bank. CCV compares the card code (a three or four-digit security code that is printed on the credit card) provided in a transaction with the card code on file at the credit card issuing bank. When enabled, both services return a code to the payment gateway indicating the results of the match.
It's important to note that a transaction declined for AVS or CCV within the Authorize.Net system has still been approved by your card issuing bank and the requested funds will be placed on hold, thereby reducing your cards available credit. This is not an actual charge to your credit card and the bank will release the funds back to your card after the authorization expires (between two weeks and a month depending on the credit card issuing bank).
Shipping Information
At this time, BARFOOT ships merchandise to locations within the United States and U.S. territories, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, along with select international countries.
The risk of loss and title for all BARFOOT merchandise pass to the customer when the merchandise is delivered to the shipping carrier.
- Fedex is our default shipping method and is available for all U.S. mainland states, non-domestic U.S orders.
- USPS International is our default shipping method for international orders.
- Domestic orders are usually shipped within 24 hours – weekends, mondays and holidays excluded, which also depends on whether or not BARFOOT needs time to investigate the legitimacy of an order and to allow transactions necessary time to settle.
- Fedex does not pick up or deliver packages on weekends or holidays.
- Items ordered together may ship separately.
- All orders are shipped with proper boxes and materials.
- BARFOOT does not ship to APO's or PO Boxes.
Shipping Rates
- Domestic U.S.: Fedex Ground $8.00 + depending on item(s)
- International: USPS $20.00 + depending on item(s)
Shipping Transit Times
Next Day Air and 2-Day Air shipping methods are also available upon selection.
All estimates exclude weekends & holidays.
- Fedex Ground: 5-10 Business Days
- UPS 2 Day Air: 2-3 Business Days
- UPS Next Day Air: 1-2 Business Days
- Fedex (Alaska, Hawaii): 7-12 Business Days
- USPS Expedited (International): 5-10 Business Days
International Shipping Policy
First-time International Customers: You will be required to email a readable image of the credit card (front and back) along with a signed copy of the order receipt to verify your identity. Please email these images to service (@) barfoot.com.
Packages with International destination will be subject to customs/duties charges. Fedex and BARFOOT are not responsible for any customs/duties charges. These costs are determined by your local customs office. BARFOOT cannot determine, in advance, what these fees will be. We do try to minimize these charges by listing the wholesale cost of your package on the commercial invoice rather than the retail value. This provides the customs agents with a true, legal value, while minimizing your costs. We cannot mark International packages as a gift in order to bypass or reduce any customs fees—this is an illegal practice and as an established business we will not do this. For more information on customs and duties charges, please contact your local customs office.
Canadian Customers
First-time Canadian Customers: You will be required to email a readable image of the credit card (front and back) to verify your identity. Please cover all the digits in the card number except the last 4 in this procedure. Please email these images to service (@) barfoot.com and enter your order number in the subject of the email.
Canadian customs sets taxes, duties and brokerage fees on commercial goods shipped to Canada. These fees will be determined at the border. BARFOOT cannot determine, in advance, what these fees will be. GST (Goods and Services Tax) and PST (Provincial Sales Tax) vary based on the province to which your order is shipped and on its value. The duty is determined by the value of the merchandise and its place of origin.
You can get additional info by visiting www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca (Canada Customs and Revenue Agency) or www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca (your friendly Border Services Agency), or by calling Toll Free (from within Canada) 1-800-461-9999, or, if outside of Canada, 1-204-983-3500 or 1-506-636-5064 (long distance charges apply).


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0 Items - $0.00
Shop Metal Standard Weight Plates
Free Shipping on 1" Regular Weight Plates
If you're looking for regular weight plates with the 1" bar opening then you've come to the right place. At Muscles and Curves Fitness we carry several brands of standard size metal plates in a few different finishes to best suit your gym's needs (hey, everybody doesn't like gray!). And like everything else on our store, all standard size plates and plate sets ship for free.
These plates can be used as barbell plates on the 1" barbells or as dumbbells plates on the 1" dumbbell handles. Available in 1.25 lbs to 50 lbs, these plates are a great way to slowly increase weight on exercises where just a little weight increase makes a big difference such as bicep curls and tricep extensions.
If you're looking to add a little diversity to your exercises then purchasing a set of standard weights, a standard barbell and a pair of dumbbells handles is a great and inexpensive way to achieve it. All weight plates come with a baked on resin based paint, making the finish on the plates resistant to chips, corrosions (rust) and scratches. They are available in gray or black matte finish and are built to last.


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Timber Timbre
Creep On Creepin' On
Full Time Hobby
Nominated for a Polaris Music Prize for their 2009 debut, Out of This Spark, Timber Timbre's latest offering Creep On Creepin' On is highly creative. Based in Canada, the band's name Timber Timbre refers to the timber frame cabin where they made many of their early recordings.
Creep On Creepin' On is a deeply provocative and alternative slant to blues, which would be appropriate in a hidden downtown bar – the type where you have to knock three times and say a secret password to gain entry. That's not to suggest that there isn't a wider appeal to this album, because there is, but it's not the type of music you'd hear Chris Moyles playing, and that's a good thing.
With beautiful arrangements by the acclaimed pianist Mathieu Charbonneau and saxophonist, Colin Stetson, this album touches the classic, contemporary and sublime. The album's opener, Bad Ritual is rhythmic and captivating. Woman is ethereal, recalling the tribulations of any relationship. For a unique experience get this album, grasp it and don't let go.
Cherie Federico


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Terms of use
In this page you can find the terms of use on which you may make use of the website /(the 'Site'). It's advisable to read carefully all the terms before you start to use the site. To use our site you must be at least 18 years of age or more than that. By using the Site, you indicate that you accept these terms of use and that you agree to abide by them. If you are not agreeing any of the terms of use or you are under 18 years of age, please do not use this Site.
Information About RIPL
The Site is operated by Real Infoware Pvt. Ltd. ('RIPL'). RIPL is registered in India under Indian company Act and has its registered office at 2D, Suryarath, Panchwati, C.G. Road, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
RIPL creates user profiles with the help of our customer support representatives for the support, marketing and improvement of the services. With RIPL's efficient customer support representatives are encouraged to speak to online members and also encouraged to speak to members by making introductions and recommendations. This may vary from time to time and the members can be asked whether they are using the certain aspects of the Services. If you do not wish to be contacted in this way, you can visit the "My Account" section of the website and alter your preferences
ED offers other additional services or can revise the scope of services at its discretion and with or without notice, and these terms of use will apply to all services that are advised and revised.
Your access
- As a guest
- By registering yourself as a member of the site or
- By registering as a member and purchasing a subscription package.
Now, as a guest or even as a registered member, there is no need to pay any thing to the site. But remember, that as a guest or even as a registered member, there are limitations to access the site's features and certain areas of the site. To enjoy the complete features, you should purchase one of the subscription packages. The fee, thus collected is utilized to make the page even better.
Use of the Site For Personal use
Remember, that your account is for personal use only. You cannot give the authority to others to access your account or nor can others have access to your account without your consent. Also, do not assign or transfer your account to any other person or entity.
Information you submit
- You will provide all the information that is required to complete the registration forms on the site.
- Ensure that the information thus passed is accurate and up to date.
- You will update and maintain the accuracy of the information that you have provided.
- You will post information and content that is relevant to the members of the site.
- You will be responsible for the usage of your account and for all the actions taking place using your account thereby.
- Post only genuine ratings and comments thereof on other member's profiles. If at all it is found that you are posting any defamatory messages or comments on other's profiles, then it could lead to legal action being taken against you.
Restrictions on your use of the Site
This includes that you are not going to post any content on the sight, transmit any content to others, communicate any content, provide any links to other content or otherwise engage in any illegal activity on the site or through any other services that:
- Impersonates or otherwise misrepresents affiliation, connection or association with, any person or entity;
- Will disclose any personal or confidential information of any person or organization without their prior consent or solicits another person's information for commercial or unlawful purposes.
- Contains any harmful material that can otherwise prove a technical hazard like a computer virus, Trojan horses, worms or even corrupted data etc.
- Promotes racism, bias, hatred or physical harm against any group or individual.
- Promotes or enables illegal or unlawful activities;
- Intends to harass, annoy, threaten or intimidate any other people or organizations.
- Is defamatory, inaccurate, obscene, indecent, seditious, offensive, pornographic, abusive, liable to incite racial hatred, discriminatory, inflammatory, blasphemous, in breach of confidence, in breach of privacy or which may cause annoyance or inconvenience;
- Is deliberately misleading or fraudulent;
- Contains others' copyrighted content (such as music, videos, photographs, images etc) without first obtaining their consent;
- Uses the Site or Services for chain letters, junk mail or spam e-mails;
- Advertises or solicits any member to buy or sell any products or services;
- Interferes or disrupts networks connected to the Site or attempts to interfere with the proper functioning of the Site (including imposing an unreasonable load on the technical infrastructure used to operate the Site); or
- Contains any material which may infringe or violate any third party's rights.
Your responsibility
Here you will be solely responsible for all the liability regarding (i) whatever information you post on the site; (ii) the information and content you post, transmit, publish or otherwise display through the site and (iii) your interaction with other members on the site.
Removal of content
With RIPL stays the right but no obligation, to monitor the information or the content that has been submitted to the site by you or have posted in the public areas of the site. RIPL also has the right to remove any information or content that (i) violate RIPL's sole opinion or any applicable law or the terms of use or (ii) if any third party has requested.
Your screen name and password have to be kept as a secret and that is your responsibility. You have to acknowledge that RIPL is not at all responsible if a third party has access to your account. This is a reason of your sharing data with them or by theft or misappropriation of your screen name and password. RIPL has the right to suspend your access to the site as a result of any unauthorized person who is trying to access your account.
If you find any thing fishy, report immediately about these: (i) any violation of the terms of use by any member when you become aware of it. (ii) if any person is trying to use your account without your knowledge or consent.
Risks of using the Site & Services
There is a risk associated with the site and services, including but not limited to, all of the risks of online and offline interactions with others, including dating. You should know that RIPL is unable to guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information provided to you by or about the members of the site and cannot claim whether the said person is a registered member or not. RIPL even does not warrant that whether a person is in compliance with the terms of use. You should also take the responsibility that you are only responsible for the meeting with the person if any thing happens then the site is not to held responsible because it was your wish to meet that individual. Also your compatibility with that individual is also not the responsibility of the site. RIPL also does not take the responsibility for the number or frequency of matches that you make or break through the site.
Members outside the AEA
If you have registered with RIPL, then it is your consent to make available your information to the other users of the site, some of whom even may be outside AEA and to allow you to date in an online environment. RIPL will keep your information confidential until (i) the place where you have posted it for publication , (ii) to the extent that RIPL is compelled to disclose it by law or to comply with the instructions of a regulatory board of competent jurisdiction.
RIPL's proprietary rights
You have to acknowledge and also agree that the copyright and other intellectual property rights in the site and the contents for services also therein belong to RIPL. No rights in the respect of the site or the content provided as part of the Services are granted to you other than those mentioned in terms of use.
License to your posted content
If you have posted your information or content in your profile pages or any area that is public, you allow and warrant that you have right to grant to RIPL an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty free, worldwide license to use, copy, translate and distribute such information or content and also to authorize sub license of the same. You also waive any moral rights you nay have in any information or content.
Disclaimer of warranties
This focuses on to what extent the applicable law is permitted.
The services provided by RIPL will be reasonable skill and care and except as expressly provided in these terms of use, does not make or grant any warranties, representations, conditions or terms of any kind, whether express, implied statutory or otherwise with respect to the site or the services, including but not limited to any implied warranties of merchantability, satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement.
Also, RIPL does not guarantee that when you use the site it will be secure, uninterrupted, always available, error-free or will match up to your requirements and that you would not find any defects in the site and if found they will be corrected. RIPL does not hold any liability for and no warranty, representation, condition or other term is made with respect to connectivity and availability of site.
There are these advice, statements, offers, or other information or content made available through the services, not directly by RIPL, are of those of their respective authors and should not be relied upon. It is the sole responsibility of these authors. RIPL does not:
(i) guarantee the correctness, completeness or usefulness of the information thus provided in the sites and services (ii) adopt, endorse or accept any responsibility for the correctness or reliability of any opinion, advice or statement made by the third parties. In any case RIPL will not be held responsible for any damage if any one relies on these information or content posted on the site or transmitted by any members.Liability
As is permitted by the law, in no case will RIPL be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage arising out of or relating, directly or indirectly, to the use or inability to use the site or service. This all will be including without limitation, loss of income or revenue, loss of corruption of data or programs, loss of goodwill and loss of anticipated savings, even if RIPL knows or even if it has been advised of the possibility of such loss arising.
Also permitted by law to the maximum extent, in no case will RIPL be liable to any claims, losses or damages whatsoever, whether direct, indirect, general, special, compensatory, consequential, and/or incidental, arising out of or relating to the conduct of you or anyone else in connection with the use of the Site or Services, including without limitation, bodily injury, emotional distress, and/or any other claims, losses or damages resulting from communications or meetings with other users of the Site. This will include all the claims, losses or damages arising from the conduct of members who have registered under fake pretenses or have attempted to harm you.
RIPL's liabilities would be in accordance with the terms of use or the use of Services or the site shall be free of use.
In case of indemnity of RIPL, you can do so to its officers, directors, employees, agents and third parties for any claims, causes of action, debts, losses, costs, liabilities and expenses rising out indirectly or directly of: (i) you use or inability to use the services or the site. (ii) any content that is posted by you, (iii) if you violate the terms of use or violation of rules of any third parties or(iv) violation of any applicable laws, rules and regulations.
RIPL reserves the right and that too at its own cost, and assumes exclusive defence and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you. You have to agree to give RIPL the full co-operation that it needs to exercise it right.
Information about you and your visits to the Site
RIPL processes in accordance with its privacy policies the information. By the usage of the site, you consent to such a processing and warrant that the data thus provided is correct.
Links to other sites
Where all there are links and resources by third parties, all are provided for information only. RIPL has no part in the contents of these sites or the resources and hence has no responsibility for them or for any loss that may arise as a result.
Term and termination
These terms remain effective when you use the site and its services and that too with full force unless and until its effect is terminated here under.
Your subscription will be automatically renewed for a successive renewal period for the same duration as the subscription term originally selected, at the then current non-promotional subscription rate. If you planning to terminate the subscription then you can terminate it prior to the end of the subscription period for which you have paid to avoid being charged for the next subscription period. To change or terminate your subscription, follow the subscription cancellation procedure described in the Help section.
It is only you or RIPL who can terminate your user account at any time and for the reason should be sent to each other. RIPL has the right to suspend immediately or terminate the accessibility to any of the services without any prior notice. It can also remove the account information or even the data from the site at any point of time and at RIPL's sole discretion. If at any case you are not able to access your account in case of any breach of the terms then you agree that all the fees then paid by you to RIPL will be non-refundable and that all outstanding or pending payments will immediately be due. Following any termination of your use of services, RIPL has the right to send a notice explaining the termination to other members as have contacted through the Site.
Your rights of cancellation Cancellation at any time with no refund
You may also cancel your registration or subscription at any point of time just by clicking on the 'My Account' section of the site and clicking on the appropriate link during the term of registration or subscription itself.
You can also cancel your registration or subscription for any Services alternatively at any time just by sending notice of cancellation to:
Phone:E-mail: /help/contact-us.html
Address: 2D, Suryarath, Panchwati, C.G. Road, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, INDIA
This notice will be effective if RIPL acknowledges its receipt.
7-Day cancellation right
Entire Agreement
The relationship between you and RIPL is a contract based on the terms of use and the pages on the Site to which these terms refer. These conditions can be cancelled and replaced if they were agreed in the past, even if were not directly withdrawn or amended, and these constitute the whole rights and obligations in between you and RIPL.
Changes to these terms of use
RIPL can revise the terms of use if necessary at any time by amending the page. You are supposed to have a time to time check of these pages as the rules are binding you also and you should be aware of the changes done by RIPL. Some of the provisions contained in these terms of use may also be superseded by provisions or notices published elsewhere on the Site.
Jurisdiction and applicable law
All the terms of use and the credentials referred in them shall be undertaken by the English Law. If at all any dispute is raised based on these terms of use, the documents in them or the Site or Services then they will be subject to the jurisdiction of the English courts.
RIPL's customer complaints policy
If you have any queries regarding the terms of use, the Site or the Services, you are free to contact RIPL at the below mentioned address:
Email: /help/contact-us.htmlAddress: 2D, Suryarath, Panchwati, C.G. Road, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, INDIA
In the event where you are not agreeing to the charges made to your account, you agree to contact RIPL so as to resolve the dispute before noticing your credit card company with a formal notification. You can contact RIPL by email or telephone, informing them reasons of the dispute of charge. This will make RIPL to assess your complaint more accurately and if found justified, credit your card with the disputed amount.


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Aleppo, Syria's largest city, is in the grip of the country's civil war. Government attack helicopters and fighter jets circle the city's skies as rebel factions entrench themselves in Aleppo's old town and sections of the city's suburbs. The regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad has dispatched armored columns to flush out insurgents, not unlike its recent crackdown on rebel fighters in pockets of the capital Damascus. One rebel commander in Aleppo told the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph that the fight for Syria's commercial capital, a city of 2.5 million people, would last months. Rebels are stockpiling medical supplies and munitions, while the U.S. State Department warned of a potential massacre. A pro-government newspaper promised the "mother of all battles."
(MORE: As Aleppo braces for a bloodbath, Syrian regime digs in.)
Until recently, Aleppo was not one of the major theaters of the Syrian conflict. But it is no stranger to war. With a history as ancient as Damascus — considered to be one of the longest continuously inhabited cities in the world — Aleppo has been won and lost by a succession of empires, sacked by myriad invaders and reduced to rubble by epic earthquakes. That it still stands, and is, indeed, with its thousands of old limestone houses and winding old streets, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, is testament to the richness of its past and the resilience of its people.
From its early origins, Aleppo was a place where people grew wealthy. Cuneiform tablets from roughly four thousand years ago tell of a settlement called 'Halabu' — eventually Aleppo — that was even then a center for the manufacture of garments and cloth. Located not far from the Mediterranean Sea on one side and the river valley of the mighty Tigris and Euphrates on the other, the city found itself in the middle of ancient Egyptian and Hittite trade routes. The Seleucids, a Greek dynasty descended from one of the lieutenants of Alexander the Great, developed the area further, while certain colonnaded avenues and courtyard homes in Aleppo today bear the tell-tale signs of Roman craftsmanship and Hellenistic urban planning.
Following the advent of Islam and into the medieval era, Aleppo became a hub of the Silk Road, a giant entrepot pooling in all the riches of China and India for buyers further west, north and south. Aleppo's many caravanserais and bath houses bubbled with the chatter of different tongues; by the 16th century, numerous European merchant houses had set up shop to try to get a piece of the action. When one of the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth speaks of a sailor's wife — "Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' th' Tiger" — the English audience at the time would have been aware of that faraway city's allure and majesty.
Aleppo's many-layered past and cosmopolitan identity is chiseled into its very architecture. The city's Great Mosque and Citadel — a towering edifice on a hilltop at the heart of Aleppo — were statements of medieval Turco-Arab might erected atop earlier Roman and Byzantine structures. Well into the 20th century, the city remained home to a diverse mix of faiths and denominations. It always had a prominent, flourishing Jewish community — which, for some six centuries, zealously guarded one of the most famous and venerated copies of the Hebrew Bible, now known as the Aleppo Codex. In the city's outskirts, sits the Church of St. Simeon, a 5th century Byzantine ruin built around the supposed site where Simeon, an ascetic Christian saint, perched himself atop a pillar for 37 years, choosing, as the 18th century British historian Edward Gibbon put it, "the celestial life."
(PHOTOS: Scenes from Syria's bloody, chaotic civil war.)
But while Aleppo's history was so indelibly shaped by this intermingling of cultures, it was a hardly a bastion of peace. The city was on the frontlines of the Crusades, ever threatened by Frankish crusader mini-states further to the west. In 1119, an army comprising Aleppans, Kurds and Arab tribesmen annihilated a whole Crusader force in a battle remembered by Latin chroniclers as Ager Sanguinis — "field of blood." The Aleppans' Turkic commander, though, didn't consolidate his gains and died later in alcohol-induced indolence. For centuries thereafter, Aleppo was a prize competed over by various warring Turkic and Arab dynasties. In 1400, the Mongol warlord Timur overran the city. One chronicler described the raid "like a razor over hair" and "locusts over a green crop." Timur, according to accounts, piled high a mountain of thousands of skulls outside the city gates.
Aleppo endured, and would go on to be ruled for nearly four centuries under the suzerainty of the Ottoman empire and later, in the early 20th century, by French imperial mandate. It remained a busy mercantile center. In his famed guidebook to the Middle East, 19th century European traveler Karl Baedeker frowned on the city's petit bourgeois character: "The Aleppines do not enjoy a very high reputation and the expression 'the Aleppine is a coxcomb' is proverbial."
French colonial administrators attempted to solidify their control and counter nascent Syrian nationalism by playing the territory's major centers — Aleppo, Damascus and what was then known as the Alawite state — against each other. That legacy of gerrymandering and divisive rule, while a failure, has had a lasting effect: it can be seen in the contemporary politics of Syria and much of the region — the vicious sectarianism, the delicately forged (and oft-cynical) alliances linking interest groups and whole communities to the regime in power. The Assads, who are Alawite, long trusted in the support of Aleppo's Sunni business elites. With that consensus unraveling, though, what happens in this historic city, a veritable global crossroads, may be a bellweather for the future of Syria and the Middle East as a whole.