What did Ibn Battuta see in Aleppo?

"This citadel is similar to the citadel of Rabba Malik ibn Taq on the Euphrates between the Levant and Iraq. When Khazan the tyrant of the Tatars besieged the city of Aleppo, he was thwarted by this citadel after several days, retreating in failure. Ibn Juzi remarks about this citadel in the words of the poet Khalidi, dedicated to Saif al-Dawla, And a treacherous one stood over it, on its high harbinger with its rugged side."

"Its walls are crowned by closely set towers which host remarkable high terraces adorned with windows. Each tower is inhabited, and the food in this citadel does not spoil over time. Within it is a site some people visit, said to be where Abraham, peace be upon him, would worship. This citadel is similar to the citadel of Rabba Malik ibn Taq on the Euphrates between the Levant and Iraq."

"sing with joy, its branches sway for embrace, the sky encircling Aleppo, where the stars revolve around it like a belt. In Aleppo resided King Argun al-Dawadar, the greatest of al-Malik al-Nasir's commanders. He was known for his fairness among scholars, but was stingy. In Aleppo there are four judges for the four schools of thought."

"Abu al-Hassan Ali bin Musa bin Sayyid Darnadi al-Ansi said, Leader of the camels, how often do you rest your mounts, guide my soul from their distance with leading Aleppo. It is the abode of my love, my aim and the chibla of passions, for you, armor at batias, the servant, from every generous rain. How much pleasure for eye and heart, where wishes are sipped from a full cup, its birds sing with joy, its branches sway for embrace, the sky encircling Aleppo, where the stars revolve around it like a belt."

"Then I traveled from Damascus to Homs, then to Hama, then Ma'ara, and then to Sarman before arriving in Aleppo. At that time, the emir of Aleppo was Haji Rukhtai, with the ra having a dama, the gain being silent, the ta being fath, open, a sound, and the final ya being silent. During those days, an impoverished man known as Shaykh al-Mashayikh lived on a mountain outside the city of Ain Tab, and people visited him for blessings."

"Most of them turned out to be innocent of the theft. A group of vagabonds was expelled. They moved from Damascus to Homs, Hama, and Aleppo. It was mentioned to me that he did not live long after that and was killed. Then I traveled from Damascus to Homs, then to Hama, then Ma'ara, and then to Sarman before arriving in Aleppo."

"Sadr al-Jahan Kamal al-Din al-Ghaznavi, and Sadr al-Jahan Nasir al-Din al-Khwarizmi, along with other judges and prominent dignitaries from Khorasan Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and the Maghreb, each ride on an elephant. The term Khorasanis is used for all foreigners amongst them. The muezzins also ride on the elephants, chanting Takbir, praising God. The sultan exits from the palace gate in this arrangement, with the armies waiting for him, each leader with his own battalion, drums, and banners. The sultan leads, followed by the aforementioned procession of pedestrians, then the judges with the muezzins recalling the name of God. Behind the sultan are his standards,"

"hundred from me. He greatly benefited through me and became one of the prominent merchants. Years later, I met him in the city of Aleppo, after the infidels had stripped me of what I owned, and I did not receive any good from him. After crossing the Sindh river, known as Punjab, we entered a forest of reeds to continue our path, as it is in the middle of it. Suddenly, a rhinoceros appeared before us. It is an enormous black creature with a very large head, hence the saying, a rhinoceros head without a body, though it is smaller than an elephant, but its head is significantly larger. It has a single horn between its eyes, about three cubits"