Two forms of Phoenician and Syrian craftsmanship take a high place in the repertoire of ancient Middle Eastern art: the carving and decoration of ivory and the repoussé ornament of ceremonial bowls and other bronze objects. So much unveiling and understanding has been devoted to their design, especially to its non-Egyptian content and the original contribution of regional craftsmanship, that some scholars think it possible to distinguish purely Syrian designs from those of the Phoenician workshops. Over 25 years ago, UNESCO considered Aleppo City as one of the most important Islamic cities and kept it in the humane heritage record, because the walled city of Aleppo is the largest among the Islamic cities in history; at 418 Hectares.The citadel of Aleppo was transformed into a fortress in the 13th century AD under Saladin's son, Ghazi, who used it to defeat the Mongol invasions.
One can distinguish the mosques in the old city and the new city with their magnificent building structures, and the art of mosaics that we find on the walls and the wooden ceilings. The Umayyad (the Great) Mosque is an example for the superior architecture levels Islam have accomplished in Aleppo structures through time. Syria is known, through its long history, for many kinds of folklore dances. Folklore dance in Syria was influenced by many factors; mainly, nature, the type of labore (mostly agricultural), and social habits. For example in the coastal mountains, dance used to be performed collectively and in quick steps. In Aleppo and Idlib dance was quieter, and less vivacious. In the Syrian Jazeera, (the eastern region) dance was inherited from the old Arab bedouin traditions like "al Dahha" dance. Of the most famous dances in Syria is the Dabka, a dance of several light coordinated steps with movements of the body that express vivacity of the males and tenderness of the females, accompanied by frequent organized movements of feet, beating the ground in harmony with a drum, a flute or any other country musical instrument.