Massacre of Aleppo (1850)

The Events of 1850
Aleppo, 1754
Location	Aleppo, Syria
Date	17 October – 8 November 1850
Target	Christians
Attack type	Mass murder, looting, bombardment
Deaths	70 from riots 5,000 from bombardment

The Massacre of Aleppo (Arabic: قومة حلب, romanized: Qawmat Ḥalab), often referred to simply as The Events (al-hawādith), was a riot perpetrated by Muslim residents of Aleppo, largely from the eastern quarters of the city, against Christian residents, largely located in the northern suburbs of Judayde (Jdeideh) and Salibeh.^[1] The riot began on the evening of October 17, 1850, and ended two days later on October 19, 1850. The riot resulted in numerous deaths, including that of Peter VII Jarweh, the Syriac Catholic Patriarch.

The riot is generally characterized as the culmination of tensions between the diverse groups that had historically populated Aleppo, including tensions between the Muslim and Christian communities and between Janissaries and the ashraf. Non-Aleppine ethnic groups, including Bedouin, have also been blamed for the riot, especially by local historians. It has been argued, however, that The Events reflect instead more complex social dynamics, particularly the disruption caused by the sweeping reforms implemented by the Ottoman Empire in its nineteenth-century attempts at modernization, also known as the Tanzimat, and by the Empire's incorporation into the modern world economic system.^[2]

The aftermath included the replacement of the governor of Aleppo, leading to the eruption of fighting between Janissary and ashraf groups on November 5. With the intervention of state forces utilizing artillery purchased from UK, the renewed fighting ended by November 8.^[3] Attempts at the restitution of stolen property and the bringing of legal charges against rioters spurred on further disagreement between Muslim and Christian residents.^[4]

The massacre is considered by historians to be particularly important in Aleppine history since it represents the first time that disturbances pitted Muslims against Christians in the region.^[5] Additionally, the implications of The Events include integral insights into the social, political and economic elements of the 19th-century Middle East.