AINTAB (anc. Doliche)  , a town in the vilayet of Aleppo and ancient Cyrrhestica district of N . Syria . Pop . 45,000, two-thirds Moslem . The site of Doliche, famous for its worship of Baal (Zeus Dolichenus), adopted by the Seleucids and eventually spread all over the Roman empire, lies at Duluk, two hours N.W.;but nothing is to be seen there except a mound . The place was probably of Hittite origin and does not appear to have been settled by Greeks . The bazaars of Aintab are a great centre for " Hittite " antiquities, found at various sites from Sakchegozu on the west to Jerablus on the east . The modern town lies in the open treeless valley of the Sajur, a tributary of the Euphrates, and on the right bank, 65 m. north-east of Aleppo, with which it is connected by a chaussee, passing through Killis . This road proceeds east to the great crossing of Euphrates at Birejik, and thus Aintab lies on the highway between N . Syria and Urfa-Mosul and has much transit trade and numerous khans . In the middle ages its strong castle (Hamtab) was an important strategic point, taken by Saladin about A.D . 1183; and it supplied the last base from which Ibrahim Pasha marched in 1839 to win his decisive victory over the Turks at Nezib, about 25 M. distant north-east .

Lying high (3500 ft.) and swept by purifying winds, Aintab is a comparatively clean and healthy spot, though not

free from ophthalmia and the " Aleppo button," and it has been selected by the American Mission Board as its centre for N . Syria . " Central Turkey College," educational and medical, lies on high ground west . It was burnt down in 2891, but rebuilt; it has a dependency for girls within the town . Thanks to its presence the Armenian protestants are a large and rich community, which suffered less in the massacre of 1895 than the Gregorians . There is a small Episcopalian body, which has a large unfinished church, and a schismatic " catholicos," who has vainly tried to gain acceptance into the Anglican communion . There is also a flourishing Franciscan mission . Striped cloths and pekmez, a sweet paste made from grapes, are the principal manufactures; and tobacco and cereals the principal cultures . The town is unusually well and solidly built, good stone being obtained near at hand . The Moslem inhabitants are mainly of Turkoman origin, and used to owe fealty to chieftains of the family of Chapan Oglu, whose headquarters were at Yuzgat in Cappadocia . (D . G .