The preparation of AlN powder by SHS in the system of $Al-AlN-NH_4Cl$ was investigated in this study. In the preparation of AlN powder, the effect of gas pressure and the composition such as Al, AlF, and additive in mixture on the reactivity were investigated. At 60 atm of the initial inert gas pressure in reactor, the optimum composition for the preparation of pure AlN was 35 wt%Al+5 wt% $NH_4Cl+60wt%$AlN. The AlN powder synthesized in this condition was a single phase AlN with a whisker morphology.