Aleppo: before and after the fighting

Gulf News

The fate of Syria's Aleppo has been the subject of great anxiety for city residents, archaeologists, historians and travelers, even as they despair for the human suffering caused by years of war. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

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00:00Before the war, Aleppo's ancient walled citadel drew in armies of visitors to one of the Middle

00:10East's greatest treasures. But for the past four years, the citadel's high stone ramparts

00:16have been on the front line of fighting, pitting the Syrian army against rebels who occupied much

00:22of the old city surrounding the fortress. Reuters photographs from before and after the fighting

00:28reveal how the city has been scarred by years of airstrikes, shelling, street fighting, fires,

00:34and neglect. The fate of Aleppo, listed by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site,

00:41has been the subject of great anxiety for city residents, archaeologists, historians,

00:46and travelers, even as they despair for the human cost. Large sections of Aleppo's Islamic-era

00:52covered market, or souk, one of the most extensive in the world, were destroyed in

00:57clashes in 2012 and 2013, and the 11th century minaret of the Umayyad Mosque was brought down

01:04by shelling. The remains of its ancient stone minaret lay in a heap in one corner, where it

01:10had collapsed after suffering a direct hit. But despite damage, its elegant floor and arcaded

01:16walls remain. While the city, one of the oldest continuously habited in the world, was split into

01:21warring government and rebel sectors, the army retained control of the citadel, where government

01:27snipers fired at rebels through arrow slits in walls. During its stormy history, Aleppo has been

01:34controlled by Assyrians, Arabs, Mongols, Mamluks, and Ottomans, and it bears the marks of many of

01:40those conquerors in its diverse architectural styles. The great Ayyubid leader Salah ad-Din,

01:46who battled European crusaders in the 12th century, describes Aleppo as being the eye of Syria and the

01:53citadel its pupil. As the human suffering of Aleppo is being decried across the world,

01:58many too are mourning the loss of history that can never be returned.

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