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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