Aleppo rebuilds more than half of its ancient markets destroyed in Syrian civil war

More than half of the Syrian city of Aleppo's ancient markets have now been rebuilt, over a decade after they were reduced to rubble during the early years of the Syrian civil war. 

Restoration crews are working through the old city's stone alleyways, hammering damaged blocks back into place and rebuilding shopfronts that once lay in ruins.

Mohamed Yasser Mawlawi, Director of the administrative district covering Old Aleppo, said reconstruction had now passed the halfway mark.

"The old markets of Aleppo are not just commercial markets. They are markets with a historical and a human dimension," he added.

The markets comprise a network of vaulted stone passageways and carved wooden facades stretching roughly 13km (8 miles). They were once a major stop on the Silk Road trade route from China, and a magnet for tourists, as well as traders, in goods ranging from soap to jewellery.

The rebuilding effort is being carried out jointly by the Aga Khan Development Network, the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO, the Syrian Development Organization and Syria's Ministry of Culture.

Yahya Basha, a Supervisor Engineer with the Aga Khan Foundation for Cultural Services, said his team had gathered old photographs and spoken to shop owners in order to recreate the markets accurately. 

"We started restoring these markets and returning them to their original state... in order to preserve the cultural character of this market as it was in the past," he said.

Business hub before the conflict 

Aleppo was one of Syria's main commercial hubs before the war reached the city in mid-2012, when rebel fighters seized its eastern districts. More than four years of fighting followed, destroying or burning down large sections of the medieval souk, before government forces retook the city in December 2016 and reconstruction slowly began.

Among those who have returned is shopkeeper Ayman Saeed, who reopened his premises after a 13-year absence.

"I came back to my work and started operating again, just like all the other people who own shops in the old markets," he said, naming Al-Madina Souk, Al-Muhammas, Al-Hubeis and Al-Saqatiyya among those still to be revived. 

"Of course they are small shops, but each shop supports the livelihood of about three to four families, through a shop like this," he added.

Aleppo's Old City is one of several sites in Syria designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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News Syria Commerce UNESCO Aleppo souk Markets Reconstruction