Aleppo's historic Old City reduced to rubble

Record ID: 76525

  • Title: Aleppo's historic Old City reduced to rubble
  • Date: 9th December 2016
  • Summary: HAMEDIYAH OLD CITY ALEPPO, SYRIA (DECEMBER 09, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DESTROYED BUILDINGS IN HAMEDIYAH NEIGHBOURHOOD SIGN WITH BULLET MARKS READING (Arabic): "HAMEDIYAH NEIGHBOURHOOD MAYSALON STREET" STREET WITH DAMAGED BUILDINGS AND RUBBLE RUBBLE AND DESTROYED VEHICLE/JOURNALISTS STANDING IN BACKGROUND JOURNALISTS IN A DAMAGED BUILDING JOURNALISTS CLIMBING UNDER A FENCE DAMAGED BUS DAMAGED BUILDINGS DAMAGED BUILDINGS/DAMAGED BUSES STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER VARIOUS OF DAMAGED BUILDINGS VARIOUS OF MORTARS IN STREET ALRASHDEEN OLD CITY ALEPPO, SYRIA (DECEMBER 9, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STREET IN ALRASHDEEN NEIGHBOURHOOD WITH DAMAGED BUILDINGS AND RUBBLE ANOTHER STREET WITH DAMAGED BUILDINGS DOORWAY TO A BUILDING WITH RUBBLE SYRIAN ARMY SOLDIERS WALKING WITH JOURNALISTS IN STREET STREET WITH DAMAGED BUILDINGS AND RUBBLE WALL WITH GRAFFITI OF KORANIC VERSES READING (Arabic): "GOD IS GREAT" GRAFFITI READING (Arabic): "GOD IS GREAT"
  • Embargoed: 24th December 2016 09:57
  • Keywords: Aleppo Syria Old City Aleppo damage
  • Location: ALEPPO, SYRIA
  • City: ALEPPO, SYRIA
  • Country: Syria
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015C5WLZB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The historic Old City of Aleppo, a world heritage site and home to several attractions, now lies in ruins after four years of conflict.
    Syrian army soldiers took Reuters journalists on a tour of two Old City neighbourhoods on Friday (December 9).
    The army recently recaptured the area from rebels seeking to President Bashar al-Assad.
    Before Syria's ruinous civil war struck Aleppo, the country's largest city was a busy commercial powerhouse and a proud historic centre - its long heritage on display in ancient landmarks still used by modern day traders, travellers or worshippers.
    Aleppo is home to millennium-old minaret towering above Umayyad mosque, an imposing citadel overlooking the old city centre, a medieval covered market and a 21st century shopping mall.
    Sections of the medieval souq have been ruined or burnt down, and the 11th century minaret at the mosque was destroyed three years ago.
    The conflict in Syria erupted in 2011 and exploded into Aleppo in the summer of 2012, when rebel fighters took over the east of the city.
    The rebels hoped their march into Aleppo marked the beginning of the end for Assad, while the government in Damascus pledged to swiftly drive them out.
    Neither side achieved those goals, and the war in Aleppo dragged on more than four years.
    As the fighting ground on, Aleppo became the biggest prize of the civil war, even as the city itself crumbled under air strikes from government forces and bombardment by both sides.
    Street after street in Hamediya and al Rashdeen neighbourhood is now reduced to rubble, with damaged vehicles and mortars left around.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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