The world is losing Aleppo

Categories: Conflict | Culture |

The largest Syrian city of Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Excavations show that the area where the city is located, which is also called Aleppo, was already inhabited in the second half of the third millennium BC.

Aleppo's hundreds of attractions include a Roman-built aqueduct, a citadel, churches, monasteries, mosques, madrasahs, city gates, museums, and dead cities.

In 1986, UNESCO added the city to its World Heritage List, and in 2013, after the start of the war, it was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

As a result of the hostilities in Aleppo, 22 cultural sites were completely destroyed, 48 sites were heavily damaged, 33 sites suffered moderate damage and 32 sites were allegedly destroyed. This was reported in a report published in December.

(Total 15 photos)

The world is losing Aleppo

Charles Roffey / Flickr Children play outside the city wall of Aleppo.

The world is losing Aleppo

Jürgen Rese/Flickr Al-Madina covered market in the Old City of Aleppo. This is the largest indoor market in the world, its length is 13 kilometers. Many parts of the market, including medieval buildings, were destroyed or damaged in 2012 by fires and mortar attacks during the Battle of Aleppo.

The world is losing Aleppo

Michał Unolt / Flickr Old town.

The world is losing Aleppo

Hakan Tuncel / Flickr View of the Old City.

The world is losing Aleppo

yeowatzup / Flickr The Great Mosque of Aleppo, or the Umayyad Mosque. The construction of the mosque began around 715. In October 2012, armed oppositionists took refuge in the mosque, the army fired at the mosque, as a result of which a fire started there. At the end of February 2013, militants blew up the southern wall of the building, and at the end of April 2013, the only minaret was destroyed during the fighting.

The world is losing Aleppo

岑寂 / Flickr The Great Mosque of Aleppo, or the Umayyad Mosque.

The world is losing Aleppo

Spetsnaz1945 / Flickr View of the Old Town and the Carlton Hotel. The iconic Carlton Hotel is located in the fortress - the building itself is about 150 years old. During the First World War, it was used as a hospital, and then it was converted into a hotel. On May 4, 2014, a bomb exploded in Carlton, killing, according to various sources, from 14 to 50 people, and the building was almost completely destroyed.

The world is losing Aleppo

Sean Long / Flickr Aleppo National Museum.

The world is losing Aleppo

Hakan Tuncel / Flickr Mosque and monument to Hafez al-Assad, former President of Syria.

The world is losing Aleppo

Chris Hill / Flickr Old Town.

The world is losing Aleppo

Lazhar Neftien / Flickr Khan al-Wazir quarter.

The world is losing Aleppo

Nicholas Johnson / Flickr Bab al-Kinesrin.

The world is losing Aleppo

Stijn Nieuwendijk / Flickr Bab Antakya.

The world is losing Aleppo

delayed gratification / Flickr Citadel - a fortress in the center of the city, during the Crusades played a big role and alternately passed into the hands of the Muslims, then the crusaders.

The world is losing Aleppo

Jose Javier Martin Espartosa / Flickr View of the Aleppo citadel.

Keywords: City | Syria | UNESCO

     

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