Adonis Diaries

25 photos: Aleppo before and after the Syrian uprising

In 2011, Aleppo was Syria’s largest city with a population of 2.5 million people.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has been described by Time as Syria’s commercial capital. (Turkey main goal was to take Aleppo and administer it because it was the main trade and industrial challenge to Turkey economy and its skilled artisans. Actually, Turkey dismantled most of the industrial complexes and shipped them to Turkey)

Author Diana Darke has written that “The city has long been multi-cultural, a complex mix of Kurds, Iranians, Turkmen, Armenians and Circassians overlaid on an Arab base in which multi-denominational churches and mosques still share the space.”

Since the battle for Aleppo began: at least 30,000 people have died and half its 2.5 million inhabitants have been forced to flee.

Barrel bombs, rockets and mortars along with conventional munition have destroyed 80% of the buildings, and of the old city’s 100 mosques, a quarter lie in ruins while the rest are badly damaged.

More than half of the listed buildings in the old city – including many souks, its famous citadel, the minaret of the 11th-century Omayyad mosque, along with bath houses, schools, hospitals and entire residential districts – have been reduced to rubble.

This is so sad to see a beautiful country turned to rubble. The following set of images shows exactly the real cost of war that many do not see.

Note: Turkey failed in its attempts to capture Aleppo and this city is back as Syria economic and industrial hub, and its skilled people are returning.

Via BoredPanda