Aleppo's centuries-old bazaar makes recovery

Bit by bit, Aleppo's centuries-old bazaar is being rebuilt as Syrians try to restore one of their historical crown jewels, devastated during years of brutal fighting for control of the city.

The historic Old City at the center of Aleppo saw some of the worst battles of Syria's eight-year civil war. Government forces finally wrested it away from rebel control in December 2016 in a devastating siege that left the eastern half of Aleppo and much of the Old City - a UNESCO world heritage site - in ruins.

The bazaar, a network of covered markets, or Souks, dating as far back as the 1300s and running through the Old City, was severely damaged, nearly a third of it completely destroyed. Most of it remains that way: blasted domes, mangled metal and shops without walls or roofs.

But planners are hoping that by rebuilding segments of the bazaar and getting some shops back open, eventually they re-inject life into the markets.

The latest to be renovated is al-Saqatiyah Market, or Souk - a cobblestone alley under arches and domes.

One butcher, Saleh Abu Dan, has been closed up since rebels took over the Old City in the summer of 2012. Now he's getting ready to open again in the next few weeks.

"I inherited this shop from my grandfather and father and I hope that my grandchildren will work here," he said.

Ahmad Zuhdi Ghazoul works on a piece of copper. AP

Many of the customers who used to throng the markets before the war have either left the country or got used to shopping in other parts of the city since business stopped in old Aleppo after rebels stormed eastern and central neighborhoods seven years ago, and tourism is non-existent. Getting into the opened markets in the Souk today is still difficult as many of the alleys are closed and deserted.

A Syrian worker works on the newly renovated Market in the old city of Aleppo, Syria. AP

Aleppo, Syria's largest city, was the country's main commercial center before the war. Reconstruction of its devastated eastern sector has hardly begun.

Some shopkeepers are hopeful that strategy can work. In the copper market, Ahmad Zuhdi Ghazoul used his hammer to gently tap an embossed decoration into a copper piece. Across the alley, workers were fixing the ceilings in two other shops.

"Thank God they are all coming back to renovate," said Ghazoul, who has been a copper worker for three decades. "Business will be stronger than before."

Associated Press