Aleppo Today: Reconstruction After the Siege

Among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Aleppo preserved in its UNESCO Old City the great medieval Citadel and kilometers of covered souks among the Middle East's most extensive.

Before the war, the historic center represented an almost intact example of a medieval Islamic city, with mosques, hammams, and Ottoman caravanserais.

Between 2012 and 2016 Aleppo was the scene of one of the most devastating sieges of the Syrian civil war, with the city long divided between zones controlled by government and rebels.

Bombings destroyed much of the Old City, including large stretches of historic souks and parts of the Great Umayyad Mosque, causing damage described as irreparable by several UNESCO experts.

After the fall of Assad's government in December 2024, timid reconstruction work has begun, but the city still coexists with extensive rubble, unexploded ordnance and damaged infrastructure.

Security remains fragile throughout northern Syria, with tensions between the various factions that took part in the war, and travel recommendations remain very cautious.

Before its destruction, a visitor could have explored Aleppo's Citadel, wandered through the covered souks, and admired the Ottoman architecture of the old town, much of which needs reconstruction today.

Restoration projects backed by UNESCO and other international organizations offer long-term hope, but full reopening to tourism remains a distant goal.