Centuries-old bazaar in Syria's Aleppo making slow recovery
Posted August 05, 2019 7:00 am
ALEPPO, Syria (AP) - Much of the centuries-old covered bazaar in the Syrian city of Aleppo is still in ruins, but slowly small parts of it have been renovated.
The latest to be renovated is al-Saqatiyah Market, or souk - a cobblestone alley under arches and domes.
Still, bringing customers back to what was once a thronging marketplace remains a struggle.
Aleppo's historic Old City saw some of the worst battles of Syria's eight-year civil war. Government forces wrested it 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.
Planners hope that by rebuilding segments of the bazaar and getting some shops back open, eventually they re-inject life into the markets.
In this Saturday, July 27, 2019 photo, Syrian workers remove rubble from damaged shops in the old city of Aleppo, Syria. Much of Aleppo's centuries-old covered market is still in ruins but slowly small parts of it have been renovated where business is slowly coming back to normal nearly three years after major battles in Syria's largest city and once commercial center came to an end. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Associated Press
In this Saturday, July 27, 2019 photo, a Syrian man checks a market in the old city of Aleppo, Syria. Much of Aleppo's centuries-old covered market is still in ruins but slowly small parts of it have been renovated where business is slowly coming back to normal nearly three years after major battles in Syria's largest city and once commercial center came to an end. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Associated Press
In this Sunday, July 28, 2019 photo, Ahmad Zuhdi Ghazoul works on a piece of copper on the newly renovated copper market in Aleppo, Syria. Much of Aleppo's centuries-old covered market is still in ruins but slowly small parts of it have been renovated where business is slowly coming back to normal nearly three years after major battles in Syria's largest city and once commercial center came to an end. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Associated Press
In this Saturday, July 27, 2019 photo, A general view shows the old city of Aleppo, Syria. Much of Aleppo's centuries-old covered market is still in ruins but slowly small parts of it have been renovated where business is slowly coming back to normal nearly three years after major battles in Syria's largest city and once commercial center came to an end. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Associated Press
In this Saturday, July 27, 2019 photo, Syrian workers work on the newly renovated al-Saqatiyah Market in the old city of Aleppo, Syria. Much of Aleppo's centuries-old covered market is still in ruins but slowly small parts of it have been renovated where business is slowly coming back to normal nearly three years after major battles in Syria's largest city and once commercial center came to an end. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Associated Press
In this Sunday, July 28, 2019 photo, Ahmad Zuhdi Ghazoul works on a piece of copper on the newly renovated copper market in Aleppo, Syria. Much of Aleppo's centuries-old covered market is still in ruins but slowly small parts of it have been renovated where business is slowly coming back to normal nearly three years after major battles in Syria's largest city and once commercial center came to an end. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Associated Press
In this Saturday, July 27, 2019 photo, a Syrian man walks on the newly renovated al-Saqatiyah Market in the old city of Aleppo, Syria. Much of Aleppo's centuries-old covered market is still in ruins but slowly small parts of it have been renovated where business is slowly coming back to normal nearly three years after major battles in Syria's largest city and once commercial center came to an end. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Associated Press
This combo of two photographs shows a Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017 photo, bottom, shows the debris of al-Saqatiyah Market, and the same market after has been newly renovated on July 27, 2019, in the old city of Aleppo, Syria. Much of Aleppo's centuries-old covered market is still in ruins but slowly small parts of it have been renovated where business is slowly coming back to normal nearly three years after major battles in Syria's largest city and once commercial center came to an end. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Associated Press
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