Syria Conflict: Aleppo's Souk Burns as Battles Rage
BBC News, 30 September 2012
The BBC's Jim Muir says the souk was once a "magnet for tourists", as amateur footage purportedly from the area showed widespread damage
A blaze has swept though ancient markets in Aleppo, activists say, as rebels and government forces seek to gain control of Syria's largest city.
Reports say hundreds of shops in the souk, one of the best preserved in the Middle East, have been destroyed.
Unesco, which recognises Aleppo's Old City as a world heritage site, described the damage as a tragedy.
On the third day of a rebel offensive, battles broke out in the Old City and the Arkub district, reports said.
The fire, believed to have been triggered by shelling and gunfire, began on Friday but was still burning on Saturday, reports said.
"It's a big loss and a tragedy that the old city has now been affected," Kishore Rao, director of Unesco's World Heritage Centre, told the Associated Press.
Disaster
The market stalls lie beneath the city's towering 13th Century citadel, where activists say regime troops and snipers have taken up positions.
Activists quoted by Reuters news agency said that the presence of snipers was making it difficult to approach the Souk al-Madina, once a major tourist attraction.
Reports estimate that between 700 and 1,000 shops have been destroyed so far.
"It's a disaster. The fire is threatening to spread to remaining shops," one activist, Ahmad al-Halabi, told AP.
He said the Syrian authorities had cut off the water supply, making attempts to control the fire more difficult.
Rebels and civilians were working together to limit the fire with a few fire extinguishers, he added.
The fire took hold with speed, fuelled by the many shops' wooden doors and the clothes, fabrics and leather goods sold inside.
Heavy clashes erupted at several military sites in the city on Saturday evening, Reuters reports.
Fighting was reported at the Neirab military base as well as Bab Antakya, a stone gateway to the Old City.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, said the focal point for fighting was Salaheddin, a rebel stronghold on the south-west side of the city.
State television reported attacks on what it called "terrorist centres" in 10 different locations on Saturday, saying heavy losses had been inflicted.
The BBC's Jim Muir, in Beirut, says that though both sides have reported clashes in different parts of the city, the signs are that the rebels simply lack the firepower and the manpower to score a significant breakthrough.
"No-one is actually making gains here, it is just fighting and more fighting, and terrified people are fleeing," one activist told Reuters.
Activists estimate more than 27,000 people have died in the violence since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began last year.
Syrian conflict: Reader Pictures of Aleppo's Souk and Old City
Aleppo's medieval souk caught fire as rebels and government forces battled for control in the Old City on Friday. UNESCO described the damage to the World Heritage site as "a tragedy". BBC News website readers have shared their photos and memories of Aleppo's heritage in quieter times.
Harold Caruana visited Aleppo in November 2010, before the Syrian uprising began. The citadel, pictured here, sits high on a hill in a commanding position.
It's not just tourists and locals shopping at the souk. Hugh was struck by the sight of this donkey browsing the goods.
Reports say hundreds of shops in the souk, one of the best preserved in the Middle East, have been destroyed. Hugh Anderson went to the Aleppo souk with his girlfriend in 2007, while she was studying Arabic at Damascus University.
Food is cooked to order in the souk. Photo: Emma Cave.
The souk was a working market with grains and spices stacked high. Photo: Hugh Anderson.
John was in Syria in March 2011 just before the first demonstrations started. He said: "Tragically, one of my son's friends from his time in Damascus was recently killed in fighting there." Photo of the Aleppo citadel taken by John Winder.
Jeff Saunders and his wife travelled around Syria in April 2009. He took this photo of some local women shopping in the clothes section of the souk.
Simon Jenkins went to Syria for his 50th birthday. Here he pictures the inside of the souk in Aleppo, the market stalls lie beneath the city's 13th Century citadel.
Simon Jenkins, who's from Mumbles in Swansea said: "The locals were really friendly and appeared to enjoy having western tourists visit..."
He added: "It breaks my heart to hear about what is happening now." Photo: Simon Jenkins
and here it is now........
Aleppo's medieval souk caught fire as rebels and government forces battled for control in the Old City on Friday. UNESCO described the damage to the World Heritage site as "a tragedy". BBC News website readers have shared their photos and memories of Aleppo's heritage in quieter times.