Aleppo’s centuries-old covered markets still in ruins

ALEPPO: 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 batles of Syria’s eight-year civil war. Government forces wrested it from rebel control in December 2016 in a devastating siege that let 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 geting some shops back open, eventually they re-inject life into the markets.

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 geting some shops back open, eventually they re-inject life into the markets.

Before the war, the historic location drew in Syrians and tourists, shopping for food, spices, cloth, soap made from olive oil and other handicrats.

The latest to be renovated is Al Saqatiyah Market, a cobblestone alley covered with arches and domes doted with openings to let in shats of sunlight. Along it are 53 shops, mostly butchers and shops selling nuts and dried goods.

This souk had seen relatively less damage, and the $400,000 renovation took around eight months, with funding from the Aga Khan Foundation.

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

He said he’s happy with the renovation, which added a solar power electrical system, though he still needs to spend about $2,000 to fix his refrigerator and buy a new grill and meat grinder.

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

The market’s official inauguration is scheduled for later this month. But rebuilding is one step - bringing life back is another. Al Saqatiyah is the third souk to be rebuilt in Aleppo, ater the Khan Al Gumruk and the copper market.