Aleppo Souk Destroyed Amidst Fighting
Syrians inspect damages in the old city of Aleppo after the area was shelled by Syrian regime forces on September 30, 2012. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shelled rebel-held areas across Syria as fierce clashes were reported in second city Aleppo where a fire tore through a medieval souk. AFP PHOTO/MIGUEL MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/GettyImages)
Over the weekend, violence in the city of Aleppo, Syria, continued to claim lives.
It also claimed a piece of Syria’s cultural heritage, its centuries-old covered market.
Hundreds of shops were destroyed by fire in the souk, which UNESCO recognizes as a World Heritage Site.
Amr Al-Azm, teaches Middle Eastern History and Anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio.
He says the medieval architecture of this market had been exceptionally well preserved.