Rebuilding Aleppo: Syria's war-torn economic capital enjoys gradual rebirth

Home Shows Focus To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: FOCUS © FRANCE 24 05:58 Issued on: 13/08/2026 - 15:02 From the show Syria's economic capital Aleppo was left largely in ruins by the fighting that raged there between regime and rebel forces from 2012 to 2016. A 2023 earthquake also caused severe damage to the old city. But reconstruction is now well underway, in particular of Aleppo's treasured historic monuments. The labyrinthine streets of Aleppo, stretching across 14 kilometres, were once home to 4,000 shops and around 50 caravanserai inns. Some 60 percent of the historic souks, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, have been badly damaged or destroyed. But today, the inhabitants are trying to rebuild their battered city. Traders have been gradually returning and Aleppo's iconic citadel has already reopened to the public. FRANCE 24's Dana Alboz, Sophie Guignon and Yaser Shahrour report.