Syria was at the heart of a cultural crossroads of Ancient Mesopotamia. The ancient civilizations constructed countless structures and landmarks that have become important historic sites. In fact, six different sites in Syria are UNESCO world heritage sites. Unfortunately, all six of those sites were placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2013, 2 years after the start of the Syrian civil war. 

The sites concerned are the Ancient City of Damascus, Site of Palmyra, Ancient City of Bosra, Ancient City of Aleppo, Crac des Chevaliers, and Qal’at Salah El-Din, Ancient Villages of Northern Syria. Each of these sites has their own important cultural heritage, as well as important relics of the ancient world. 

The site with the most reported damage to structures, however, was the Ancient City of Aleppo, the second largest city in Syria. In fact, over 30% of the structural damage from the Syrian Civil war reportedly occurred in Aleppo. The city had been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1986.

Aleppo lies on the bank of Queip River and was surrounded by a circle of eight hills. The city centered around one large hill, upon which the Citadel of Aleppo sits. The palace is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world, dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE. 

Before the Syrian Civil War many of the ancient districts remained essentially unchanged since their construction during the 12th to the 16th centuries. Since the city suffered many invasions and political instability, the city developed into cell-like districts that were socially and economically independent. In each of these districts, there are ancient landmarks that reflect the religious and ethnic identity of its inhabitants. 

The Battle of Aleppo was a major military conflict between the Syrian opposition and the Syrian Government. It began in July of 2012, and there was a four year stalemate that ended when the Syrian government closed the rebels' last supply line. This Syrian government victory was widely seen as a turning point in the civil war.

The devastating battle earned the name “Syria’s Stalingrad,” due to the extreme devastation and the aerial strikes and civilian attacks that occurred throughout the stalemate. Today, it is estimated that over 60% of the ancient city was damaged or destroyed in the civil war. Although there were ancient landmarks throughout the city, there are a few that were particularly devastating to see destroyed. 

The Great Mosque of Aleppo is the largest and one of the oldest mosques in the city. It was built in the beginning of the 8th century CE. However, the current building dates back to the 11th through 14th centuries. The mosque was built on top of what had been the city’s agora in the Hellenistic period and then became the garden and cemetary of the Cathedral of Saint Helena during the Roman rule in Syria. Traditionally, it’s believed to contain the remains of the prophet Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, who are important figures in both Christianity and Islam.

In 2012, the mosque had been seriously damaged during battle, and President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree to form a repair committee by the end of the following year. Unfortunately, however, the site continued to be damaged. The minaret in the mosque was built in 1090 and was destroyed during fighting in the Syrian Civil War in 2013. The mosque was occupied at the time by anti-government forces, and the President’s regime blamed the damage on fighters from an al-Qaeda-linked group. Rebels, meanwhile, claimed the site was damaged by incoming Syrian Army fire. The Syrian National Coalition condemned this destruction, deeming it “an indelible disgrace [and] a crime against human civilization.” The site has been slowly undergoing restoration since the end of the battle of Aleppo. 

Very close by to the mosque is another one of Aleppo’s most famous historical structures, the Al-Madina Souq. The souq is the largest covered historic market in the world, measuring approximately 13 kilometers or 8 miles. Most of the structure dates back to the 14th century. This souq and the role it played in global trade routes, namely the silk road, is in part what gave Aleppo its status as a World Heritage Site. During the battle, the souq suffered a great fire caused by firing and shelling that destroyed around 700 to 1000 shops along the market. 

The citadel, which is the large fortress atop the central large hill of Aleppo, dates back to the second millennium BCE. The citadel was occupied by many important civilizations over time, including the Greeks, Byzantines, and Ottomans, but most of the structure as it stands today is believed to be from the Ayyubid period. In the early 2000s, there was a great conservation effort by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Aleppo Archeological Society. During the Battle of Aleppo, the citadel was inhabited by government forces and suffered great damage. In 2012, the external gate was damaged after being shelled, and in 2015, a bomb was set off in a tunnel under one of the outer walls. With repairs underway, it was reopened to the public in 2018. 

Recent excavations of the citadel unearthed a temple for the ancient storm-god Hadad, which through cuneiform texts, dates use of the hill to the 3rd millennium BCE. The temple is believed to have been in use from the 24th to the 9th century BCE, according to reliefs discovered during excavations. There are important ancient sites and landmarks throughout the citadel, making it one of the most important archaeological sites in the city. 

In 2017, UNESCO led an emergency mission to Aleppo to assess the damage from the war. They estimated that 60% of the old city of Aleppo had been damaged, and that 30% had been totally destroyed. In 2018, the study “Five Years of Conflict: The State of Cultural Heritage in the Ancient City of Aleppo,” was published as the first comprehensive account of the devastation in Aleppo. It was made possible by the work of satellite imagery analysts from the UN Institute for Training and Research, and culture heritage experts from UNESCO, working closely with historians, architects and archaeologists. The satellite technology allowed them to remotely assess the damage, immediately following the end of the years-long siege of east Aleppo in 2016. It also made it possible, for the first time, to monitor areas rendered inaccessible by the city’s insecurity. The ability to observe, assess, and share the damage of this ancient city is critical to acknowledge its historic importance, to gain global recognition, and to fund its reconstruction.