Medieval Aleppo souks destroyed by fire as battle rages in Syria

By artappraiser on Sun, 09/30/2012 - 10:44pm |

By Jo Adetunji and agencies, guardian.co.uk, 29 September 2012

A huge fire has destroyed parts of the medieval souks in Aleppo, Syria, following raging battles between rebels and government troops. The city is a Unesco world heritage site and the labyrinth of narrow alleys and shops was once a major tourist attraction and is one of Syria's largest commercial hubs.

Activists posted online videos which showed the fire around wooden doors and shops and a pall of smoke hanging over the city on Saturday. Ahmad al-Halabi, an activist based in Aleppo, said residents were struggling to control the blaze with a limited number of fire extinguishers and low water supply: "It's a disaster. The fire is threatening to spread to remaining shops," he said. "It is a very difficult and tragic situation there [....]

URL:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/29/medieval-aleppo-souks-fire-syria