Amiriya, a suburb of Aleppo, exhibits significant dilapidation with buildings showing severe damage from years of conflict. Despite the widespread destruction, signs of ongoing life include functional businesses and individuals salvaging materials from rubble for rebuilding efforts.
Across Syria, approximately 3 million citizens have returned from abroad and refugee camps. Many have settled in extensively damaged neighborhoods that lack essential services like water and electricity. Housing shortages, high inflation, and increased rents compel individuals to seek shelter in the remnants of their former homes. The scale of destruction presents significant rebuilding challenges, though residents are initiating individual reconstruction efforts.
Abu Arab returned to his family home in Amiriya after 13 years. The multi-story building, constructed by his father in the early 1980s, sustained severe damage. Recent work includes structural repairs and the installation of new walls and shutters. Abu Arab is engaged in rebuilding, securing construction materials against theft, and has restored parts of the internal structure. His family is awaiting the completion of the home. His former room on the third floor, which lost its roof, previously served as a sniper's position during the conflict.
A local Aleppo politician reported that approximately two-thirds of the city is in ruins. The extent of the damage suggests that rubble clearance alone will take years, with full rebuilding potentially spanning decades. Current reconstruction efforts are primarily individual-driven, leading to unorganized restoration of potentially unsound structures. The politician noted the financial constraints on residents, which prevent them from affording rents or living in temporary shelters.
Aleppo has a 5,000-year history as a major metropolis and trade hub. The city preserved its distinct character and successfully resisted a modernization plan in the 1980s, securing Unesco world heritage status for its Old City.
The Syrian uprising in 2011 initially saw limited revolutionary activity in Aleppo. In summer 2012, rebel groups advanced on the city, leading to the displacement of residents, including Abu Arab's family. Belongings were left behind and subsequently lost. Urban warfare tactics, including sniper positions in dense architecture and the use of underground tunnels for explosives, contributed to widespread destruction.
During and after the conflict, homes were subjected to looting and military occupation. Abu Arab observed his home progressively deteriorate. After anti-Assad forces withdrew in 2017, government soldiers occupied the house, leading to Abu Arab's detention, interrogation, torture, and conscription for failing to complete military service. He sustained a leg injury during his service. In some former rebel-held districts, the Assad regime restricted residents' return, and valuable materials were systematically stripped from buildings.
Further damage occurred in the Old City, including the al-Madina Souk, Great Mosque, and historic khans and hammams, due to fires, rebel explosives, and an earthquake in 2023.
Annas, a garment businessman from the Old City, became involved in the opposition after an incident with police in 2012. He formed a small rebel group and, following the rebel retreat in 2017, moved to Turkey to re-establish his business. He later returned to the damaged souk, reflecting on his losses and the city's past.
Nine of the 54 souks have been renovated and are now active, but many areas remain in ruins. The local industries face a new challenge from cheap imported goods, primarily from China, following the removal of customs duties. This competition threatens local livelihoods.
Recently, two Kurdish enclaves in Aleppo experienced renewed fighting, resulting in detentions and displacement. A local politician attributed the violence to a lack of resolution between the government and Kurdish armed groups regarding their presence in the city.
The article concludes that the conflict's impact in Aleppo persists. Confronting the destruction through incremental rebuilding efforts, such as those undertaken by individuals like Abu Arab, is suggested as a way to overcome the psychological effects of war.