Aleppo before the war

Before Syria's ruinous civil war struck Aleppo, the country's largest city was a busy commercial powerhouse and a proud historic center - its long heritage on display in ancient landmarks still used by modern day traders, travelers or worshippers. But the war that erupted across Syria in 2011 exploded into Aleppo in the summer of 2012, and has left the city a shell of what it once was.