Syria has begun restoring the historic citadel and markets in the Old City of Aleppo damaged during the devastating earthquakes in February.

The restoration project's goal is to preserve the Aleppo's cultural heritage, and revive the damaged sites in the old part of the city which have also suffered throughout the civil war.
Local professionals from the Syrian Trust for Development, in cooperation with the General Directorate of Antiquities, lead the project.
"Many sites are structurally damaged, and the work to consolidate them will focus on the entrance to the Citadel of Aleppo and some sites inside the Citadel. This is happening in coordination with the Directorate of Antiquities and Museums and with Diyari, a company affiliated to the Syrian Trust for Development, and on this basis the sites are to be restored to what they were historically," said Bashar Iskef, director of the Legal Response Program of the Syrian Trust for Development in Aleppo.
In the old markets of Aleppo, already damaged during the battles that took place between government troops and opposition forces, the earthquake exacerbated the destruction. The work to restore them has become necessary to save them from total collapse.
"What's currently being accomplished is the eastern Saqatiya market, starting with lowering the level of the road by removing the stone tiles, re-building the infrastructure, sanitation and drinking water, and transforming the distorted electrical and pneumatic network of the facades, which involves working underground and then re-paving the tiles. The stone facades destroyed by terrorism are now being rehabilitated," said Ahmed Shihabi, director of the Old City of Aleppo.
The Citadel of Aleppo is one of the most important archaeological sites in Syria affected by the earthquakes that struck on February 6, and it was closed after risks posed by its main entrance to visitors.
According to specialists, the restoration work is expected to take four months, and will run in phases. Owners of shops in the Aleppo markets are also working to restore their premises.