General

The dream of Inanna | a song for Aleppo

by The Aleppo Project on June 9, 2016

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One of the greatest Goddesses of Mesopotamian mythology, Inanna’s descent to the underworld, her death and miraculous revival with the help of the Gods, share commonalities with the ongoing tragedy in Aleppo and Syria. When passing the seven gates of the underworld, Inanna was stripped of her clothes, which symbolized her power. Similarly, Aleppo and Syria have been stripped of their economic, political and human power during the past five years. While Inanna made it back to the heavens and was revived with the aid of the Gods, Aleppo and Syria still wait for the resolution of this devastating conflict.

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The Aleppo ProjectThe dream of Inanna | a song for Aleppo

Aleppo Conflict Timeline

by The Aleppo Project on May 17, 2016

The Aleppo Project published the “Aleppo Conflict Timeline” – a chronology of the conflict in Aleppo since 2012.

The Aleppo Project Fellow Armenak Tokmajyan studies the development of the armed conflict in Aleppo, the evolution of armed groups and government forces, and their military tactics and strategies. The timeline analyzes the Geneva Peace Process and its implications on the ground. The report also sheds light on the humanitarian situation in the divided city. The extensive report includes 35 original maps designed by the author.

The report will be updated at the beginning of every month.

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The Aleppo ProjectAleppo Conflict Timeline

Civilians Under Fire, The Aleppo Weekly, May 4-9

by The Aleppo Project on May 10, 2016

Fighting raged in and around Aleppo despite attempts to re-instate the ceasefire.

Increased bombing on both sides of the city killed numerous civilians and caused state school exams and classes to be suspended in western Aleppo most of last week. The pro-Assad Liwa al-Quds Brigade, composed of Palestinian Syrian fighters from Aleppo, announced it had lost 46 fighters in a tunnel bombing in Zahraa District on the city’s western outskirts on 3 May.

Fighting was particularly intense in the countryside south of Aleppo, where rebel groups captured the strategic town of Khan Touman, 23 civilians were killed in an air strike on Oum al-Karameel, and Afghan militia fighters and 13 Iranian Revolutionary Guards “advisors” were killed.

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The Aleppo ProjectCivilians Under Fire, The Aleppo Weekly, May 4-9

Syrian refugee students rebuild from Beirut

by Sean Coughlan on May 4, 2016

“It is hard to have much hope for Aleppo,” says the project’s blog. “One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world has been torn apart by war.

“Rebuilding will take many decades, but it can start very suddenly. When that moment comes, it is important to be ready.”

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Sean CoughlanSyrian refugee students rebuild from Beirut

#AleppoIsBurning

by The Aleppo Project on May 2, 2016

The last two weeks of April 2016 will have sealed the connection between Aleppo and war for many decades to come. Just as the words Beirut and car bomb are inextricably linked, so will be Aleppo and barrel bomb. Certain places become tied to the pitiless nature of war: Hiroshima, Dresden, Biafra, Sarajevo, Stalingrad, Hue. And now Aleppo.

Aleppo’s war will be remembered for the immediacy with which the world has seen its horrors. No longer does it take time for us to know about the bombing of the Al Quds Hospital as it is live tweeted. Just hours later it was possible to see chilling images of Dr. Mohammad Massim Maaz, the last pediatrician at work in eastern Aleppo, walking between wards just before the government killed him in an airstrike.

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The Aleppo Project#AleppoIsBurning

The Ceasefire in Aleppo Should not Fall

by Armenak Tokmajyan on April 27, 2016

After a relative calm, an escalation looms on the frontier. The rebels are getting ready to confront any possible siege of Aleppo while tensions between Jabhet an-Nusra and the regime escalate south of Aleppo. The Syrian Prime Minister Wael Halaqi’s announcement that the government plans to liberate Aleppo with the help of the Russian Air Force presages more violence. It also follows several warnings from the speaker of the High Negotiations Committee Bassma Kodmani that the ceasefire is about to collapse. The High Negotiations Committee suspended its participation in the Geneva talks to protest against the escalation on the ground. De Mistura, who is scheduled to brief the Security Council on April 27, recently insisted that the ceasefire was still 70 per cent holding. The facts on the ground have changed a lot in a short time. On April 26, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told reporters in Vienna he was “deeply concerned about developments on the ground.” Will the ceasefire fall apart in Aleppo?

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Armenak TokmajyanThe Ceasefire in Aleppo Should not Fall

Mapping Aleppo

by The Aleppo Project on April 26, 2016

We need the help of all Aleppians who can use this site. Each person who lived in the city has their own maps of Aleppo in their heads. These might be places you lived, went to school, worked or visited family. They might be places that you remember with a light heart — cafes where you spent time with friends, parks where you played with your children, a quiet spot for contemplation amid the noise of a busy city. They might now be places of sadness as the city has been so damaged by war. We want to know about your Aleppo so that we can document not just the buildings and streets but the meaning of the city to its residents and its past life.

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The Aleppo ProjectMapping Aleppo

The Aleppo Weekly, April 12-17

by The Aleppo Project on April 18, 2016

Ordinary Syrian people are going to extraordinary lengths, risking everything to protect their heritage, despite the horror that has engulfed their country. For them, it is not a question of people or stones. The story of the people is embedded in those stones, a crafted story stretching back millennia. Saving that story is saving Syria. Dr. Emma Cunliffe. Research Associate, Oxford University.

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The Aleppo ProjectThe Aleppo Weekly, April 12-17