The civil war in Syria is now well into its eighteenth calendar month , and with it , it has now claim the life of over 30,000 people . And as if this conflict was n’t tragical enough , the orbit of the scrap has extended to the ancient city of Aleppo and its UNESCO designated world inheritance sites . Sadly , reports came in last week that the gorgeous Souk al - Madina Market — an important archaeological and historical web site that dates back to the 14th one C — has been glow to the ground . It ’s yet another brutish monitor of how withering warfare can be to all facet of human life .
The now - destroy mart is only one of several places that UNESCO , the United Nations cultural agency , has been working to protect in Syria . Disturbingly , however , UNESCO has obtain reputation thatfive of Syria ’s six world inheritance siteshave already been damaged — include the ancient desert metropolis of Palmyra , the Crac des Chevaliers reformist fortress , and parts of old Damascus .
The Al - Madina Souq was located in the eye of Aleppo within the walls of its ancient districts . It was known for its long and vaulted narrow alleys ( over 13 klick worth ) , its intracately carved wooden facades , and its 1,500 shops — making it the world ’s heavy cover market and a popular tourer attraction .
It was designated a UNESCO heritage site in 1986 for its “ uncommon and bona fide Arab architectural styles ” and its testimony to the city ’s ethnical , social , and technological developing from the Mameluke stop .
Back in the fourteenth century , it was was a major trade substance for imported sumptuosity goods , admit new silk from Iran and spices and dyes from India . It also served as trading hub that web all the style to China . More recently , it was a focal area for the maturation of wool , farming product , and soap .
Distressed by the destruction of the market , UNESCO Director - General Irina Bokova warned all combative parties of Syria ’s obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict , to which it is a signatory . “ The human excruciation due to this situation is already uttermost , ” she noted through theirofficial statement . “ That the fighting is now destroying cultural inheritance that accept witness to the country ’s millenary history — prise and admire the reality over — makes it even more tragic . ”
This has not been a proficient yr for UNESCO . originally this class , shrines in Timbuktu were destroyedby Islamist rebels . The tombs dated back to the twelfth century .
Other author : Reuters .
Images : gray-um.com/photos , euronews .
Archaeology
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