This is Aleppo today. For the last 5 years, the Syrian city has been crumbling under conflict and intense shelling from Russian-backed government forces and rebels fighting against President Assad's regime.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been trapped in the besieged city. Hospitals and schools have been destroyed. In the east, rebel fighters are rapidly losing ground as government forces regain territory.
But life in Aleppo wasn't always this way. The city had spent centuries evolving into the country's largest industrial and commercial hub and is one of the oldest inhabited cities in human history. It was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1986.
In 2006, when this photo was taken, more than 2.3 million people lived in the city which was home to bustling markets, open green spaces, and huge shopping malls.
The city was a vibrant mix of historic landmarks and ancient markets in a rapidly evolving metropolis.
Western companies had opened shop in the country. The Shahba Mall in the centre of the city was one of the most popular and largest shopping spots in Syria. It housed fashion stores, restaurants, a hotel, a cinema, and so much more.
The building was the hallmark of the modernisation pushed for by President Bashar al-Assad. Assad spent years living and studying in Britain and wanted to emulate its economic success.
Today, the mall lies abandoned and covered in a thick sheet of dust and rubble. The building was used as a prison by ISIS before rebel forces occupied the region.
Source: The Guardian
When Bashar al-Assad was elected the president of Syria, he was touted as a symbol of hope for the country, but internal political conflicts and widespread corruption brought the country to its knees.
The Umayyad mosque was one of Aleppo's most famous mosques and also one of its most beautiful. UNESCO described it as "one of the most beautiful mosques in the Muslim world."
But now, parts of the 11th-century​ mosque are now nothing more than a pile of rubble. State news agencies blamed rebels for its collapse, but rebel forces blamed government artillery fire.
This photo shows tourists exploring the city's ancient ruins and historic citadel in 2009, but tourism has since plummeted.
The oldest hotel in Syria, the Baron Hotel, was forced to close its doors in 2014. There had been no paying guests for the previous two years as the frontline separating government and rebel forces had been drawn just metres from the building.
The hotel had accommodated some of history's most famous names — from American billionaire David Rockefeller to Lawrence of Arabia. Agatha Christie also wrote part of 'Murder on The Orient Express' in room 203.
The last few days of the conflict have been described by one resident as a "doomsday," with residents being forced to shelter from some of the most intense bombardment of the conflict.
The Guardian quotes a local teacher as saying: "The cries and fear of women and children are heard from the streets."
Source: The Guardian
