Shadow of Syria’s Exiled Hangs Over Revived Aleppo Souk

People walk through the reopened Khan al-Harir souk in Syria's northern city of Aleppo - AFP
People walk through the reopened Khan al-Harir souk in Syria's northern city of Aleppo - AFP
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Shadow of Syria’s Exiled Hangs Over Revived Aleppo Souk

People walk through the reopened Khan al-Harir souk in Syria's northern city of Aleppo - AFP
People walk through the reopened Khan al-Harir souk in Syria's northern city of Aleppo - AFP

The historic Khan al-Harir souk in war-torn Syria's erstwhile economic capital of Aleppo has reopened following restoration work, but much of the former workforce that energized it remains exiled.

"Reconstruction works are done and this is great, but it's not enough," said Ahmed al-Shib, a 55-year-old textile merchant who had hoped to pass his business onto his sons.

"What we want is for our sons to return to these stores," he told AFP during the reopening of the covered market this week, showing pictures he had sent to his eldest who moved to Algeria three years ago to join his brother.

Khan al-Harir (silk souk) -- one of 37 markets surrounding Aleppo's famed citadel -- attracted thousands of tourists and merchants before the onset of Syria's conflict in 2011.

It was hit hard during he way which damaged as much as 60 percent of Aleppo's Old City, according to estimates by the UN's cultural agency, UNESCO.

The market officially reopened on Sunday -- five years after the Syrian government regained control of Aleppo, AFP reported.

Restoration works erased traces of some of the conflict's most brutal battles but it did little to console traders who have lost much more than just their stores.

In Ahmed's fabric shop, a portrait of his father -- the founder of the family business -- adorns a freshly painted wall.

Like many others in Khan al-Harir, Ahmed fears the family's store may die with him.

"My children live in Algeria, and the children of other traders are scattered between Egypt, Erbil" in northern Iraq and elsewhere, he said.

"There are a lot of trades that will be threatened if our sons continue to emigrate."

Syria's conflict has killed nearly half a million people, forced half of the pre-war population from their homes, and decimated the economy and infrastructure, with more than 80 percent of its residents now living below the poverty line.

As a result, Aleppo, long considered one of Syria's main commercial hubs, has lost many of the merchants and businessmen who once gave the city its economic edge.

Many have sought business opportunities elsewhere, with neighboring Iraq and Turkey popular destinations.

Ahmed al-Damlakhi took over a fabric shop in Khan al-Harir from his brother who emigrated to Turkey with his children several years ago.

Under a freshly renovated arch dotted with white and black stones, the 65-year-old greeted neighbors he hadn't seen in years.

He started a video call with his brother in Turkey to show the scene in the market, where traders had gathered outside their shops amid a trickle of customers.

"I am optimistic about the reopening of the market ... but we are missing merchants and investors who are now scattered across the Arab world and have established businesses there," he said.

Although he wished his brother was with him to celebrate the reopening, Damlakhi said the reasons that initially pushed him out had not changed.

"We used to depend on tourists and visitors coming from the countryside and other provinces... but the economic situation is now very difficult," he said.

"Western sanctions, meanwhile, create obstacles in relation to imports, exports and overall trade," Damlakhi added.

"So long as the situation doesn't change, it will be hard for my brother and his sons to return."

The renovation of Khan al-Harir -- home to some 60 stores -- took around a year to complete, and preparations are underway for two other markets to also be restored.

"The area was a pile of destruction, and today we can say that the market's infrastructure has been completely rehabilitated," said Jean Moughamez of the Syria Trust for Development, a government-linked agency overseeing restoration works.

But the exodus of traders poses a challenge, he admitted.

"We've had difficulty communicating with shop owners who are outside Syria, especially those who do not have an agent taking care of their shop affairs," Moughamez said.

"We cannot work alone, and we need everyone's cooperation," he said.



Elizabeth Strout, Miranda July are Among Finalists for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
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Elizabeth Strout, Miranda July are Among Finalists for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

American authors Elizabeth Strout and Miranda July are among finalists announced Wednesday for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, alongside four debut novelists exploring the search for freedom in different countries and cultures.

Pulitzer Prize winner Strout’s Maine-set mystery novel “Tell Me Everything” and writer'-filmmaker July’s “All Fours,” in which a “semi-famous artist” seeks a new life, are shortlisted for the 30,000 pound ($39,000) prize. It's open to female English-language writers from any country.

The contenders also include Dutch writer Yael van der Wouden’s postwar story “The Safekeep” and German-born poet Aria Aber’s novel “Good Girl,” about a teenager exploring her dual German-Afghan heritage.

Also on the list are Iran-born writer Sanam Mahloudji’s intergenerational family saga “The Persians,” and “Fundamentally” by Britain's Nussaibah Younis, about an academic trying to rehabilitate women caught up with ISIS, The AP news reported.

Author Kit de Waal, who is chairing the panel of judges, said that the six books were “classics of the future” that explored “the importance of human connection.”

“What is surprising and refreshing is to see so much humor, nuance and lightness employed by these novelists to shed light on challenging concepts,” she said.

Previous winners of the fiction prize, founded in 1996, include Zadie Smith, Tayari Jones and Barbara Kingsolver.

Last year, award organizers launched a companion Women’s Prize for Nonfiction to help rectify an imbalance in publishing. In 2022, only 26.5% of nonfiction books reviewed in Britain’s newspapers were by women, and male writers dominated established nonfiction writing prizes.

Winners of both nonfiction and fiction prizes will be announced on June 12 at a ceremony in London.