Aleppo - Sana
The Aleppo City Council, in cooperation with the Aga Khan Foundation for Cultural Services, started the work of restoring and rehabilitating the Khan Al-Harir market in the old city of Aleppo, which includes more than 60 shops and three boxes that were designated for the trade of fabrics, the sale of sweets, nuts and traditional Aleppan hospitality.
Eng. Hussam Halabi, from the Implementation Division of the Old City of Aleppo, affiliated to the City Council, told a SANA reporter that the Khan Al-Harir market is one of the most important markets of the old city and a main entrance towards the Pistachio Square and Soukatia market. Rehabilitation and restoration operations are currently under the supervision of the City Council and the Antiquities and Museums Directorate
Halabi pointed out that the rehabilitation operations are carried out through two phases in the northern section and include constructional restoration works for the shops according to the traditional Aleppo system of architecture and building with limestone using the dipping method, in which Khan Al-Harir and Khan Jacki either
The old and its implementation period is 160 days, indicating that the rehabilitation of the market contributes greatly to the return of commercial activities to the rest of the markets.
A number of shop owners expressed their happiness with the restoration of the market, where Yasser Dabbaghia, the owner of a textile store, explained that the work is ongoing, serious and accelerating the restoration of the market, pointing out that the return of the market to work contributes to encouraging merchants to return to their stores and revitalize and return the rest of the markets in the old city to what it was in Kamal Wattafa, the owner of a sweets and nuts shop, thanked the authorities involved in restoring the market after the damage caused to him by the terrorist attacks, as well as the facilities granted for granting licenses and building, expressing his desire to return and work in his shop as it was previously.
Ahmed Shab, the owner of a textile trade, explained that he worked individually to equip his shop in the market, calling for speeding up the rehabilitation of the remaining stores and infrastructure, including electricity, water and communication networks, in order to contribute to the return of life to the old city, which is an integrated market for fabrics, accessories, food, and sweets.