By July 2012, Syria's economic heart had transformed into the epicentre of the conflict, with shells and bombs raining down and small arms fire echoing throughout the alleyways of the UNESCO-listed Old City. Numerous militia, loosely formed under the umbrella of the Free Syria Army, fought daily battles with loyalist troops.
The Battle for Aleppo
Aleppo, Syria's largest city and the economic heart of the country, has history going back millennia, lying at the end of the Silk Road; it is one of the worlds oldest continually inhabited cities. But the Syrian revolution has brought death and destruction to its inhabitants since early 2012.
