Explore the Old City of Aleppo: Come with Tamim to a World Heritage Site

Displaced by the ongoing Syrian civil war, Aleppo architect and author Khaldoun Fansa longed to preserve the memory of his beloved city for posterity. “Shouldn’t we be writing for our own children, acquainting them with the story of Aleppo from the beginning?” Fansa ponders. He does just that in this children’s book set in precivil-war Aleppo.  A question-and-answer dialog between architect father Kamal and his 12-year-old son, Tamim, accompanies their journey around the 5,000-year-old city. Together they explore Aleppo’s medieval Citadel, the al-Madinah Souq (marketplace), the Great Mosque and other consequential landmarks. Interspersed with detailed histories, colorful illustrations and rare historic photos, this book illuminates the architectural and cultural heritage of a city designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. “Before the identity is lost, before the insight is blurred and despite the multiple afflictions today,” Fansa writes, “the city built with stone remains. … It will be a noble expression of our existence and our realities. … This will be our future legacy.”