Syria: reconstruction of the Old City of Aleppo begins With its battered facades, pulverised houses and skeletons of buildings, one of the world's oldest cities, Aleppo, which was recaptured by government forces in December 2016, has been utterly devastated by the war in Syria. Now, civilians in some of its Old City markets have started to rebuild, rehabilitating their shops and clearing the rubble. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES