Before Syria's ruinous civil war struck Aleppo, the country's largest city was a busy commercial powerhouse and a proud historic center - its long heritage on display in ancient landmarks still used by modern day traders, travelers or worshippers.
---
People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria December 11, 2009.
But the war that erupted across Syria in 2011 exploded into Aleppo in the summer of 2012, when opposition fighters took over the east of the city.
---
A general view shows destruction in the ancient market of the old city of Aleppo on December 13, 2016, after Assad regime forces captured the area.
Sections of the medieval souq, or market, have been ruined or burnt down, and the 11th century minaret at the Umayyad mosque was destroyed three years ago.
---
The Omayyad Mosque in the old city of Damascus once had a sun lit courtyard buzzing with people.On June 25, 2010, the Citadel can be seen looming over the city.
Opposition forces hoped their march into Aleppo marked the beginning of the end for Bashar al-Assad, while the regime in Damascus pledged to swiftly drive them out.
---
On December 14, 2016, smoke can be seen billowing in the background of the opposition-held neighbourhood in the northern city of Aleppo.
Neither side achieved those goals, and the war in Aleppo dragged on more than four years. As the fighting ground on, Aleppo became the biggest prize of the civil war, even as the city itself crumbled under air strikes from regime forces and bombardments.
---
Assad regime forces advance in the Jisr al-Haj neighbourhood during the ongoing military operation to retake remaining opposition-held areas in the northern embattled city of Aleppo on December 14, 2016.
Now the Syrian regime army, backed by Assad's Russian and Iranian allies, is poised to recapture the city after taking back all but a pocket of opposition territory in the east.
---
The medieval market of Aleppo was badly damaged by a blaze that started on September 28, 2012, destroying much of the souk by regime strikes.
The Umayyad Great Mosque from the 11th century was named on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986 and once attracted many with its beauty and might.
The bottom photo shows regime forces walking in the ancient mosque in the foreground and the city's citadel in the background on December 13, 2016, after they captured the area, destroying a piece of history.
For the regime, victory is in sight. But Aleppo has changed. Much is in ruins, and much has been lost - surviving only in pictures and memories.
---
Aleppo's southeastern al-Zabdiya neighbourhood, once full of colourful souls,is now virtually unrecognisable, with smoke rising from buildings following regime strikes on December 14, 2016.
