Return to Aleppo: A squandered legacy
Historic Aleppo was the center of many empires over the centuries but now resembles a city plundered once again by Mongols.
This is the second in a series of stories from Al-Monitor correspondent Fehim Tastekin, who is traveling in Syria.
ALEPPO, Syria — When I finally arrived in Aleppo from Damascus, accompanied by Damascus-based Turkish journalist Hediye Levent, I discovered the Meridien Hotel we'd wanted to stay at was totally booked because of a government meeting. The hotel general manager found us places at Hotel Riga, once one of the best in the city. We had thought it was not operating because of the war.
