Aleppo stretches out through a hole in the wall of the current city hall, through which snipers fired towards the demarcation line. (Credit: Clara Hage/L'Orient-Le Jour)
With new clashes erupting between government and Kurdish forces in Aleppo, Syria, at the beginning of the year, we invite you to revisit this article, originally published on October 5, 2025.This was the "passage of death." At first glance, Boustan al-Qasr could pass for any ordinary road in Aleppo, scarred by war. Shredded buildings, gutted balconies, missing windows. On other ledges, laundry flutters in the wind. Below, passersby, street vendors, and cars jostle along the avenue.Between 2012 and 2016, Aleppo was split in two. To the west, regime loyalists. To the east, rebels — until their defeat after months under siege. The scar ran along this road, and Boustan al-Qasr was then the only crossing point connecting the two sides.Along this dividing line, regular army snipers shot at civilians who risked crossing during the day...
With new clashes erupting between government and Kurdish forces in Aleppo, Syria, at the beginning of the year, we invite you to revisit this article, originally published on October 5, 2025.This was the "passage of death." At first glance, Boustan al-Qasr could pass for any ordinary road in Aleppo, scarred by war. Shredded buildings, gutted balconies, missing windows. On other ledges, laundry flutters in the wind. Below, passersby, street vendors, and cars jostle along the avenue.Between 2012 and 2016, Aleppo was split in two. To the west, regime loyalists. To the east, rebels — until their defeat after months under siege. The scar ran along this road, and Boustan al-Qasr was then the only crossing point connecting the two sides.Along this dividing line, regular army snipers shot at civilians who risked crossing during the...