The population of Aleppo for the year is. Aleppo: the northern capital of Syria

United Nations, January 5th. /corr. TASS Oleg Zelenin/. The population of Aleppo during the conflict decreased by more than 2.5 times - from 4 million to 1.5 million people - but after the liberation of the Syrian city from militant control, thousands of families returned to it. Such data was announced on Wednesday by the acting UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria, Sajjad Malik.

"Before the crisis, 4 million people lived in Aleppo. Now, according to our estimates, the population of the city is 1.5 million people. This number includes 400,000 internally displaced people," he said via video link from the UN office in Aleppo.

At the same time, Sajjad Malik found it difficult to even approximately name the number of people living in the eastern part of Aleppo. In September, the UN claimed that more than 250,000 Syrian troops were surrounded there, but later admitted that this number was overestimated. In total, since mid-December, as part of a deal between the government and armed groups, about 36 thousand people, including militants and their families, have been withdrawn from Eastern Aleppo.

According to the UN humanitarian coordinator, thousands of Aleppo residents are returning to the liberated quarters of the city. According to him, 2,200 families arrived in the Masakin-Khanano region alone, which government forces regained control of in November last year. "People are starting to return to other neighborhoods. Their number is growing every day," Malik said. According to him, the UN and its partners are registering civilians, and more accurate data will appear in the coming days.

Syrians have hope

Speaking about the situation in East Aleppo, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria noted that he did not expect to see such massive destruction.

"Infrastructure is very badly damaged or completely destroyed in almost every block. Schools, hospitals, clinics, roads, shops, residential buildings, heritage sites have been very badly damaged," he said, adding that the recovery of the city will take "a very long time" and will require huge investments.

Despite this, the people of Aleppo have a sense of hope due to the silence of the guns, said Sajjad Malik. “They are starting to return to their homes and build their lives anew. They ask us for the most basic goods, these are very skilled people, they don’t need much,” he said. He urged the international community to bring hope to the Syrians and preserve their optimism by ensuring peace in the country.

Access is improving

According to the UN humanitarian coordinator, international observers, who began work in Aleppo in accordance with the Security Council resolution adopted in December, are not experiencing difficulties with access to the eastern districts of the city.

The exception is the Sheikh Said area, which continues to be cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance. According to him, UN monitors patrol East Aleppo daily, communicating with local residents, and return to their base in the western part of the city in the evening.

Meanwhile, a full-scale humanitarian operation is underway in the city. Every day, 7 mobile clinics and 10 medical teams work in the areas affected by hostilities; More than 10,000 children have been vaccinated against polio, 20,000 people receive hot meals twice a day and 40,000 fresh bread, Malik listed.

He said that the United Nations Development Program, together with the authorities of the city, is implementing a program to clean the streets of the city from the debris of buildings and destroyed cars. In addition, for the first time in several months, drinking water was restored to 1.1 million people, significantly reducing the risk of outbreaks of infectious diseases.

And the capital of the "gray" (ash-Shahba) province.
"Gray" not only in name, but also gray in the absence of greenery.
In the center of the city rises a hill, on which, according to legend, Abraham stopped on his way to Egypt.
The legend also tells that Ibrahim, the prophet of Abraham, lived here, and he had a gray (shahba) cow, he milked the cow and distributed milk to poor people. Every evening these people asked:
"Haleb Ibrahim al-baqr ash-shahba?" - "Did Ibrahim milk a gray cow?"
Hence the name of the city: Aleppo (Khale bash-Shahba).
Now on the hill rises the Citadel, which is the symbol of Aleppo.
Apart from the Arabs Aleppo there is a large Armenian colony: Armenians moved to the northern regions after the massacre in Turkey in 1915-16, Aleppo even received the nickname "Mother of emigration").
Aleppo is an ancient city, the first mention of it dates back to the beginning of the 3rd century BC. BC Later, the city was conquered by the Hittites, and in the VIII century. BC. came under the control of Babylon.
The heyday of Aleppo fell on the IV - I centuries. BC. At this time, Aleppo was rebuilt and received the Greek name Beroya. Then the Greek layout of the city took shape, the acropolis appeared, the trading square - agora and temples.
During the Roman and Byzantine periods, the layout of the city did not change much.
In 637, the city was captured by the Arabs. Aleppo was a major center first of the Umayyad province, and then of the Abbasid Caliphate.
From the 11th century the city became the main center on the famous Great Silk Road, connecting the East with the West.
The crusaders never managed to capture Aleppo, but in 1401 they could not resist the invasion of Tamerlane's troops.
In 1516 Aleppo became part of the Ottoman Empire. But even this did not affect the economic and intellectual level of the city. Allepo for a long time remained the largest city in Syria. After the end of World War I, Syria passed from Turkish rule to French mandate.

open
Summer 9.00 -18.00
Winter 9.00 – 16.00
Ramadan 9.00 -15.00
Day off - Tuesday

Citadel. Aleppo.

Once on the site of the citadel there was a Greek acropolis, a Byzantine church, a Muslim mosque. The citadel suffered from earthquakes and sieges more than once.
The fortress acquired its present appearance at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th century. under the son of Salah ad-Din Malik Zahir Gazi, who ordered to dig a moat and cover the slopes of the hill with stone lining.
The fortress is surrounded by a 30-meter moat. The entrance to the citadel is guarded by two towers. The bridge tower, 20 meters high, was built in 1542 and protects the bridge, based on 8 arches and forming a staircase, under which an aqueduct passed, supplying the fortress with water. The bridge leads to the gate tower, which is the only entrance to the citadel.
The fortress is a grandiose superbly fortified structure. A narrow street runs through the entire citadel, along which there were buildings (little remains of them), underground premises of the Byzantine period were used to store water, and a prison was also located underground.

Citadel. Aleppo. Syria.

There were two mosques in the citadel: the small mosque or the mosque of Ibrahim, built in 1167. The mosque stands on the site of the church, and so - on the site of a stone, where, according to legend, Ibrahim liked to rest. The Great Mosque built in 1214 was destroyed by fire in 1240; a stone mihrab and several rooms have been preserved from the original building.

Citadel. Aleppo.

Citadel. Aleppo. Syria.

The throne room of the Mamluk rulers (XV-XVI centuries) has been preserved. The hall is arranged in the upper tier of the gate tower.

The busy Jami al-Omawi street leads from the Citadel.

On it is Khan al-Wazir- the largest and most famous caravanserai of Aleppo, built in 1682.

Khan al-Wazir (left) and the Jami al-Fustok Mosque (1349) (right). Aleppo. Syria.

At the end of the street is the main mosque of the city - Mosque of Jami al-Omawi (Umayyad). The mosque was built on the site of Saint Helena in 715, modeled on the Damascus Umayyad Mosque. The building often suffered from fires and destruction, the current building dates back to 1169.

Close to mosques Jami al-Omawi there is a mosque-madrasah Khalyaviya - it was the oldest cathedral Aleppo, erected in the VI century. in honor of Helena, the mother of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine.

Aleppo is famous for its covered markets, which cover the Jami al-Omawi Mosque on three sides and stretch for a total of 9 km. Markets began to take shape in the 16th century. and include shops, workshops, hamams, mosques.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Aleppo Citadel is arguably the most picturesque medieval fortress in the Middle East. This imposing building rises above the city on a 50 m high hill, with some of the ruins dating back to 1000 BC. It is said that this is where Abraham milked his cows. The city is surrounded by a moat 22 m wide, and the only entrance is located in the outer tower on the south side. Inside are a 12th-century palace built by the son of Salah ad-din and two mosques. Especially beautiful is the Great Mosque with a separate minaret of the 12th century, decorated with openwork stone carvings.

The old city around the citadel is a stunning labyrinth of narrow twisted streets and secret courtyards. The Bazaar is the largest indoor market in the Middle East. It seems that stone arches stretch into the distance for long kilometers, and everything you can imagine is sold on various stalls.

Aleppo is known for having some of the best examples of Islamic architecture in Syria, and the city is called the second capital of the country. This is one of the most interesting cities in the Middle East.

Best time to visit

March to May or September to October.

Do not miss

• Archaeological Museum of Aleppo.
• Bab Antakia is the old western gate of the bazaar.
• Maronite Cathedral.
• Armenian Church.
• Church of St. Simeon - 60 km from Aleppo, built in 473 in honor of Simeon the Stylite, who spent 37 years on top of the column, trying to get closer to the Lord.
• This is one of the oldest churches in the world.

Should know

Despite the fact that the population of Aleppo is 70% Arabs (Shia Muslims) and Kurds (Sunnis), it is home to the largest Christian community in the Middle East after Beirut. After the establishment of the State of Israel, the socio-political atmosphere of "ethnic cleansing" led to the fact that the Jewish community of 10 thousand people was forced to emigrate, mainly to the United States and Israel.

In the northwestern part of Syria, not far from the Syrian-Turkish border (45 km), is the largest center of this Middle Eastern country - the city of Aleppo, known to Europeans as Aleppo, and in Jewish sources as Aram-Tzova. The dates of its foundation differ, but in the sixth millennium BC. e. these places were already inhabited, and by the fifth millennium there definitely existed a fairly large settlement, mentioned in the Babylonian cuneiform tablets. By 2500 B.C. e. there are references to the city of Aleppo then it was mentioned in connection with its proximity to the ancient Semitic trading city-state called Ebla. During this period he was better known as Armi in Ebla itself, around 2240 BC. e. plundered along with Aleppo by the Akkadian king from the Sargonid dynasty.
But the city revived and is subsequently mentioned as the center of the kingdom of Yamhad (Yamhad; c. XIX-XV centuries BC) - one of the strongest states in the Middle East of that time. Even then, the name "land of Aleppo" spread to these places. But this ancient empire was also crushed. Later, Aleppo was in the zone of interests of the Egyptians and the Hittites, who eventually got it, by the end of the 17th century. BC e. Moreover, for the latter it was of particular importance, since it was here that the center of worship of the god of weather, revered among the Hittites, was located.
Having briefly been under the rule of the state of Mitanni, the city by the XIV-XIII centuries. BC e. again passes to the Hittites, who will own it until about 1200 BC. e. - the time of the fall of the Hittite kingdom. Halpe, Halpa and Khalibon are also ancient names of Aleppo. The fall of the Hittite empire brought freedom to the city, and for some time it was the center of the kingdom of the same name - a small but very influential one.
Later, it was taken over by the rulers of the Achaemenid and Seleucid dynasties. So he passed from one to another, until in 64 he went to Rome and later - "by inheritance" - Byzantium. The new era brought him new names: Veria / Beroia, he was for the Greeks and Romans. In 636, the townspeople had to submit to the Arabs, who had long been interested in this great center of antiquity, in everything else located on the Silk Road. Medieval Europeans called it Aleppo after the Italian manner.
The etymology of the ancient name is lost in the centuries and in numerous historical upheavals that happened to the city. "Aleppo" is sometimes associated with the name of the metal ("iron" or "copper") - and this would be quite reasonable, since the city has long been famous for its blacksmith products. They remember that in translation from Aramaic, the word “halaba”, which sounds close in sound, means “white”, which can serve as an allusion to the well-known wealth of the region in marble.
But the most unusual explanation of the origin of the old name is literally rooted in biblical times: they say that the founder of the Jewish people, the prophet Abraham, lived nearby, who always mercifully treated travelers with milk. One version of the legend retained the sound of the question that travelers asked: “Halab Ibrahim?”, Which means “Did Abraham milk?”. So the word "chalab" / "haleb" is associated with the verb "to milk". At the same time, in Hebrew "chalav" / "freebie" means "milk". And since it is believed that Abraham's cow was red (in Arabic "shaheb"), it is as if the city was nicknamed Alep-ash-Shahba. This etymological legend is told by many: for example, its variant from the 12th century. well preserved in the texts of the Jewish traveler Ptahia from Regensburg (second half of the 12th century).
By the time it was captured by the Mongols in 1260, it was a flourishing city, a center of crafts and cultural life, and the economic capital of a vast region. Tamerlane (1336-1405) did not bypass his attention. From the control of the Mamluk state, Aleppo in 1516 migrated to the Ottoman Empire. But the shocks and trials did not end there: the earthquake of 1822 again destroyed it, as once (in 1138), the continued existence of the city called into question one of the deadliest earthquakes in the history of mankind, which claimed at least 230,000 lives.
In 1827, the undermining of the city's forces was continued by the strongest epidemic of the plague, and in 1832 by cholera. Nevertheless, Aleppo survived and by the last quarter of the 19th century. experienced a new economic boom. At that time, industry was developed here: silk, paper, woolen and brocade materials made at local manufactories were famous throughout the East, and not only. Even today it is the largest textile manufacturing center in the country, because cotton plantations are concentrated around the city itself.
Interestingly, the craftsmanship of making fabrics is developed not only on an industrial scale, but is still passed down from generation to generation (“about 5,000 manual looms work at home”). This is especially true for silk weaving. Locally produced silk goods are in demand all over the world.
In addition, the city also exports wool and cotton, wax and tobacco, pistachios and wheat, and soap. The latter should be mentioned separately, because not only the city itself, but the whole of Syria is proud of Aleppo soap. It is prepared on the basis of olive oil with an admixture of laurel. This absolutely natural and very valuable product is aged for months, and especially expensive varieties “ripen” for years, but such soap is stored for years. The secrets of its manufacture have been carefully guarded for thousands of years. And the soap "delicacy" is cut exclusively with a silver knife and stamped - like a real jewel.
Aleppo impresses not only with its original traditions. The architecture of the city, which was formed over several millennia, deserves special attention. Each "owner" sought to leave his mark on it, and now the mixture of architectural styles makes the urban ensemble unforgettable. Hotels and hammams, schools and some residential buildings often date back to the 13th-14th centuries, the style of the 16th-17th centuries. preserved in the guise of bourgeois houses, examples of oriental baroque are not uncommon, as well as buildings in the style of the 19th - early 20th centuries, in which neoclassical, Chinese and even Norman quarters or individual buildings are somehow interspersed.
But, of course, the true pearl of Aleppo architecture is (X century), since 1986 it has been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The fort withstood many battles for the city, but was significantly damaged by the earthquake of 1822, after which the fortress is still being restored. The restoration is large-scale and since 2000 has been implemented with the support of UNESCO. But that's not all. It was the excavations in the Aleppo region that led to the discovery of the culture of ancient Ebla, and the stone block of the Aleppo Jami-Kykan mosque (XIII century) preserved the Hittite writings, thanks to which scientists found the key to deciphering the Hittite language.
The city is 120 km from the Mediterranean Sea. It is the center of the most populous governorate in Syria. From the east, the Syrian desert approaches it. The mayors of Aleppo have grandiose plans for the future development of the city: according to them, Aleppo should expand by 2015 from the current approximately 190 km 2 to 420 km 2 But now Aleppo is considered one of the cities in the Middle East, demonstrating high growth rates.

Language: Arabic (Northern Syriac Shawi dialect).

Ethnic composition: Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens - the majority, others - Armenians, Greeks, etc.
Religion: more than 80% - Islam (Sunnism - the majority), about 12% - Christianity, about 8% - others.

Currency unit: Syrian pound.

Airport: Aleppo International Airport.

Numbers

Area: 190 km2.

Population: 2,132,100 (2004).
Population density: 11,222 people/km2

Economy

Industry: metal-working, cement, food-processing, light (including silk-winding, cotton-cleaning, wool-processing, leather and footwear).

Agriculture: animal husbandry, crop production (cereals, cotton, cultivation of pistachio and olive trees, viticulture).

Service sector: tourism, trade, transport.

Climate and weather

Subtropical, semiarid.

January average temperature:+7°С.

July average temperature:+29°С.
Average annual rainfall: 395 mm.

Attractions

■ Fortress of Aleppo(in its present form - c. XIII century); Roman plumbing, fragments of medieval walls and five gates (1390-beginning of the 16th century)
■ Mosques: Great Umayyad Mosque (VIII-XIII centuries). Jami-Kykan Mosque (XIII century). mosques - madrasahs.
■ Covered souks - shopping malls (from the 13th e., area - several hectares, length - 13 km); Beit Dzhonblat Palace (late 16th century). traditional residential buildings from different eras with rich decor.
■ Archaeological Museum.
■ About 700 abandoned ancient cities and surroundings.

Curious facts

■ The inhabitants of Aleppo sheltered Armenian refugees after the genocide of the Armenian population carried out in 1915 on the territory of the Ottoman Empire. The withdrawal of French troops from Cilicia in 1923 led to a new wave of Armenian migration, so that to this day the Armenian community is one of the largest in the city, which makes Aleppo the most Christian city in Syria.
■ In 1417, the life of Nasimi, an outstanding Azerbaijani poet of world scale, who wrote in several oriental languages, ended in Aleppo. The local clergy brought terrible accusations against the poet, and the sultan of the city ordered that Nasimi be flayed and his body put on public display. According to legend, the poet's blood was declared cursed, so that everything that it fell on had to be cut off with a sword and burned with fire. Popular rumor ascribes this statement to one theologian who was present at the execution. Ironically, a drop of Nasimi's blood fell on the slanderer, and while the people were arguing with him, demanding to cut off the accursed finger of the theologian, the poet managed to compose his last poem. It is believed that the tomb of the sufferer is located in Aleppo, and one of his descendants holds the keys to it.

■ In Aleppo, there was one of the most active divisions of the organization of Arab beggars - harafish. Their hierarchy had their own sheikhs and sultans, whom even local rulers listened to if they wanted to use the beggars for some kind of work.
■ In the X century. The fortress of Aleppo was tried to be taken by the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus II Phocas. His nephew Theodore decided to address the soldiers with an uplifting speech and turned his back on the fortress, from where he received a fatal blow with a stone in the back. Enraged Nicephorus returned to the city, gathered 12,000 inhabitants and, putting them on their knees in front of an unshakable fortress, staged a mass execution, decapitating everyone. Without touching the fortress, Nicephorus retreated.

■ The monastery of St. Simeon preserves the memory of the righteous man of the 5th century. - Simeon the Stylite, who retired, built himself a pillar (tower), on which he lived and preached to pilgrims. For 36 years, he built on his pillar, bringing it to a height of 15 meters. The pillar was almost not preserved, but the church marking this place is intact.
■ At the Aleppo stadium, the chefs created the world's largest cake: a total of 4 tons of marzipan, pistachios and other confectionery ingredients fit into a mold 20 meters long and 10 meters wide. water.
■ In one of the halls of the fortress of Aleppo, a hole was preserved over a pit 20 m deep: unfaithful wives and other traitors were thrown into it.

Syrian population: number, national and religious composition, major cities
27.10.2017

Syria populationon July 1, 2017 is 18,270,000 people or 0.25% of the world's population (according to data 3 - Wikipedia:Estimate (forecast) of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs as of July 1, 2017).

Syria populationfor 2011 was 22,517,750 people. Of them: 11 441 978 people - men and11 075 722 people women.According to the Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics.

According to other counters (excluding civil war):

Syria populationas of October 1, 2015is 23,404,834 people (according to data 3 - Wikipedia: official Syrian population counter - estimated before the civil war in Syria. Losses are estimated at more than 200,000 people until the end of November 2014).

Syrian Civil War

According to the UN Middle East Agency, the population of Syria has decreased by 8% during the civil war in the country.

The actual population has decreased by about 5 million due tocivil war in Syria2011. Of these, over 4 million refugees and at least 210,000 killed .

Dynamics of the Syrian population by years

Year	Population	±%
1937	2,368,000	-
1950	3,252,000	+37.3%
1960	4,565,000	+40.4%
1970	6,305,000	+38.1%
1980	8,704,000	+38.0%
1990	12,116,000	+39.2%
1995	14,186,000	+17.1%
2011	22,517,750	n.a.
2015	18,502,413	n.a.

1937-1995 source. 2011 and 2015 - the data given above.

Syria population statistics

The share of the urban population is 56%.

The population growth rate in 2010-2015 will be 1.7%.

Most of the population is concentrated along the banks of the Euphrates and on the Mediterranean coast. Population density - 103 people / km².

Age structure: 0-14 years old: 35.2% (men 4,066,109 / women 3,865,817); 15-64 years old: 61% (male 6,985,067 / female 6,753,619); 65 years and older: 3.8% (men 390,802 / women 456,336)(2011 est.)

Average age: Total population: 22.1 years, 21.9 years male, 21.7 years female 22.1 years. (2011).

Population Growth Rate:-0.797% (2012 est.)

Fertility: 2.35 births/1000 population (2012 est.)

Mortality: 3.67 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)

Net migration rate:-27.82 Migrants/1000 population (2012 est.)

Sex ratio:at birth: 1.06 m/f; up to 15 years: 1.06; 15-64 years old: 1.05; 65 years and older: 0.89; Total population: 1.05 (2009)

Life expectancy at birth: Total population: 71.19 years; men: 69.8 years; women: 72.68 years (2009). According to other data: men 74 years old; women 78 years old.

United Nations estimates

Period	was born	Died	Growth	CBR	CDR	NC	TFR	IMR
1950-1955	187 000	75 000	112 000	51,2	20,5	30,6	7,23	180,1
1955-1960	212 000	77 000	136 000	50.1	18.1	32,0	7,38	150,5
1960-1965	241 000	76 000	165 000	48,5	15.3	33,3	7,54	121,8
1965-1970	275 000	74 000	201 000	46,8	12,5	34,2	7,56	98,8
1970-1975	322 000	70 000	252 000	46,3	10.1	36,2	7,54	77,3
1975-1980	373 000	69 000	304 000	45	8.3	37,0	7,32	63,1
1980-1985	417 000	66 000	351 000	42,8	6.7	36.1	6,77	49,9
1985-1990	440 000	61 000	379 000	38,4	5.3	33.1	5,87	36,2
1990-1995	441 000	58 000	383 000	33,3	4.3	28,9	4.8	26.1
1995-2000	447 000	58 000	389 000	29,7	3.8	25,8	3.96	20,8
2000-2005	451 000	62 000	389 000	26	3.6	22,6	3.39	17,4
2005-2010	465 000	69 000	396 000	23,9	3.5	20.4	3.1	15

Where CBR = Total Fertility Rate (per 1,000 people); CDR = total odds mortality (per 1000); NC = natural increase (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = coefficient infant mortality per 1000 births.

Population density

Population density 1993. .

National composition of Syria (Ethnic composition)

Syrian Arabs (including about 400,000 Palestinian refugees) make up about 90% of the country's population.
Kurds - 9% ( Most Kurds live in the north of the country, many still use the Kurdish language. There are also Kurdish communities in all major cities).

Other ethnic groups - about 1%: The third largest ethnic group in the country are the Syrian Turkmen.
Circassians, who are descendants of Muhajir settlers from the Caucasus, who are mainly engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture. Before the Yom Kippur War and the destruction of the city of Quneitra, half of the Circassians lived in the governorate of Quneitra; many of them moved to Damascus. The smallest people in Syria are the tribes of the elder zhuz of the Kazakhs - the Sirgeli, immigrants from Kazakhstan. There are also large communities of Armenians and Assyrians in the country.

The religious composition of the population of Syria
Muslims - about 86% of the population of Syria.Of the Muslims, 82% are Sunnis, the rest are Alawites and Ismailis, as well as Shiites, whose number has been constantly increasing since 2003 due to the flow of refugees from Iraq.

Christians - 10%. Among Christians, half are Syrian Orthodox, 18% are Catholics (mainly members of the Syrian Catholic and Melkite Catholic Churches).There are significant communities of the Armenian Apostolic and Russian Orthodox Churches.

Druze - About 3%. Some researchers rank as extreme Shiites.

More than half of the Syrians are Sunnis, however, there are significant communities of Twelver Shiites, Nizari Ismailis and Alawites (16%), different denominations of Christianity (10%) in the country.The official language is Arabic.

According to :

In 2011, the Syrian population consisted of 70-74% Sunni Muslims (59-60% Arabs, 9-11% Kurds and 2-3% Turkmens) and 16% other Muslims (including Alawites 10%, Shia and Ismailis ( Shia and Ismaili)), 2-3% Druze. Various Christian denominations made up 10-12% of the population and there were several Jewish communities in Aleppo and Damascus.

Map of the ethno-religious composition of the population of Syria in 1976. Wikipedia source: , , , .