Hope rises from war-scarred streets of Syria's Aleppo

People buy necessities from shops on a market street near the citadel in Syria's northern city of Aleppo on Dec. 11, 2024.

In one of the few open shops on a main street in downtown Aleppo, Syrian shopkeeper Ramadan Dali wields his feather duster with gusto, standing on tip-toes so he can reach the windows.

Dali, a 70-year-old wearing a black felt hat, is ready for customers to come back, along with the hope that has returned to the streets of Syria's second largest city since it was retaken by rebels on their way to topple president Bashar al-Assad.

Aleppo was once Syria's economic capital, a vibrant northern city of two million people, popular with tourists and archaeologists.

But the city became the battleground of some of the fiercest fighting during the country's civil war, and was captured by Assad's forces in 2016 with support from Russia.

Aleppo still bears the scars from this violence, with many buildings standing empty, dusty curtains flapping in their cracked facades.

But after Aleppo became the first city retaken by the lightning rebel offensive that began on Nov. 27, life has been slowly coming back to the streets, where there is no longer any visible military presence.

Traffic is starting to pick up, and in shawarma stalls and coffee stands, people seem keen to return to some kind of normal.

"It won't happen in a day or two, but within two or three months all the other stores will reopen," said shopkeeper Dali.

"We are starting to feel safe," he said.

Some other vendors were selling flowers, sweets and corn to the evening crowd around the medieval citadel that dominates Aleppo's old city.

"We feel free and safe," said the 43-year-old, who is waiting for school to restart for...