Thousands of People Participate in Aleppo Shopping Festival

ALEPPO– The people of Aleppo city are continuing their efforts to restore luster to the capital of Syrian industry less than a year after Aleppo’s Old City was cleansed of terrorists.

According to SANA, thousands of people flocked on Friday to the “Mahabet Watan” (Love of a Homeland) festival which is being held in Khan al-Jumrok in Aleppo as part of the project to revive the city’s old souqs (traditional marketplaces).

The sight of the crowds of enthusiastic participants in the festival, whose numbers exceeded expectations, brings back to mind the bustle and activity that these souqs used to witness before they were targeted by terrorists.

 The festival contains more than 80 pavilions and over 150 participants, featuring a wide variety of products at competing prices.

Head of the Businesswomen Committee at Aleppo Chamber of Commerce Lina Ashrafiyeh told SANA that holding the festival is a way to show that Aleppo is recovering from terrorism and that life is returning to it.

As part of the festival’s activities, the Businesswomen Committee honored the most 86 year-old Abdelqader al-Mbayyed, who has been selling scissors in the old souqs and around Aleppo citadel for around 35 years.

The 4-day festival also includes various cultural, artistic, and heritage-related activities.

Khan al-Jumrok souq contains 116 shops specializing in fabrics and textiles, and is one of the most popular shopping destinations for the people of Aleppo.