Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria's Great Merchant City

About the Book

Revised and updated.
A poignant testament to the city shattered by Syria's civil war.
Aleppo lies in ruins, a casualty of Syria's brutal civil war. Its streets are cloaked in darkness, its population scattered, its memories ravaged. But this was once a vibrant world city, where Muslims, Christians and Jews lived and traded together in peace. Few places are as ancient and diverse. At the crossroads of global trade, Aleppo drew merchants from Venice, Isfahan and Agra to the largest souq in the Middle East and it was from here that some of the world's most enduring food, music and culture sprang.

About the Author :
Philip Mansel is a historian of France and the Middle East. He has lived in Paris, Beirut and Istanbul, and has frequently visited Aleppo. In 2012 he won the London Library Life in Literature award and became a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in 2013. Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of a World City is a sequel to his two best-selling books on other mixed cities of the Middle East: Constantinople: City of the World's Desire (1995), on Istanbul; and Levant: Splendour and Catastrophe on the Mediterranean (2010), on Smyrna, Alexandria and Beirut. He is also the author of The Eagle in Splendour (I.B.Tauris).

Review :
`Philip Mansel, our greatest authority on the civilisation of the Levant, has written a characteristically concise and elegant elegy to one of the oldest, grandest, and most cosmopolitan cities of the region. As tragic as it is timely, this book succeeds magnificently in showing why we should mourn the fall of Aleppo, a city "which challenged categories and generalisations," and which was in many ways the last great Ottoman city to survive the twin ravages of modern nationalism and fundamentalism.’ -William Dalrymple, “A compelling portrait of one of the Middle East’s greatest cities, by one of the finest modern historians of the Levant. Mansel’s Aleppo reminds modern readers of the loss to world heritage inflicted by Syria’s tragic civil war. An important and outstanding book.’ - Eugene Rogan, author of The Arabs and The Fall of the Ottomans, Director of the Middle East Centre at St Antony's College, University of Oxford, "Mansel is a profoundly civilised and civilising historian who has spent many years in the Levant. Elegant and elegaic, 'Aleppo' is a precious monument to a once-splendid city that has been reduced to abject ruin and misery. How did this once-celebrated city come to plumb such depths? It is a question Philip Mansel's remarkable new history implcity seeks to answer" - Justin Marozzi, Spectator, 'Mansel gives us his ownThis book will stand as a eulogy for the city.' - Anthony Sattin, Literary Review, 'A tragic lament... Let us hope that Aleppo will benefit from this labour of love and fluent scholarship... This book helps to keep alive the colour of the souks, the clamour of the Khans and the songs of the cafes.' - Barnaby Rogerson, Country Life, "Shows the enormous weight and wonder of the city and stands in humbling contrast to the easy destruction that marks the city today… lets the reader visit Aleppo through the eyes of visiting travellers." - Banipal Magazine, "Fascinating… Mansel's breadth of knowledge enhances the book." - Andrew Cunningham, Arab Banker Magazine