Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria's Great Merchant City is a non-fiction book by Philip Mansel, published by I.B.Tauris in 2016. It concerns Aleppo and how it changed from a more prosperous and cosmopolitan city to a war-torn environment.
A history of Aleppo from 1516 to the book's publication time takes up the initial 25% while the other portions of the book are travel writing from various time periods,[1] with many accounts written by people from the Western world.[2]
Reception
Justin Marozzi of The Spectator wrote that the author "goes about his business in a style at once accomplished, entertaining and idiosyncratic."[1] Marozzi concluded that the "Elegant and elegiac" book "is a precious monument to a once-splendid city that has been reduced to abject ruin and misery."[1]
Elif Shafak of the Financial Times wrote that the author has a genuine passion for Aleppo and "offers a unique perspective on the cultures around the Mediterranean."[2] Shafak concluded that it is "an eloquently written book that at times reads like an elegy to Aleppo’s bazaars, embracing worldview and cultural diversity."[2]
