The city of Aleppo was once Syria's largest city, with about 2.3 million people living there.



The city was the country's main place for industry and finance, so it was very important to the Syrian economy.

The conflict in Syria: by July 2012, the fighting reached Aleppo and the city became one of the main battlegrounds during the civil war.

As the government forces and the rebels starting fighting in Aleppo, the city became roughly divided in half.

Those against the Syrian government (known as the rebels) had control of the east of the city, while the government soldiers had control of the west. The government forces defeated the rebels in Aleppo and announced on 22 December 2016 that they had taken back control of the city.

It was a significant moment in the Syrian civil war as it gave them control over Syria's four largest cities.