Editing Aleppo (section)

==Demographics==
===Historical population===
{{Historical populations
|type=
|percentages=
|footnote=Source<ref name="Population facts"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/29/world/meast/syria-aleppo-civilians/ |title=200,000 civilians try to escape violence in Syrian city of Aleppo |date=29 July 2012 |access-date=2 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818023503/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/29/world/meast/syria-aleppo-civilians/ |archive-date=18 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="wrldrew"/>
|1883 |99179
|1901 |108143
|1922 |156748
|1925 |210000
|1934 |249921
|1944 |325000
|1950 |362500
|1960 |425467
|1965 |500000
|1983 |639000
|1990 |1216000
|1995 |1500000
|2000 |1937858
|2004 |2132100
|2005 |2301570
|2016 |1800000
|2021 |2098210
}}
[[File:Alepp0fashion.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Two [[Bedouins]] and a [[Jewish]] woman in Aleppo, 1873]]

According to the Aleppine historian Sheikh ''Kamel Al-Ghazzi'' (1853–1933), the population of Aleppo was around 400,000 before the disastrous [[1822 Aleppo earthquake|earthquake of 1822]]. Followed by cholera and plague attacks in 1823 and 1827 respectively, the population of the city declined to 110,000 by the end of the 19th century.<ref>Saint Terezia Church Aleppo [http://www.terezia.org/section.php?id=1823 Christians in Aleppo at the end of the Ottoman Empire] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009230825/http://www.terezia.org/section.php?id=1823 |date=9 October 2017 }}</ref> In 1901, the total population of Aleppo was 108,143 of which Muslims were 76,329 (70.58%), Christians — mostly Catholics — 24,508 (22.66%) and Jews 7,306 (6.76%).<ref>Alepppo in One Hundred Years 1850– 1950, vol.2-page 3, 1994 Aleppo. Authors: Mohammad Fuad Ayntabi and Najwa Othman</ref>

Aleppo's large Christian population swelled with the influx of [[Armenians in Syria|Armenian]] and [[Syrian-Assyrians|Assyrian]] Christian refugees during the early 20th-century and after the [[Armenian genocide|Armenian]] and [[Assyrian Genocide|Assyrian genocides]] of 1915. After the arrival of the first groups of [[Armenians in Syria|Armenian]] refugees (1915–1922) the population of Aleppo in 1922 counted 156,748 of which Muslims were 97,600 (62.26%), native Christians — mostly Catholics —  22,117 (14.11%), Jews 6,580 (4.20%), Europeans 2,652 (1.70%), Armenian refugees 20,007 (12.76%) and others 7,792 (4.97%).<ref>Alepppo in One Hundred Years 1850–1950, vol.3-page 26, 1994 Aleppo. Authors: Mohammad Fuad Ayntabi and Najwa Othman</ref><ref>The Golden River in the History of Aleppo, ({{langx|ar|ﻧﻬﺮ ﺍﻟﺬﻫﺐ ﻓﻲ ﺗﺎﺭﻳﺦ ﺣﻠﺐ}}), vol.1 (1922) page 256, published in 1991, Aleppo. Author: Sheikh ''Kamel Al-Ghazzi''</ref> However, even though a large majority of the Armenians arrived during the period, the city has had an Armenian community since at least the 1100s, when a considerable number of Armenian families and merchants from the [[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia]] settled in the city. The [[Forty Martyrs Cathedral|oldest Armenian church in the city]] is from 1491 as well, which indicates that they have been there long before.

The second period of Armenian flow towards Aleppo marked with the withdrawal of the French troops from [[Cilicia]] in 1923.<ref>The Golden River in the History of Aleppo ({{langx|ar|ﻧﻬﺮ ﺍﻟﺬﻫﺐ ﻓﻲ ﺗﺎﺭﻳﺦ ﺣﻠﺐ}}), vol.3 (1925) pages 449–450, published in 1991, Aleppo. Author: Sheikh ''Kamel Al-Ghazzi''</ref> After the arrival of more than 40,000 Armenian refugees between 1923 and 1925, the population of the city reached up to 210,000 by the end of 1925, of which more than a quarter were Armenians.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hovannisian |first=Richard G. |author-link=Richard G. Hovannisian |title=The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume II: Foreign Dominion to Statehood: The Fifteenth Century to the Twentieth Century |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-4039-6422-9 |page=425 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s2ByErk19DAC |access-date=25 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009060842/http://books.google.com/books?id=s2ByErk19DAC |archive-date=9 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

According to the historical data presented by ''Al-Ghazzi'', the vast majority of the Aleppine Christians were Catholics until the latter days of the Ottoman rule. The growth of the [[Oriental Orthodox]] Christians is related with the arrival of the Assyrian survivors from Cilicia and Southern Turkey, while on the other hand, large numbers of [[Eastern Orthodox Church of Antioch|Eastern Orthodox Christians]] from the [[Hatay Province|Sanjak of Alexandretta]] arrived in Aleppo, after the annexation of the Sanjak in 1939 in favour of Turkey.
[[File:Umayyad Mosque, Aleppo, Syria (5077865830).jpg|thumb|Syrian children in Aleppo]]

In 1944, Aleppo's population was around 325,000, with 112,110 (34.5%) Christians among which Armenians numbered 60,200. Armenians formed more than half of the Christian community in Aleppo until 1947, when many groups of them left for [[Soviet Armenia]] within the frames of the ''Armenian Repatriation Process (1946–1967)''.

===Pre-civil war status===
[[File:Rahman mosque.jpg|thumb|[[Ar-Rahman Mosque, Aleppo]]]]
Aleppo was the most populous city in Syria, with a population of 2,132,100 as indicated in the latest official census in 2004 by the [[Central Bureau of Statistics (Syria)|Syria Central Bureau of Statistics]] (CBS). Its subdistrict (''[[nahiya]]'') consisted of 23 localities with a collective population of 2,181,061 in 2004.<ref name="CBS">{{cite web |url=http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB02-1-2004.htm |title=General Census of Population and Housing 2004 |access-date=2012-05-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520173518/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB02-1-2004.htm |archive-date=20 May 2012}}. [[Central Bureau of Statistics (Syria)|Syria Central Bureau of Statistics]] (CBS). Aleppo Governorate. Archived. {{in lang|ar}}</ref> According to the official estimate announced by the Aleppo City Council, the population of the city was 2,301,570 by the end of 2005. As a result of the [[Syrian civil war]], however, the city eastern half's population under the control of the opposition had plummeted to an estimated 40,000 by 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/12/worst-place-in-world-aleppo-ruins-four-years-syria-war |title=The worst place in the world? Aleppo in ruins after four years of Syria war |work=theguardian.com |date=12 March 2015 |access-date=22 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123101110/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/12/worst-place-in-world-aleppo-ruins-four-years-syria-war |archive-date=23 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Muslims===
More than 80% of Aleppo's inhabitants are [[Sunni]] [[Muslims]].{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} They are mainly Syrian [[Syrian people|Arabs]], followed by [[Syrian Turkmen|Turkmens]] and [[Kurds]]. Other Muslim groups include small numbers of ethnic [[Circassians]], [[Chechens]], [[Albanians]], [[Bosniaks]], [[Greeks]] and [[Bulgarians]].

===Christians===
[[File:Armenian Church of the Holy Mother of God, Aleppo, 2010 (1).jpg|thumb|[[Church of the Holy Mother of God (Aleppo)|Armenian Apostolic church of the Holy Mother of God]]]]
Until the beginning of the Battle of Aleppo in 2012, the city contained one of the largest Christian communities in the [[Middle East]]. There were many [[Oriental Orthodox]] Christian congregations, mainly [[Armenians in Syria|Armenians]] and [[Assyrians in Syria|Assyrians]] (locally known as Syriacs). Historically, the city was the main centre of French Catholic missionaries in Syria.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2746&Itemid=120 |title=Catholic Doctor "Flies High" with The Flying Hospital to Treat the Less Fortunate in Aleppo, Syria |publisher=Catholicnews.sg |date=23 March 2009 |access-date=29 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020104335/http://www.catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2746&Itemid=120 |archive-date=20 October 2013}}</ref>

The Christian population of Aleppo was slightly more than 250,000 before the Syrian civil war, representing about 12% of the total population of the city. However, as a consequence of the war, the Christian population of the city decreased to less than 100,000 as of the beginning of 2017, of whom around 30% were ethnic Armenians.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aina.org/news/20141202174517.htm |title=Christians Hold Out in Syria's Aleppo Despite Jihadist Threat |work=aina.org |access-date=3 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124102115/http://www.aina.org/news/20141202174517.htm |archive-date=24 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

A significant number of the [[Assyrians in Syria|Assyrians]] in Aleppo speak [[Aramaic]], hailing from the city of [[Urfa]] in Turkey. The large community of [[Oriental Orthodox]] Christians belongs to the [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Apostolic]] and [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syriac Orthodox]] churches. However, there is a significant presence of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church of Antioch]] as well.

There is also a large number [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholic]] Christians in the city, including [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Melkite Greeks]], [[Maronite Church|Maronites]], [[Chaldean Catholic Church|Chaldeans]], [[Syriac Catholic Church|Syrian Catholics]] and the followers of the [[Latin Church]]. [[Evangelical]] Christians of different denominations are a minority in the city.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

Several districts of the city have a Christian and Armenian majority, such as the old Christian quarter of [[al-Jdayde]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://lisa.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/judayda_churches_english?nav_id=8819&publication=1 |title=Judayda Churches (English) |last=Ross Burns & Stefan Knost |date=2020 |website=L.I.S.A. WISSENSCHAFTSPORTAL GERDA HENKEL STIFTUNG |language=en, ar |access-date=2020-02-13 |archive-date=3 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603074739/https://lisa.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/judayda_churches_english?nav_id=8819&publication=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Around 50 churches are operated in the city by the above-mentioned congregations. However, according to the Deputy Chairman of the commission for [[UNESCO]] of the Russian Federation, Alexander Dzasokhov, around 20 churches suffered great destruction during the battles in Aleppo,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.imsoblesseddaily.com/20-churches-destroyed-aleppo-syria/ |title=20 Churches Were Destroyed As Bombings Continue in Aleppo, Syria |access-date=3 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804013303/http://www.imsoblesseddaily.com/20-churches-destroyed-aleppo-syria/ |archive-date=4 August 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://armenianweekly.com/2015/01/10/cathedral-bombed/ |title=Armenian Catholic Cathedral in Aleppo Bombed Hours Before Mass |date=10 January 2015 |access-date=2 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115114857/http://armenianweekly.com/2015/01/10/cathedral-bombed/ |archive-date=15 January 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://horizonweekly.ca/en/79419-2/ |title=Armenian Evangelical Church in Aleppo damaged in rocket attack |date=18 January 2016 |access-date=27 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831035425/https://horizonweekly.ca/en/79419-2/ |archive-date=31 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/picture-taken-on-march-9-2017-in-the-northern-syrian-city-news-photo/650514740#picture-taken-on-march-9-2017-in-the-northern-syrian-city-of-aleppo-picture-id650514740 |title=Picture taken on 9 March 2017 in Aleppo showing the damage around Saint George's Armenian Church |date=9 March 2017 |access-date=27 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320172258/https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/picture-taken-on-march-9-2017-in-the-northern-syrian-city-news-photo/650514740#picture-taken-on-march-9-2017-in-the-northern-syrian-city-of-aleppo-picture-id650514740 |archive-date=20 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> with the most notable being the National Evangelical Church,<ref name="thirdrva.org"/> as well as the surrounding historic churches of al-Jdayde district.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://syriacpatriarchate.org/2017/01/visit-to-the-old-city-of-aleppo/ |title=Syrian orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch: Visit to the Old City of Aleppo |date=January 2017 |access-date=27 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320133840/https://syriacpatriarchate.org/2017/01/visit-to-the-old-city-of-aleppo/ |archive-date=20 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://syrcata.com/news/2016/august-2016/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%84-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9.html |title=The destruction at the Mar Assia Syrian Catholic Church of Aleppo |access-date=27 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190316161245/http://syrcata.com/news/2016/august-2016/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%84-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9.html |archive-date=16 March 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://lisa.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/damage_assessment?nav_id=8902&publication=1 |title=Al-Judayda Churches Rapid Damage Assessment |author1=Rami Al-Afandi |author2=Issam Ballouz |author3=Alaa Haddad |author4=York Rieffel |date=2019 |website=L.I.S.A. WISSENSCHAFTSPORTAL GERDA HENKEL STIFTUNG |language=en, ar |access-date=2020-02-13 |archive-date=25 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725023058/https://lisa.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/damage_assessment?nav_id=8902&publication=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 25 December 2016, following the government victory, [[Christmas]] was publicly celebrated in Aleppo for the first time in four years.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eyad |first=Alhosein |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/christmas-aleppo-photos-video-show-christians-celebrate-assad-victory-syria-2464372 |title=Christmas in Aleppo: Photos, Video Show Christians Celebrate Assad Victory in Syria |work=International Business Times |date=2016-12-22 |access-date=2016-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914125652/https://www.ibtimes.com/christmas-aleppo-photos-video-show-christians-celebrate-assad-victory-syria-2464372 |archive-date=14 September 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Jews===
[[File:Synagogue Aleppo.jpg|thumb|The [[Central Synagogue of Aleppo]] in 2011]]
The city was home to a significant [[Jewish]] population from ancient times. The [[Central Synagogue of Aleppo|Great Synagogue]], built in the 5th century, housed the [[Aleppo Codex]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18957096 Profile: Aleppo, Syria's second city] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180415053417/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18957096 |date=15 April 2018 }}. [[BBC News]]. 24 July 2012.</ref> The Jews of Aleppo were known for their religious commitment, Rabbinic leadership, and their liturgy, consisting of [[Pizmonim]] and [[Baqashot]]. After the [[Spanish Inquisition]], the city of Aleppo received many [[Sephardic Jewish]] immigrants, who eventually joined with the [[Musta'arabi Jews|native Aleppo Jewish community]]. Peaceful relations existed between the Jews and surrounding population. In the early 20th century, the town's Jews lived mainly in Al-Jamiliyah, Bab Al-Faraj and the neighbourhoods around the Great Synagogue. Unrest in Palestine in the years preceding the establishment of Israel in 1948 resulted in growing hostility towards Jews living in Arab countries, culminating in the [[Jewish exodus from Arab lands]]. In December 1947, after the UN decided the [[partition of Palestine]], an Arab mob<ref>Howard Sachar, A History of Israel: From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time., (NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1979), p. 400; Maurice Roumani, The Case of the Jews from Arab Countries: A Neglected Issue, (Tel Aviv: World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries, 1977), p. 31; Norman Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands in Modern Times, (NY: Jewish Publication Society, 1991), p. 146</ref> [[Aleppo pogrom|attacked the Jewish quarter]]. Homes, schools and shops were badly damaged.<ref name="Human rights in Syria">{{cite book |author=James A. Paul |title=Human Rights in Syria |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_N-xjxWYWnlwC |year=1990 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |isbn=978-0-929692-69-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_N-xjxWYWnlwC/page/n94 91] |access-date=12 October 2015}}</ref> Soon after, many of the town's remaining 6,000 Jews emigrated.<ref name="books.google.co.uk">{{cite book |author1=Cyrus Adler |author2=Henrietta Szold |title=The American Jewish Year Book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6KgyAAAAMAAJ |year=1949 |publisher=American Jewish Committee |page=441 |access-date=12 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029010336/https://books.google.com/books?id=6KgyAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=29 October 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1968, there were an estimated 700 Jews still remaining in Aleppo.<ref>{{cite book |author=Avi Beker |title=Jewish Communities of the World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FP_38S-75eQC |year=1998 |publisher=Lerner Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-8225-9822-0 |page=208 |access-date=16 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029010338/https://books.google.com/books?id=FP_38S-75eQC |archive-date=29 October 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The houses and other properties of the Jewish families which were not sold after the migration, remain uninhabited under the protection of the Syrian Government. Most of these properties are in Al-Jamiliyah and Bab Al-Faraj areas, and the neighbourhoods around the [[Central Synagogue of Aleppo]]. In 1992, the Syrian government lifted the travel ban on its 4,500 Jewish citizens.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/28/world/syria-giving-jews-freedom-to-leave.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |title=The New York Times:Syria Giving Jews Freedom To Leave |work=The New York Times |date=28 April 1992 |access-date=11 March 2012 |first=Thomas L. |last=Friedman |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524224212/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/28/world/syria-giving-jews-freedom-to-leave.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |archive-date=24 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Most traveled to the United States, where a sizable number of [[Syrian Jews]] currently live in [[Brooklyn]], New York. The last Jews of Aleppo, the Halabi family, were evacuated from the city in October 2016 by the [[Free Syrian Army]] and now live in Israel.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Solomon |first1=Daniel |title=There Are No More Jews in Aleppo |url=http://forward.com/news/356914/aleppos-last-jewish-family-flees-for-israel-amid-devastation/?attribution=home-article-listing-12-headline |access-date=14 December 2016 |work=The Forward |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220191207/http://forward.com/news/356914/aleppos-last-jewish-family-flees-for-israel-amid-devastation/?attribution=home-article-listing-12-headline |archive-date=20 December 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Jews from Aleppo referred to their city as "Aram Tzova" (ארם צובא) after the ancient [[Aramean]] city of [[Aram-Zobah]] mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible]].

===Spoken languages===
The Arabic dialect of Aleppo is a type of [[Syrian Arabic]], which is of the [[North Levantine Arabic]] variety. Much of its vocabulary is derived from the [[Syriac language]]. The [[Kurdish language]] is the second most spoken language in the city, after [[Arabic]].<ref name=Behnstedt>{{citation |last=Behnstedt |first=Peter |year=2008 |chapter=Syria |title=Encyclopedia of Arabic language and linguistics |volume=4 |page=402 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |isbn=978-90-04-14476-7}}</ref> [[Kurds in Syria|Kurds]] in Aleppo speak the [[Northern Kurdish]] (also known as Kurmanji). [[Syrian Turkmen]] population of Aleppo speak the Kilis and Antep dialect of the [[Turkish language]]. Most Armenians speak the [[Western Armenian|Western]] form of the [[Armenian language]]. The [[Syriac language]] is rarely spoken by the Syriac community during daily life, but commonly used as the liturgical language of the Syriac Church. The members of the small [[Greeks in Syria|Greco-Syrian]] community in Aleppo speak Arabic. [[English language|English]] and [[French language|French]] are also spoken.