Editing Aleppo (section)

===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>