All in all, the year 2010 was a good one for Syrian tourism. New hotels were opening, visitors were increasing, and the word was getting out that the country had a tremendous amount to offer, both in its people and its history. The New York Times even began the year with an article in its travel section titled "Tourists Return to an Ancient Crossroads in Syria."
The year 2012, however, has so far been a tragedy for the country, and now news articles relating to Syria carry headlines like this: "Syria Bars Red Cross Convoy From Fallen Rebel Bastion".
Remembering better times in Syria, and with a desire to remind us all of the human faces and real people there, I'm posting below ten photographs taken in Aleppo over a two-day period in the summer of 2010:
Friendly face in the old city
Family at the Citadel
Two kids and their cups in the old city
Two men walking in the old city
Life in the plaza in front of the Citadel
Syrian ladies at a cafe
Father and son at their small store, moments before I paid for some Crest toothpaste
Young Syrians at a cafe watching the 2010 World Cup
Young boy dancing at his father's sidewalk workshop
Shoppers in the historic Aleppo souk
Joel Carillet, chief editor of Wandering Educators, is a freelance writer and photographer based in Tennessee. He is the author of 30 Reasons to Travel: Photographs and Reflections from Southeast Asia. To learn more about him or purchase his images, visit www.joelcarillet.com