Holding on to Aleppo: Meeting those refusing to leave

Amr al-Jabali lives in the Ashar neighbourhood of rebel-controlled East Aleppo. The 54-year-old is a painter and builder, and while there is plenty here which needs rebuilding and decoration, he doesn't get much paid work these days.

He does, however, brave the bombs, the price hikes, and the electricity cuts of daily life in this part of the city, described by the UN as a "humanitarian catastrophe".

But al-Jabali won't leave. "I've never left Aleppo in my life, and by the grace of God I won't ever leave," he told The New Arab.

As many as 275,000 people remain in East Aleppo. They stay out of attachment to their homes, an inability to leave safely, for political reasons and others. These are the stories of a few of those who refuse to leave.

Al-Jabali is simply too attached to Aleppo, and has lived here since he was born more than a half century ago. Despite the current hardships, he even has hope for the future.

	In pictures: Click here for Zouhir al-Shimale's photoessay on East Aleppo's marketplace

"We will pick ourselves up and make Aleppo one again, not east, not west," he said. "For that, I stay in Syria."

Nothing short of a life-threatening medical situation could make him leave. "Maybe I'd go to Turkey for emergency medical care like a lot of my neighbours and friends did," said al-Jabali.

There's nothing that could prompt me and my family to leave the city

And al-Jabali isn't alone. Leaving is difficult financially, and some stay for this reason. "I've lived here a long time, and I can't bear the burden of changing houses or travelling," said Khalid Ghazal.

And Ghazal is attached to his war-torn city, too. "There's nothing that could prompt me and my family to leave the city," he said. "Difficulty of living - no matter how powerful - can be manageable."

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There are myriad reasons why people choose to stay here.

Some participated in opposition political activities amid the first sparks of the revolution in 2011, and fear of retribution at the hands of the regime if they were to enter areas under their control keeps them confined to rebel-held districts.

Physically leaving can also prove to be either impossible or as dangerous as living in the city itself.

At the height of the regime siege of the city's east in July and August, there were reports that rebel groups blocked civilians from leaving, citing security concerns. Others feared for their safety - leaving via corridors set up by the regime.

Even for those who have managed to leave Syria's pre-war largest city, life is no walk in the park. Many work illegally in host countries such as Turkey, and face further violence, economic struggles and other the hardships of displacement.

I went to Turkey a year ago, but came back because I couldn't find work

Some of these issues were enough to force Yusuf al-Jamal to leave Turkey and return to Aleppo, despite the war still raging in his hometown.

"I went to Turkey a year ago, but came back because I couldn't find work," he told The New Arab.

	In pictures: Click here for Zouhir al-Shimale's photoessay on East Aleppo's marketplace

More than 2.7 million Syrian refugees live in Turkey, but al-Jamal actually missed Aleppo while there.

"Because of the psychological pressure and the difficult conditions of exile, I couldn't take it," said al-Jamal, who now sells men's clothing in the al-Fardous neighbourhood.

Al-Jamal returned to his life in East Aleppo, but his family is stuck in the regime-controlled West, and he says he hasn't seen them in more than five years. West Aleppo is under siege by rebel groups, although it's safer than the east. But al-Jamal won't join his family, fearing he'll swiftly be drafted into the Syrian army.

Instead, he passes his days at the store: "Sales are low. The bombings and planes and the siege made it so there aren't a lot of people in the streets." Still, al-Jamal won't leave.

"I don't care about the bombings," he added. "I'm not compelled to leave."

Zouhir al-Shimale is a journalist and reporter based in Aleppo, Syria. Follow him on Twitter: @ZouhirAlShimale

Adam Lucente is a freelance journalist who has worked in Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia and across the region. Follow him on Twitter: @Adam_Lucente