Breathe Again | Ralph Theodori

Aleppo's one and only train track.

6AM in the morning, Aleppo's only train prepares for its daily morning journey on the aged railway to eastern Aleppo.
Departing from the central station (Baghdad Station) and ending in Jebrin, a village on the east side of the city.
While most people use it to commute between work and home, hundreds of children take this train to go to school in the morning with their teachers.
Some citizens even go just to enjoy the ride around the city, 30 minutes of the early sunrise, peaceful views and calm streets.

Ruins have stories to tell.

You can hear the silence, the whistling through the rocks.
Places and memories faded back to dust and debris.
Powerless and speechless are many of the feelings that rush into you when you can no longer recognise the streets and the ruins of your own home.
Today, the storm has well passed and ruins are here to tell stories of darker times.
Flowers have peeked through the rocks, and people are slowly rebuilding the old city back to its glorious days.

A Long Standing Citadel

Once was the center of a battlefield between all the wreckage and debris, The citadel of Aleppo now stands tall above all the years of fighting and suffering it has witnessed.

Signs forgot the way.

Breathe In.

It's hard to remember a day in the city without the sounds of gunshots or bombs. Now that Aleppo lives in peace and quiet, people can take a full breath of air, close their eyes and live with no fear of tomorrow. To us, this a blessing we cherish more than anything, every peaceful day is a pinch-able dream.

Breathe Out.

You can see the stars only when it's dark, Aleppo shines the brightest in the night, people go out, dance and live their lives to the fullest.
The busy streets, the city lights and the positive energy will make you fall in love with Aleppo and its people.
Only when you're on your way home after a long night, you can hear it in the silence, you can see it with the lights out, there's hope in peace, unity and life.
God bless the people of Aleppo.

The End

Hope you enjoyed visiting Aleppo.

About

Breathe again is a smartphone photography project by Ralph Theodori.

Shot on Google Pixel 2 XL and the LG G6 in Aleppo Syria.

Photos are compressed optimised for web, in order to request printed versions and access full resolution images please send an email to

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