Fire-damaged Aleppo souk was 'magnet for tourists'

A blaze has swept though ancient markets in Aleppo, as rebels and government forces continue to fight for control of the Syrian city.

Hundreds of shops in the souk, one of the most iconic in the Middle East, are said to have been destroyed and amateur footage purportedly from the area shows widespread damage.

The BBC's Jim Muir said that the souk was once a "magnet for tourists" but had become caught up in the fighting as it was in a strategic part of the city.