ALEPPO, Syria — Trade has been flourishing at Souq al-Hal, one of the most important markets in the opposition-held areas of northern Syria. At this market in al-Bab, in Aleppo province, crops and produce are imported and exported. Some even go to regime-held areas.

Crops produced in Syrian opposition areas and in Turkey are sold at the market, and many go to regime-held areas in Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Damascus. Crops also go from Souq al-Hal to areas under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Manbij and northeastern Syria. Souq al-Hal provides jobs for hundreds of people in the Turkish-occupied Euphrates Shield area and has revived trade there.

The market has come a long way since the Islamic State (IS) took control of al-Bab in 2014.

“The Islamic State started building the new Souq al-Hal in 2015 to replace the smaller old Souq al-Hal located in the city center, and construction was completed in 2016. IS sought to make the new souq an important commercial center to market crops in the areas under its control in the Aleppo countryside at the time, reaching eastern Syria and Iraq," Mahmoud Sultan, a grocer working in Souq al-Hal, told Al-Monitor.