L'artisanat traditionnel base d'une dynamique locale sur un territoire urbain ancien : le cas d'Alep en Syrie

The object of this article is to analyze the development of the local economy of Aleppo?s Old City (based mainly on traditional textile craft) since the Ottoman times until now. Adopting the long historical perspective, it explains the key factors and mechanisms that, over the past five centuries, have been determining the evolution of the textile craft and, thus, the dynamics of the old city area in which this activity is practiced. The final conclusion of the analysis is that, even if the traditional textile craft has been facing important difficulties during the last decades, it still can provide the basis for a territorial dynamics, provided that an appropriate strategy is implemented by public authorities, notably in connection with the development of a tourism industry in Aleppo and in the whole of Syria.