The Turkish city of Gaziantep is among those accommodating the highest number of Syrian refugees fleeing from the war and the devastating economic conditions at home. Most are from Aleppo and its environs, which lately has witnessed a violent escalation of the conflict and heavy bombardment by explosive barrels.

There are no accurate statistics for the number of Syrians living in Gaziantep, but their presence is clearly felt in all parts of the city, particularly in the shops and restaurants now run by Syrians, or the large number of Syrian employees working for the Turkish owners of shops and companies.

As an industrial city undergoing urban expansion, there were many employment opportunities for Syrians in Gaziantep, though the unemployment rate is rising, especially among the new arrivals, who are having a harder time finding jobs given the increasing numbers of Syrian workers employed in Turkey as well as the recent economic crisis in the country.

There is also a significant number of Syrians active in the civil, media and political sectors belonging to the opposition, or in independent civil society bodies formed during the period of the revolution.

Photoblog by Piroz Perik

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Taken  from the following website : http://www.damascusbureau.org/?p=6466