Jeremy Simmons, producer of the upcoming Gender Revolution on Nat Geo, describes a prescient visit to the pre-wartorn city of Aleppo.

“In 2010, I was in Syria shooting a shopping show called Man Shops Globe. We ended the second season in Syria, at one of the oldest and largest markets in the world – Aleppo.
Our local fixer said to me one day, as we were leaving the market, “You cant tell, but everything is about to change here. Its going to get very very bad.” It was very matter of fact. Just a throw in. Almost like she was giving me directions. Then she quickly changed the subject. We stopped for ice cream and watched the sun set on the citadel. We discussed textiles. Soaps. Tea sets. Shooting schedules. Happy talk for happy people.

“Why did she bring it up if she wasn’t willing to talk about it? Maybe she was scared of who might be listening

“Or maybe the time for explaining was over and it was time to run.

“The war began the following year, and yes, she did escape to London.

“The images on the left are pictures I shot that day- in the market, and at a cafe by the citadel for ice cream. The images on the right are ripped from the internet- and represent what these places look like today.”