The Asahi Shimbun. This page takes a closer look at wasabi (Japanese horseradish), a condiment originating in Japan that has influenced food culture around the world.

Before- and- After Photos Show What 9 Cities Looked Like Before They Were Destroyed by War"When a place gets wrecked it does not become ruined alone, it ruins with its people," Syrian writer Khaled Khalifa told Ahram Online, recalling the glories and legacy of Aleppo, Syria that was once considered the twin of Vienna. It's a sad, soulless city at the moment, and its people have lost all of their dreams."Aleppo, one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities and Syria's commercial hub, has become a key battleground in the country's deadly civil war. Historical sites that once stood the test of time through several millennia of insurrection, battles and purge are slowly being turned into crumbling shells by this relentless war. Souk Al- Madina, one of the oldest covered marketplaces in the world, is now in ruins due to clashes between government troops and rebels, who have destroyed hundreds of shops that once lined the stone passageways where food, fabric, spices and perfumes were sold for centuries.

All of Syria's six UNESCO sites, representing at least 2,0. More than 1. 60,0. Watch Hail, Caesar! Mojoboxoffice here. Syria's four- year- uprising- turned- civil war, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and at least 3. Culture can only really be protected in peace time. When you have open warfare, it is impossible," said Helga Seeden, an archaeology professor in Beirut, to the Daily Mail.

Like Aleppo, there are many other beautiful cities spanning across modern history that have become notorious symbols of war, conflict and destruction. From World War II to the war in Iraq, these war- torn cities have seen their share of horrific, human- caused destruction that killed generations of people and left many of its buildings blackened and scarred through years of fighting. Here are what nine cities looked like before and after conflict struck them: 1. Aleppo, Syria Dating back to the 1. Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo, seen above in 2. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.

Today, the mosque has been left burned, scarred and trashed by fighting, as is most of the historic city. According to Human Rights Watch, the Syrian government has destroyed at least 1. July 2. 01. 2. Image Credit: AP"Archaeological sites in Syria are often on the front lines of conflict and are experiencing heavy damage. Watch The X Files Season 1 Online.

Economic hardship and decreased security mean even sites away from the fighting are looted," said Emma Cunliffe, a Durham University Ph. D. student and member of the Global Heritage Network. This is denying not only Syrians but the world a rich heritage which can provide a source of income and inspiration in the future." 2.

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Berlin, Germany Following World War II, the fallen German capital showed tremendous devastation and destruction due to Allied bombardments and fires that raged for days at a time. High explosives tore through many roadways and, in some cases, even exposed the underground railway. The earlier photo shows Berlin's Potsdamer Platz in 1. Here's what one of the streets leading from the Potsdamer Platz looked like on Feb. Image Credit: AP 3.

Warsaw, Poland From the very first day of WWII, Sept. Germany declared war by launching an air raid on Warsaw, it became a major battleground, witnessing a fair share of conflict and destruction. Following a siege that killed tens of thousands of Polish civilians and destroyed historic monuments and 2. Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on Sept. The first photo shows what Warsaw looked like in pre- war days, Oct.

Poland. The second photo shows the corner of Jasna Street and Swietokrzyska Street on Sept. Polish capital. Image credit: APAs a repercussion to Polish resistance to the German occupation, the capital city was reduced to ruins in 1. Nagasaki, Japan On August 9, 1. American forces dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki around noon, the second attack on Japan in three days and one of the last acts of WWII. An estimated 8. 0,0. The photo shows the city of Nagasaki as a teeming urban area beforehand and then as a flattened, desolate moonscape following the detonation of the atomic bomb.

"When a place gets wrecked it does not become ruined alone, it ruins with its people," Syrian writer Khaled Khalifa told Ahram Online, recalling the glories and. Find the latest TV recaps, photos, videos and clips, news and more on MSN TV.

Kabul, Afghanistan Kabul is no stranger to conflict. It has seen numerous conflicts and changing of hands, from the invasion of British forces in 1. Soviet intervention in 1. Taliban rule in 1. U. S.- led invasion in 2. Watch Loose Change 9_11: An American Coup Download Full. In the 1. 95. 0s and 1. Kabul was briefly a peaceful city where modern buildings were constructed along traditional structures and some of the biggest strides were made toward a more liberal, westernized society and lifestyle.

The first photo is a general view of a busy sidewalk in Kabul in November 1. However, after a series of bloody coups, invasions, uprisings and a civil war that still continues today, these major steps were largely reversed.

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Here is what Kabul looked like in 1. Image credit: AP 6. Sarajevo, Bosnia Located in the heart of what was once Yugoslavia, Sarajevo was founded by the Turks when the area was under the rule of Constantinople and was famous for its mosques and minarets.

The Serb siege of Sarajevo in 1. Serb nationalists laid siege to Sarajevo and occupied 7. Bosnia within a few months. Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs ended up fighting an horrific war between 1. The first photo shows Sarajevo in 1.

Here's what the city looked like in 1. Image credit: AP 7. Dresden, Germany Before World War II, Dresden was known as the the "Florence of the Elbe" and was considered one of the world's most beautiful cities for its stunning museums and architecture. The first photo shows German Reich troops headed by armored motor cars marching into Dresden, Germany on Nov. During the final months of World War II, Allied forces bombed the historic German city of Dresden in eastern Germany from Feb. The second photo shows August Schreitmueller's sandstone sculpture "The Goodness" from the Rathausturm overlooking the destroyed city of Dresden in 1. Photo credit: AP 8.

Beirut, Lebanon Formerly known as the "Paris of the Middle East," Beirut, in Lebanon, was known for its beautifully winding streets and charming mixture of French colonial and Ottoman architecture. However, after the mid- 1. Lebanon descended into a two- decade- long civil war that reduced most of the city to rubble, transforming the once diverse city into an increasingly ethnically and religiously divided one.

After Israel launched a full- scale invasion of Lebanon in 1. Beirut were once again plagued by conflict until Israeli troops finally withdrew in 2. However, Israeli attacks in 2.