Rebuilding Old Damascus After Assad

Editor’s be aware: This text accommodates some photographs which might be graphic in nature.

DAMASCUS—A statue of Bashar al-Assad as soon as loomed over locals from a pedestal within the centre of a Damascus roundabout, an emblem of his regime’s iron grip. Now, a month after Assad’s fall, all that’s left is a rusting iron rod. The encircling neighborhood lies partly in rubble, however a gaggle of kids in tatty garments has been despatched to wash the pavement beneath. Laughing as they grapple with brooms nearly too massive to carry, they sweep away the thick layer of mud that blankets all the pieces.

Inside hours of Assad’s fall, Syrians started erasing the remnants of his brutal rule. Statues of him and his father—Hafez al-Assad—have been toppled; portraits defaced; and authorities places of work, palaces, and prisons ransacked.

A man uses a paintbrush to use white paint to cover a metal sheet covering the front window of a business. Two other men, one walking by smoking a cigarette, and one leaning on a chair, watch on a darkened street with illuminated signs over businesses.

A person makes use of a paintbrush to make use of white paint to cowl a steel sheet overlaying the entrance window of a enterprise. Two different males, one strolling by smoking a cigarette, and one leaning on a chair, watch on a darkened avenue with illuminated indicators over companies.

Syrians cowl the flags of the previous Assad regime with white paint in Damascus on Dec 19, 2024.

Bashar al-Assad's face is barely visible in the middle of the remnants of a mostly torn, distressed portrait on a concrete surface with scraped white paint.

Bashar al-Assad’s face is barely seen in the midst of the remnants of a largely torn, distressed portrait on a concrete floor with scraped white paint.

A torn portrait of Bashar al-Assad is seen in one of many cells of Sednaya jail in Damascus on Dec 19, 2024.

Most shutters in Damascus’s previous city had been adorned with the Syrian flag, however residents climbed ladders to color them a recent white—a clean slate for a rustic that’s now trying to rise from the ashes of greater than half a century of Assad household rule.

A crowd of hundreds of people fills a public square with a large monolith looming against a hazy sky in the background. Many people hold flags with a green, white, and black stripe with three red stars, a symbol of Syrian independence.

A crowd of a whole lot of individuals fills a public sq. with a big monolith looming towards a hazy sky within the background. Many individuals maintain flags with a inexperienced, white, and black stripe with three purple stars, an emblem of Syrian independence.

1000’s of Syrians have a good time the autumn of the Assad regime, seen in Umayyad Sq. in Damascus on Dec. 20, 2024.

A group of dozens of people, with three women in headscarves in the foreground, celebrate and cheer. One man holds a child on his shoulders. Some hold up cell phones to take photos and smile.

A gaggle of dozens of individuals, with three ladies in headscarves within the foreground, have a good time and cheer. One man holds a toddler on his shoulders. Some maintain up cell telephones to take photographs and smile.

A gaggle of individuals have a good time the autumn of the Assad regime, seen on the Umayyad Mosque after the Friday prayer on Dec. 20, 2024

After I visited in mid-December, raucous celebrations have been nonetheless lighting up Damascus. Umayyad Sq. was alive with power—teenagers packed three to a bike, purple fireworks bursting overhead, and a speaker on a makeshift stage promising a extra inclusive future. The group sang and recorded movies, desirous to seize a monumental second in historical past. The ambiance was so electrical, so overwhelming, that two individuals have been mentioned to have died within the pleasure.

Amid these scenes of euphoria, although, uncertainty looms over what lies forward. Syria bears the deep scars of a decadelong civil struggle and years of financial collapse. When rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept by means of the nation in a lightning offensive in early December, they inherited a nation in ruins. After nearly 14 years of brutal civil struggle, greater than half a million individuals are estimated to be lifeless, with one other 14 million displaced from their houses.

Giant components of the capital’s jap and southern fringe are closely broken or destroyed. The primary highway north from Damascus was as soon as a bustling artery of life; now, it’s lined by miles of destruction. Years of bombing stripped residential buildings to their frames, abandoning an apocalyptic wasteland. Beneath the glare of Syria’s winter solar, a jumble of mud and rubble stretch out for miles.

A man and two children sit on a mattress on the ground beneath a hazy sky next to a pot over being warmed by a propane tank. Three women and a child sit at a small table next to them with a platter of food on it. They are outside what appears to be makeshift shelters in front of war-damaged buildings.

A person and two kids sit on a mattress on the bottom beneath a hazy sky subsequent to a pot over being warmed by a propane tank. Three ladies and a toddler sit at a small desk subsequent to them with a platter of meals on it. They’re outdoors what seems to be makeshift shelters in entrance of war-damaged buildings.

A household shares a meal in Tadamon, a neighborhood in southern Damascus, on Dec. 21, 2024.

Jobar, a neighborhood in Damascus’s Japanese Ghouta area, was previously a insurgent heartland and one of the closely contested battlegrounds through the struggle. It suffered a number of the worst destruction—by 2018, the United Nations estimated that 93 percent of its buildings had been devastated by airstrikes.

The realm was additionally subjected to a number of chemical assaults: An enormous crater stays on the website of a 2013 sarin gas attack, believed to be the deadliest use of chemical weapons this century.

“Individuals lined kids’s faces with garments soaked in human pee to attempt to save them,” a survivor and former native resident, Mohammed, advised me. He didn’t wish to use his full title, as he was later forcibly drafted into the regime forces.

The devastation is staggering—Damascus, Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, and Homs. Greater than 40 percent of the nation’s infrastructure is destroyed, with biting poverty in every single place. Some 96 percent of the inhabitants lives on lower than $7 a day, based on the World Financial institution. Syria’s GDP has fallen from $60 billion in 2010 to lower than $9 billion, whereas overseas reserves are estimated to be as little as $200 million—price lower than a month of imports.

Over the course of the struggle, the Syrian pound misplaced 99 % of its worth and is now valued at 13,000 kilos to $1. Simply shopping for a espresso requires a wad of notes.

Greater than half of Syria’s kids are out of school, with many pressured to tackle work akin to waste-picking to complement their households’ incomes.

Two children walk along the edge of a dirt road. At their left is the shell of a building. At right, piles of rubble beneath a blue sky mostly covered with clouds.

Two kids stroll alongside the sting of a dust highway. At their left is the shell of a constructing. At proper, piles of rubble beneath a blue sky largely lined with clouds.

Kids stroll down a desolate avenue within the war-torn Tadamon neighborhood on Dec. 21, 2024.

I met Abdulrahman, 12, poking round a burned-out automobile alongside a highway that skirts the ruins of Japanese Ghouta. On daily basis is a battle for survival; he advised me that he works from morning to nighttime to earn simply $1.50 so he can purchase bread for his household.

Electrical energy is one other casualty of struggle. With transmission traces battered by years of combating, greater than half the grid is incapacitated. State-supplied electrical energy is accessible for simply two or three hours a day in most areas. At evening, Syria plunges into darkness. Driving the M5 freeway between Aleppo and Damascus is like navigating a black void, with headlights serving as the one illumination. The previous city in Damascus—the capital metropolis, with 2.5 million inhabitants—turns into a shadowy maze after sundown, the place pedestrians shuffle cautiously, unable to see their very own ft. Solely a 3rd of the nation has web entry, based on analysis revealed in early 2024 by DataReportal.

A battered tank straddles concrete barriers that appear to be painted with the Syrian flag. The tank is surrounded by a void of darkness.

A battered tank straddles concrete boundaries that look like painted with the Syrian flag. The tank is surrounded by a void of darkness.

An deserted tank rests throughout a barricade within the darkened outskirts of Damascus on Dec. 18, 2024.

A brand new interim authorities, led by de facto chief and HTS chief Ahmed al-Sharaa—previously recognized by his nom de guerre, Mohammed al-Jolani—has taken on the monumental process of rebuilding Syria. The administration has pledged tangible enhancements inside a 12 months and elections within four.

There’s a cautious hope amongst Syrians, tempered by apprehension over the path wherein the group will take the nation. With its roots in Islamist militancy, HTS stays designated as a terrorist group by america, United Kingdom, U.N., and others. However the group has promised inclusivity in responding to worldwide calls to respect the rights of ladies and minorities.

“I hope the message reaches the West. We’re labelled as HTS, as terrorists, however we’re individuals of trigger,” mentioned HTS insurgent Mohammed Durhi al-Zoubia, talking outdoors the historic Umayyad Mosque throughout jubilant Friday prayers.

A child stands in front of the torso of a soldier who has a hand on the child's head. The soldier wears camouflage with a gun carried under his arm across his chest.

A baby stands in entrance of the torso of a soldier who has a hand on the kid’s head. The soldier wears camouflage with a gun carried beneath his arm throughout his chest.

An HTS soldier poses for a photograph with a toddler on the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on Dec. 20, 2024, after Friday prayers.

Zoubia fled to Turkey as a refugee after his pregnant spouse and three kids had their throats lower in entrance of him. He returned in November to participate within the insurgent offensive. “We’re the dad and mom of slaughtered infants, brothers of jailed siblings; we’ve got been pushed into the wilderness as refugees. We’re the kids of this nation, and this—HTS—is simply the means to get what we wish,” he mentioned. “A free Syria.”

Loads will now rely upon whether or not the brand new leaders can stabilize a fractious country. Sharaa has promised to dissolve the disparate insurgent factions, together with his personal, and combine fighters right into a centralized protection ministry whereas imposing rules on weapons.

However a 3rd of the nation stays beneath the management of Kurdish-led forces which might be keeping off assaults from Turkish-backed groups.

“Syria is so sophisticated,” mentioned a Turkish insurgent, who recognized himself solely as Omer. “We spent years killing one another. How can all of us be on the identical facet?”

The stone surface of what looks like an outdoor monument is filled with multiple rows of fliers showing missing people. There are about a hundred flyers overall.

The stone floor of what seems like an outside monument is stuffed with a number of rows of fliers displaying lacking individuals. There are a couple of hundred flyers total.

Images of individuals reported lacking cowl a floor in Marjeh Sq. in Damascus on Dec. 20, 2024.

A building is painted with red, white, and black stripes and green stars of the Syrian flag. In front of the damaged building stand five people. Three appear to be soldiers or members of a militia wearing camouflage or vests and carrying weapons. One man and woman in civilian clothes speak to each other at left.

A constructing is painted with purple, white, and black stripes and inexperienced stars of the Syrian flag. In entrance of the broken constructing stand 5 individuals. Three look like troopers or members of a militia sporting camouflage or vests and carrying weapons. One man and lady in civilian garments communicate to one another at left.

Individuals collect at Sednaya Jail seeking their family members in Damascus on Dec. 19, 2024.

With greater than a decade of inner violence giving option to an uneasy and surreal peace, Syrians are grappling with their previous as a lot as their future. The fall of Assad has uncovered widespread evidence of concealed—and long-denied—atrocities. Dozens of mass graves have been unearthed throughout the nation, and lots of the greater than 100,000 people estimated to be lacking are actually regarded as lifeless.

Justice for what has occurred is an pressing demand, however can a system lengthy weaponized for repression be reworked to deal with the daunting process of accountability?

Worldwide investigators are negotiating entry to doc potential struggle crimes, however they face early obstacles akin to sanctions that restrict dealings with HTS. At websites akin to Tadamon, a southern Damascus suburb, the atrocities of the Assad regime have been undeniably laid naked. As soon as a insurgent stronghold, it’s now a bombed-out wreck the place kids toss round human skulls and stretches of backbone are unearthed by canines.

A child of about 8 to 10 years old stoops down to examine a human skull. Two children on either side stand looking down. They stand on a pile of rubble outside a damaged building.

A baby of about 8 to 10 years previous stoops down to look at a human cranium. Two kids on both facet stand trying down. They stand on a pile of rubble outdoors a broken constructing.

Kids have a look at a human cranium discovered within the Tadamon neighborhood on Dec. 21, 2024.

Human bones, long femurs and arm bones among them, rest amid trash and debris on the ground.

Human bones, lengthy femurs and arm bones amongst them, relaxation amid trash and particles on the bottom.

Human bones, unearthed by canines, are seen piled collectively in Tadamon on Dec. 21, 2024.

The realm was a killing area, and locals say that civilians have been systematically kidnapped, raped, and slaughtered proper up till the autumn of Assad. Tadamon grew to become a byword for regime bloodlust in 2022, when leaked videos revealed a historic bloodbath of almost 300 individuals.

“So many individuals have been slaughtered right here,” mentioned native resident Lamis Aloush, 50. “All we did was ask to be free.”

“Free,” “freedom”—these are the phrases you hear most frequently in Syria as we speak, after 5 many years of oppression and a brutal civil struggle. Probably the most symbolic moments of the insurgent advance was the liberating of inmates from Sednaya prison, Syria’s notorious “human slaughterhouse.”

A man, woman, and child stand in a darkened chamber inside a prison. The man leans forward to look through a doorway. The woman holds the hand of the child, who looks toward the camera.

A person, lady, and youngster stand in a darkened chamber inside a jail. The person leans ahead to look by means of a doorway. The girl holds the hand of the kid, who seems towards the digital camera.

Individuals go searching and stroll inside Sednaya Jail in Damascus on Dec. 19, 2024.

A door stands open in a prison block. White doors are seen open down a hallway lit with warm light ahead and through the bars.

A door stands open in a jail block. White doorways are seen open down a hallway lit with heat gentle forward and thru the bars.

Contained in the Sednaya Jail on Dec. 19, 2024.

Amongst them was 36-year-old Yusuf Rahmeh, who had spent seven years locked away in a cramped 7-by-5-meter cell with 20 different prisoners. Talking was forbidden, and any violation was met with torture.

“The guards would activate heavy equipment once they executed individuals so that you couldn’t hear their screams,” he mentioned. “My solely crime was that I wished to be free.”

The rubble and dirt could also be swept away from Syria, however the lengthy shadow of Assad household cruelty will linger. Syrians face the daunting process of rebuilding not simply their cities, however their society—all of the whereas grappling with the deep wounds of the previous.

Six women wearing headscarves smile for a photo taken by a man with a cell phone. They stand on the edge of an overlook with the city below and the rays of the sun stretching over the landscape as it rises in the distance.

Six ladies sporting headscarves smile for a photograph taken by a person with a cellphone. They stand on the sting of an overlook with the town beneath and the rays of the solar stretching over the panorama because it rises within the distance.

Girls pose for a photograph at dawn on Mount Qasioun above Damascus on Dec. 20, 2024. For years, the vantage was off limits to common individuals.