On the 8th of December 2024, the brutal regime of President Bashar al-Assad fell.
As quickly as the uprising began, it appeared to be over. Following a 53-year rule over Syria by the al-Assad family, the country had been freed from dictatorship.
A month following al-Assad’s fall, Syrians reflected on what this historic moment meant for their homeland and its future.
“When the news came in that the Syrian government was collapsing and the rebels were proceeding, there was a bit more hope,” shares Amro Zoabe, a Syrian immigrant in Australia.
Many conversations discussed what this meant politically for the country and how geopolitical power dynamics will be affected, but what did the fall of al-Assad mean to Syrians?
When thinking of Syria, many think of war and a rush of people seeking asylum fleeing the country for safety. But Syria is so much more than al-Assad and the civil war which had engulfed it since 2011.
Syria has a rich culture and deep historical roots.
“Damascus is the oldest city in the world,” expressed Damascus-raised Racha Alchamat, a Syrian immigrant who has lived in Australia since 2014.
“We have history, we have culture. We have so many nice things we want to share with the world.”
Both Zoabe and Alchamat’s families left Syria after the civil war began, deciding the safest option was to leave their beloved country.
“In Syria, serving in the military was mandatory for 18 and above,” said Zoabe.
“But the government brought down the age of mandatory military service to 15… It’s one of the scariest things that would happen to anyone, being recruited by the Syrian government… and being sent to shoot at protesters.”
Zoabe’s family travelled to Jordan before settling in Australia in 2016. Meanwhile, Alchamat’s family went first to Dubai and eventually came to Australia.
And while their journeys took them through different countries to reach Australia, similar memories of Syria tie their stories together.
“Jasmine,” reminisces Alchamat, speaking about what reminds her of Syria. “During spring time you start smelling all these nice flowers.”
“Jasmine. It is literally everywhere,” recalls Zoabe. “You wake up in the morning, you come home from school, the smell is there.”
Similarly, the hustle and bustle of city streets weaves through both their recollections of their much adored country.
“All the sounds in my head are people who are working hard… calling out for their food and the things they are selling in their shop,” said Alchamat. “[Damascus] is a very busy city.”
“A shop on the ground floor would be selling different things, very small grocery stores across the neighbourhood, a small electrician’s. There wasn’t too much structure to it… it was quite a mix. It was quite stimulating,” recalls Zoabe when describing his former neighbourhood.
Such visceral memories keep Syria close to the hearts of those who have left, making events there deeply felt by Syrians across borders.
As such, joy spread to many corners of the world with Syrians seeing a future filled with new opportunities with the fall of al-Assad’s regime.
“By far, this is some of the best news any Syrian would experience in their life,” exclaimed Zoabe.
However, the joy was tempered.
Syrians are not naive, Zoabe explained. People understood anything could happen and the country was still grappling with instability.
“There are still a lot of things that could go wrong. You can’t just rebuild a country that has been destroyed by years of war and decades of dictatorship. Now it is fragmented with no real government, just a newly established government [simply] trying to function. It is unrealistic to think we are going to turn out perfectly fine. But at least now there is some hope.”
Alchamat also shared in the new hope which spread across Syria. Yet, she could not help but worry about the threat of Israel’s expansionist ambitions. The collapse of the Syrian government led to Israel bombing areas of Syria and tightening its hold on the parts of Syria it already illegally occupies.
“I can’t be worried about Syria and not be worried about Gaza because all of these [countries] are the same borders. Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. This is the bigger picture.”
With a poignant articulation of the dichotomy happening in Syria and for Syrians right now, Alchamat sums up the emotion.
“They [Israel] are stealing our moment.”
Now, nearly four months after al-Assad’s fall, Syria’s immediate challenges are becoming clearer.
“Reality is settling in,” says Zoabe. “It’s becoming more apparent that there is still a lot of work to do.”
A lack of electricity is a struggle many in Syria face. While not new, it underscores the immense work required to rebuild the country’s basic infrastructure.
“Before the war, the previous government [al-Assad] didn’t invest in infrastructure,” Zoabe explains. “It was common during the summer, at peak usage, for electricity to go off… During the war, much of the existing infrastructure was destroyed, making the issue worse.”
He notes that electricity is now available for only about two hours a day, presenting significant challenges and hindering Syria’s recovery, particularly its political recovery.
“It’s hard to run elections when there is no electricity, no infrastructure and half the [people] are outside the country.”
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced earlier this year it would take approximately three years to write a new Syrian constitution and four to five years to lay the foundations for government elections.
This past week, Al-Sharaa has also had to address an ongoing security crisis which has seen violent clashes between security forces and pro-Assad fighters resulting in over 1,000 deaths, including 230 security personnel and a majority of civilian casualties. Amid rising fears of renewed conflict, he has urged national unity and vowed accountability for those responsible.
Speaking before the recent escalations of violence in Syria, both Alchamat and Zoabe expressed concerns over the factional threats presenting themselves in a newly freed Syria.
“In some cities I heard there are killings, some kidnappings, some revenge [happening],” says Alchamat, pointing out she does not know how accurate these stories are.
“There are some people who want to [participate in] revenge for their families. And if they know someone used to be in the [al-Assad] military and his hands are full of blood… if they find out where he is, they take him… and kill him.”
Zoabe believes part of the division Syrians are grappling with comes from learning to understand each other in a different way.
“People who maybe oppose the policies of the new [al-Sharaa] government, are sometimes labeled as supporters of the previous [al-Assad] government, even if that’s not necessarily the case,” explains Zoabe.
He notes the concept of political freedom and freedom of expression is understood by many Syrians, but it is not something they are accustomed to.
“The people and the country are trying to figure out how to talk about politics in a safer way. If you live under a dictator for 50 years, it is hard to learn how to be democratic and how to express opinions in a few months.”
Despite these difficulties, cautious optimism is pulling many Syrians abroad back to the country they hold so dear.
Zoabe says his uncle’s family, who have lived in Australia for nine years, have made plans to move back to Syria to restart their business and be close to more family.
“It is hard to tell people to wait, especially if they have been longing for this for so long.”
Hoping for peace in the near future, Alchamat is eager to bring her children to visit Syria and to participate in the “new Syria”.
“I wish that I could have something to do with the new Syria,” she says. “We are people who have travelled outside and have learned a lot from being in other communities [and] in Australia. We want to share these experiences and what we have learned and implement [this knowledge] in Syria.”
The future is far from certain for Syria. At best, it will be a challenging path forward. Even so, you would be hard-pressed to find a Syrian anywhere in the world who doesn’t believe a future for their country is now possible.