The people of Daraya, west of Damascus, wept as they began to evacuate their city and head for Idleb on Friday, but they were surprised by a new situation that had been absent for them during four years of siege.

Enab Baladi observed scenes of the first day after the departure, interviewing some of the citizens who had spread throughout the Idleb camps, as others headed to shelter centers in the Harjala area.

Mohamed Abou Faris, one of the citizens who reached Idleb, began looking for work hours after his arrival to the camp. But he returned disappointed following an answer from a brick factory owner in the area, who told him, jokingly: “You’re from Daraya, sir, you have everything, you’re our teachers.”

The child Samer Janah, 8 years old, was sad to depart his city, and was unable to adapt to the other children and play with them. Every half hour, he asked his father to return to Daraya.

A young girl, Joudi, 6 years old, said that she will return to Daraya, but after the bombardment ends and biscuits are distributed.

Most of Daraya’s children in the Atmeh camp go out to play with the sunset, and do not go back until obliged to after dinner.

One of the Daraya residents said: “We did not expect this welcome from everyone here,” adding: “The leaders and Free Syrian Army groups come and ask us how we lived… What was the secret of this steadfastness and how were our factions able to resist the army.”

The agreement, which was reached by a council represented by Daraya military actors and the city with the Syrian regime delegation, ended with the exit of civilians and fighters from Daraya to the Damascus countryside and Idleb. Those who were under siege in the “icon of the revolution” lived through severe scenes, and although it was hard and dangerous, dozens of those living in the camps miss life there, as many of them said.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.