Enab Baladi – Majd Wyo
After many years of war and exile, some Syrians have begun to return to visit their country, not necessarily with the aim of permanent settlement, but to rediscover a homeland they have been away from for years.
This homeland has changed in appearance due to what the Assad regime has done before its downfall over the past 13 years; nevertheless, it has remained alive in their hearts and memories, according to some of them who spoke to Enab Baladi.
Some left as children, while others thought their departure was a final goodbye, but the regime’s downfall opened a new window of hope for them to fulfill the dream of return, even if just for an initial visit.
Rami Assaf, a lawyer from Deir Ezzor, did not expect to visit Syria again after leaving it, but today he walks its streets after a long absence.
Describing his feelings in a conversation with Enab Baladi, Assaf said, “Since the first moment I left, I had decided that I would not return until after the regime fell.”
The last thing Assaf witnessed in Deir Ezzor was the regime’s Republican Guards’ massacre on September 25, 2012. He said, “I saw with my own eyes what they did there, so it was impossible for me to return to a place under the regime’s control.”
The first impressions
The first impressions about the homeland after years of absence represent a different moment in the experience of returning Syrians.
Often, returnees have preconceptions about the country, shaped by the news they followed throughout their years of exile, stories from relatives who remained there, as well as the pictures and memories they kept in their minds.
Lujain Mourad, a young Syrian woman who left her country at a young age after the revolution and worked as a Syrian journalist in Turkey, returned to visit after more than a decade.
Throughout her time in Turkey, Mourad closely followed news about Syria from afar, covered many events, and heard from relatives and colleagues who remained there about the details of daily life amidst the war.
“Over the past years, I consoled myself with the idea that the country no longer resembles the images etched in my memory. I realized that if I ever returned, I would not find the Syria I left,” Mourad told Enab Baladi.
She added, “When the opportunity arose for me to visit after the regime’s fall, I knew I would return to a war-torn homeland, and indeed, it is like that.”
Amer Sharaf al-Din, a young man from Homs who left Syria in late 2015 for Turkey, was quick to visit his homeland after the regime’s collapse as well. He told Enab Baladi that during his visit, he passed through new areas like Eastern Ghouta, where the level of destruction was “huge,” as if it had been leveled to the ground.
The destruction in Ghouta was the first scene that greeted Sharaf al-Din upon entering Syria, and while he felt “real depression” at that moment, his feelings partially changed when he arrived in Homs and met his family.
On his part, Assaf felt that the changes were not limited to buildings and facilities but extended to the people themselves. “Everything has changed in Syria; the stone and the people are different, and Syrians have suffered a lot,” he expressed.
He added, “There is a time, technical, psychological, and even cognitive gap; most people’s lives have become revolving around securing basic services like electricity, water, gas, and bread.”
Destruction from every side
The scenes of destruction in Syria today represent the harshest aspect of its reality, dominating the overall landscape of the country.
Even with the widespread distribution of images and videos documenting the scale of devastation resulting from the bombardment by the ousted regime’s forces, experiencing this reality on the ground carries a completely different experience.
Mourad described her feelings of “heartache” upon witnessing the level of destruction, stating, “I placed myself in the shoes of all the people whose memories and lives were lost under the rubble, at one moment they lost everything, and their dream became a roof that shelters them.”
Destruction in Syria is not limited to a specific area but extends to many cities and regions through which visitors have passed.
Amer Sharaf al-Din noted, “The scale of destruction is vast, not just in my city, but in many areas I passed through on my journey from Jordan to Homs.”
While Syrians face this painful reality, hope for rebuilding their homeland remains a dream that requires significant time and effort. As Mourad expressed, “I felt the country needs a long time to return to how we dream of it.”
“A reality in need of hope”
Despite the immense destruction that Syria is experiencing, there are individual efforts to alleviate this devastation, alongside some local initiatives aimed at improving urban realities as preliminary steps toward recovery.
Sharaf al-Din clarified that “people are working, some have begun to rebuild their homes through individual efforts, especially after the liberation.”
Despite all the difficult circumstances, the young man expressed his hope that “conditions will improve with the passage of days.”
During his visit to Idlib, Sharaf al-Din pointed out some positive aspects he observed, saying, “There is an interest in constructing facilities and utilities, in addition to advanced factories, making Idlib a beautiful model that gives Syrians hope for rebuilding Syria.”
For her part, Lujain Mourad believes that the destruction in Syria cannot be attributed solely to the years after 2011; she sees that the regime contributed to destroying the people before the war destroyed the infrastructure. She added that “the regime did everything it could to destroy the people from within before 2011, but after the war, the destruction became more apparent.”
Mourad does not hide the moments of despair that may sometimes overtake her, but she remains clinging to hope, saying, “In some moments, this reality makes me feel despair, but I come back and say at least we have a chance to start restoring ourselves and our country.”
Lawyer Rami Assaf discusses the ongoing efforts in Syria, noting that conditions have improved compared to previous years, but he sees that the improvement is slow, particularly in the services sector.
“Over the past ten years, I have not been in Syria, but I hear from people and compare what they tell me about the past with what I see today. Based on that, I can say that the situation is better, but it is improving slowly,” Assaf added.
Could a visit open the door to a permanent return?
The short visits by Syrians to their homeland may help them decide to return and settle.
Lujain Mourad, who left Syria at a young age, spoke about the issue of permanent return, stating that she cannot decide, “I have an attachment to the country and its places, but in many moments, I feel like a stranger, and in the end, I am in a place and a community I have been away from for 15 years, and it is difficult to return and feel a complete sense of belonging to it.”
As for Amer Sharaf al-Din, who had rejected the idea of returning to Syria before his visit, he stated, “Before I visited Syria, I used to tell myself that I would never return to settle there; however, after my visit to Syria, I felt a yearning for stability there, and now I am seriously considering returning if the situation is right for me.”
Sharaf al-Din’s experience illustrates how a short visit could be the first step in making a final decision about returning and helps in reevaluating reality.
Meanwhile, Rami Assaf affirms his connection to his homeland regardless of everything, emphasizing the importance of patience and work towards rebuilding, stating, “My feelings towards my country have not changed; this is our homeland, and we must be patient and work to rebuild it.”
Since 2011, more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes due to the war.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 7.4 million Syrians remain internally displaced, while around 5.5 million Syrian refugees live in neighboring countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt.
Additionally, more than 850,000 Syrians are living in Germany, which is the largest host country for refugees in Europe.
With the regime’s downfall, many Syrians are beginning to plan their return to their country and settle there.
According to the latest statistics from the Commission, more than 200,000 Syrians have returned to Syria since December 8, 2024.