What kind of life is Syria experiencing after Asad's downfall?

In December 2024, the Asad regime's fifty-year rule in Syria came to an end. Many Syrians continue to enjoy freedom, but it cannot be said that the country has achieved stability. Syria is still in deep crisis, with military clashes shaking the nation.

“Meduza” published a report by Orientalist Ruslan Sulaymonov prepared from major cities like Daraa, Aleppo, and Damascus.

Daraa — the dawn of revolution

On the morning of March 6, 2011, several teenagers in the small city of Daraa in southern Syria spray-painted graffiti on the wall of their schoolyard: “Your turn has come, doctor!”

With these words, they addressed the country's president, ophthalmologist Bashar Asad. By that time, flames were burning throughout the Arab world — long-time rulers Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia had been overthrown.

The police almost immediately arrested the students and subjected them to torture over the next few days. They were electrocuted, and nails were driven under their fingernails. Perhaps the government aimed to punish the teenagers publicly, fearing a potential revolution.

However, the result was the opposite. Reports of torture shook all of Daraa. The city's residents organized and began to gather in front of the police station, demanding the release of the children. The authorities brutally suppressed the protests. But this did not stop the local population. Protests erupted not only in Daraa but across all of Syria.

Thus, a long-standing civil war began in a country that had previously been stable and a model for the entire Arab world. This war lasted nearly 14 years, claimed the lives of over 400,000 people, displaced more than half of the 20 million people in the country, and ended in December 2024 — with the fall of the Asad regime. This regime had ruled Syria for over half a century.

“Am I happy? No, absolutely not. My country has turned into ruins. It was better that we wrote nothing back then,” says Abdurahmon, one of the teenagers who wrote that graffiti in 2011. Now, Abdurahmon lives a modest life: he works wherever he can find money — sometimes in local construction, sometimes as a janitor at that same school.

Abdurahmon, one of the teenagers who wrote the graffiti that sparked the civil war in 2011
In the 14 years, the schoolyard walls have been repainted several times. One of them now bears a new inscription: “The doctor has fled.” “Yes, we finally achieved freedom. But we paid a very high price for it,” admits Abdurahmon.

^{The wall with the inscription “The doctor has fled”}
Today, Daraa is nothing but ruins, with the city center being the least affected area during the civil war. Among the many ruins, there are still relatively intact buildings where people live. This can be seen from the children playing among the ruins and the freshly washed clothes hanging on the lines.

The only news in the city is the cemeteries. Local residents who died fighting against the Asad regime are buried here. The word “martyr” is inscribed on each tombstone. The central authorities have destroyed these stones several times, which is why many of them are cracked or broken into two pieces.

^{Cemetery in Daraa}
After Asad's fall, power in the country passed to the group “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.” However, order in Daraa is maintained by the Southern Operational Headquarters (SOR).

At the end of November 2024, when HTS militants launched a rapid attack in northern Syria, they were supported from the south by SOR. “On the morning of December 8, 2024, we were the first to enter Damascus. HTS allies came after us,” recalls Abu Imod, a representative of one of the armed groups maintaining order in Daraa.

According to him, it was the forces within SOR that protected the overthrown Syrian government’s Prime Minister Muhammad Ghazi al-Jaloli. He had agreed to voluntarily hand over power to the rebels.

Idlib — alternative Syria

Two days after the Syrian dictator fled to Moscow, HTS announced the establishment of a temporary government led by Muhammad al-Bashir. In fact, this was a transfer of the “Government of Salvation” that had operated in the small Idlib province in northern Syria under HTS control in recent years.

Here, for about 10 years, people who had left the ISIS terrorist group’s Syrian branch built a unique “alternative Syria”: a society free of corruption and with a relatively high standard of living in some aspects.

For example, in Idlib, electricity was supplied continuously for 24 hours due to connection to Turkish power grids. This sharply contrasted with other areas under Asad's control, where electricity was provided only for 3–5 hours a day. Additionally, mobile communication was also well established, as the local administration created its mobile network using Luxembourg's +352 phone code.

“Turkey is the only country that has always helped us on the international stage, including in the decaying UN Security Council. This Council has already become a 'Destruction Council.' Other international organizations — whether the UN or the International Court — do not work. We are restoring justice ourselves. But only with weapons,” says one of the HTS militants overseeing the highway connecting Idlib to Aleppo.

Indeed, Turkey has never hidden its sympathy for the Syrian rebels and has supported them. So much so that today, it is possible to conduct transactions freely in Turkish lira in Idlib and neighboring Aleppo. Syrian pounds, however, are not accepted everywhere.

Moreover, in recent years, sharia laws have been in effect in Idlib. Many Syrians considered this a fair alternative to Asad's secular but corrupt judiciary. Now, they want to implement such a system in the remaining regions of Syria as well.

At the same time, although HTS representatives adhered to a strict interpretation of Islam, the civil administration in Idlib openly protected representatives of other religions. For example, Christians could freely worship in their churches. However, this does not mean that there were no cases against them, including evictions from their homes solely for their religion.

Aleppo — paradise over corpses

The most severe and prolonged battles of the Syrian civil war took place in Aleppo. For this reason, the city was nicknamed “Syria's Stalingrad.” Asad's forces, with the help of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah militants from Lebanon, stormed the former economic capital of Syria for four years to clear it of opposition forces and fully captured it in December 2016. This event was seen as a turning point in the Syrian war, after which Asad began to consider himself invulnerable.

By the end of 2024, Aleppo became another important crossroads in the civil war. HTS took control of it in three days and immediately established stable electricity and internet supply. “We are walking in paradise. We were the first to taste the intoxicating flavor of freedom,” boasts 19-year-old Mustafa. He lives in a small room without heating in an old dormitory located in a huge university campus in the eastern part of the city.

^{Aleppo Citadel}
Footage reflecting the joy of the city's residents and the restoration of electricity quickly spread throughout the country. Therefore, there were many who awaited HTS not as an invader but as a liberator in the cities controlled by Asad. “All of Syria envied us and wanted to be with us,” says Mustafa.

^{Turkish lira in Aleppo}
Today's Aleppo is a city that has turned into half ruins. Among the many ruins, there may still be unburied corpses, according to local residents. “This is Russia's doing. It only delayed the fall of the Asad regime. It would have happened anyway,” says an elderly man named Feysal, who owns a confectionery shop in the city center.

In his opinion, both Russia and Iran must participate in the reconstruction of Syria. “They should not only restore historical monuments but also our homes and streets,” he emphasizes.

During many battles, the Aleppo Citadel, built in the 12th century and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, also suffered serious damage. On December 4, HTS leader Abu Muhammad al-Jolani was seen walking through the citadel's exit stairs surrounded by a joyful crowd, leaving a significant impression on the residents of Damascus as well. Many realized at that moment that Asad's days were numbered.

^Aleppo
Today, music echoes in the square in front of the citadel, Syrians from neighboring provinces take pictures against the backdrop of the citadel and bullet holes, and children beg for alms. At the same time, several HTS militants monitor compliance with order.

^{Square near Aleppo Citadel}
Damascus — repression and crisis

In the streets of the Syrian capital, walls are adorned with writings and posters saying, “Keep your head up! Now you are free, Syrian!” On the adjacent wall, the words are inscribed: “December 8, 2024, 06:18 — Syria has achieved its freedom.”

Last December, the rapid collapse of the Asad regime was perceived by Syrians as liberation. “Elections under dictatorship are completely meaningless. The millions of votes given to Asad were fake,” says 42-year-old entrepreneur Solih, who deals in antiques in the central “Al-Hamidiyah” market in Damascus.

“He was only supported by the elite — those clinging to palaces, expensive cars, and currency vaults,” adds the Syrian, emphasizing that the country's future is still very uncertain. “We are living in a state of suspension,” he says.

After seizing power in Damascus on December 8, 2024, HTS leader al-Jolani promised to establish an inclusive government involving all ethnic and religious minorities by March 1. However, this has not yet been realized. Currently, only a government relocated from Idlib is operating in the capital.

^Damascus
Additionally, al-Jolani appointed his older brother Mahir — who previously worked in Russia — as the Minister of Health. Mahir's cousin Marwan became the new governor of Damascus. These appointments resemble Bashar Asad's family governance methods.

On February 24-25, 2025, a National Dialogue Conference was held in Damascus. As a result, a committee was formed to draft a new constitution for Syria. It included seven people, five of whom were directly linked to HTS. Just like in the government, no representatives of Syrian minorities — Alawites, Druze, or Christians — were included in this committee.

Clearly, for years, HTS, which has fought for power in Syria, is not in a hurry to share it with others. However, it will have to do so eventually — as such openness is required to lift many sanctions imposed on Syrian officials since the late 1970s. The European Union has already announced that sanctions will be gradually lifted, and this process will be linked to reforms carried out in the country.

This issue will significantly affect the survival of the new regime in the country. Currently, approximately 90 percent of the Syrian population lives below the poverty line, and they are slowly coming to their senses after the euphoria following Asad's fall.

One of the main problems is money, or rather, its availability. Previously, any operation conducted in dollars in the country was persecuted, but today “greens” are openly circulating. Currently, the exchange rate of the dollar to the Syrian pound is 1:10,000 (the pre-war rate was 1:50), which has forced all Syrians to adapt to counting money by hand. Large stores and supermarkets have installed cash counting machines to facilitate cashiers.

However, during Asad's era, the national currency was printed in Russia and delivered to Syria. How this will be done now is unknown. If a solution is not found, the Syrian Arab Republic may face a cash shortage in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, in the last three months, a slight strengthening of the national currency has been observed.

Another serious test for the new authorities is the fuel crisis. During Asad's time, 70,000 barrels of oil were brought to Syria daily from Iran via Iraq. Today, such opportunities do not exist: the Syria-Iraq border is closed.

Currently, vehicle owners are purchasing low-quality mixed gasoline not from gas stations but from private sellers. This is causing vehicles to break down quickly. If this situation continues, many Syrians are threatening to block the main roads leading to and from Damascus.

The “freest period in history” — for now

Ash-Shar’a, the new Syrian rulers, promise not to follow the path of the “Taliban,” which has refused to meet the demands of the international community and has made no efforts to lift the freeze on assets in Western banks. On the contrary, they are expressing their intention to communicate with the international community, while new restrictions are being imposed on women in Afghanistan.

However, in recent months, clashes have occurred between the Alawite community in western Syria and HTS militants. There have also been casualties among the civilian population. Such clashes affecting ordinary citizens typically arise from raids organized by HTS against Alawite villages where generals and officers who served in Asad's army are hiding. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 973 civilians have been killed during such raids.

At the same time, people in Damascus and other major cities in Syria are feeling a sense of freedom — this is something almost everyone is talking about. The local population is actively discussing political changes in the country, including criticizing the new leaders.

“Yes, he has switched from camouflage to a jacket and tie. But we remember very well: he started his career by organizing explosions and terrorist attacks throughout Syria,” says 21-year-old Rima about Ash-Shar’a, a student at the Dramatic Arts Institute.

In Syria, cultural workers, who traditionally hold great importance, are experiencing serious concerns in trade unions. Many fear that the Islamists who have come to power will completely ban cinema and music in the country and close the trade unions.

These concerns are not unfounded. For example, during the month of Ramadan, in March, the operation of cafes and restaurants during the day was banned throughout the country, and smoking in public places was prohibited.

“You came to our country during the freest period in history,” says Rima. “But we cannot live without strictness. This intoxication of freedom will soon end, and then you will no longer recognize Syria.”