Memories of liberation and hope for the future: A Damascene’s story

Damascus, Syria – In 2013, Mohamad Yamen, past 9 years old, fled from the Damascus suburb of Jobar with his family.

The Assad authorities flattened Jobar, making it uninhabitable. Yamen and his parents moved to the Abbasiyyin neighbourhood of Damascus, wherever helium continued his studies and dreamed of moving to Spain.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4How absorption forces toppled Syria’s Assad a twelvemonth ago
• list 2 of 4Baraa successful Syria
• list 3 of 4One twelvemonth since the autumn of Bashar al-Assad: A timeline
• list 4 of 4Syria’s Prison of Secrets: The Search for Sednaya’s Missing

At astir midnight connected December 8, 2024, the 20-year-old Yamen was connected his telephone arsenic quality poured successful that the authorities mightiness beryllium connected its past legs. A rebel cognition from the northbound of Syria had overtaken Aleppo, Hama and Homs, and connection was that they were connected their mode to Syria’s superior city.

Yamen told a fewer friends and joined them successful the streets of Damascus. His location was betwixt 2 constabulary stations, Abbasiyyin and Jobar, staffed with constabulary who helium said were corrupt and would regularly harass people.

But that evening, they were obscurity to beryllium found. Instead, they recovered the uniforms of defected soldiers lying connected the ground.

His telephone died portion helium was retired connected the streets, truthful the quality did not travel successful by phone, but the dependable of gunfire echoed done the nighttime sky.

“There was a batch of gunfire from jubilant people,” helium said connected Monday, a time earlier the archetypal anniversary, seated successful a edifice courtyard.

He looked retired implicit the courtyard and played with a ringing connected his near manus arsenic helium spoke.

He described the country that time arsenic a benignant of joy-filled chaos, until rebel forces arrived from Deraa, successful confederate Syria, and aboriginal fighters, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, poured into the superior from the north.

“This was an indescribable joy, honestly,” helium said. But his archetypal thoughts were for different radical suffering oppression.

“At that moment, I thought that God willing, it volition hap soon for the radical of Palestine, and we volition observe successful Palestine, astatine Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Soon after, Yamen saw connected tv that al-Sharaa was entering the Umayyad Mosque successful Damascus’s Old City. He jumped connected his scooter and made a beeline for the mosque. When helium arrived, helium saw Syria’s aboriginal president emerging from the historical mosque.

‘Because of this liberation, I person hope’

Al Jazeera archetypal met Yamen a fewer days later, extracurricular that aforesaid mosque connected the archetypal Friday aft the liberation of Damascus.

“Because of this liberation, I person hope,” he said astatine the time.

On December 7, 2025, Yamen was inactive filled with positivity connected the eve of the day of the liberation of Damascus. At 21 years old, his look was fuller than a twelvemonth ago, and helium spoke calmly with an intelligence air.

He listed a fig of things that helium felt had been improved by the caller government, led by al-Sharaa.

The streets had been upgraded, infrastructure had been repaired, the speech complaint had improved, the wellness assemblage was getting better, and employees’ salaries had been raised, helium said.

“What I person mentioned is conscionable the extremity of the iceberg, truthful there’s inactive much to improve, God willing, overmuch more.”

He besides pointed to the contented of state of expression. Under al-Assad, immoderate disapproval of the authorities could extremity successful imprisonment.

Many Syrians told Al Jazeera that having dollars oregon adjacent speaking the connection aloud connected a mobile telephone could effect successful punishment oregon imprisonment.

“The contented of state of look is 1 of the issues that has made the astir difference,” helium said.

He pointed retired caller antigovernment protests in Homs and the Syrian coast, wherever troops affiliated with the caller authorities contributed to widespread sectarian violence in March.

“Right now, we are sitting here. For example, you mightiness disagree with maine connected a governmental opinion. But nether the aged regime, you were cautious with each word,” Yamen said.

On the existent anniversary, the adjacent day, Yamen headed down to Umayyad Square to instrumentality portion successful the celebrations and the corporate euphoria and joy.

Tens of thousands were expected to attend. By 3pm (12:00 GMT), fireworks burst overhead arsenic helicopters and powered paragliders flew done the sky, portion beneath the quadrate was already afloat of radical waving the green, achromatic and achromatic Syrian flag.

People continued to determination successful for the processions, which the authorities said would commencement astatine 8pm (17:00 GMT).

‘I tin assistance this country’

Jobar is inactive destroyed, and rebuilding volition instrumentality years. Yamen compared the demolition of the country with the demolition Israel has unleashed connected Gaza.

Under the Assad regime, dozens of areas were obliterated done tube bombs, aerial raids, and siege. The World Bank has estimated the reconstruction costs successful Syria volition necessitate betwixt $140bn and $345bn.

“I volition ne'er hide the clip of our forced displacement,” helium said. “Our region, our people, our families successful Ghouta and Jobar were displaced.”

Still, Yamen nary longer dreams of Spain.

“There are things that marque maine privation to situation everything and stay, I mean, this is thing that’s not astir me,” helium said. He is successful his last twelvemonth studying instrumentality and hopes to find enactment upon his graduation.

“I americium yet a subordinate of society. Before, corruption successful the ineligible tract filled maine with uncertainty astir moving here,” Yamen said.

“But today, if I find a bully accidental aft graduation, either successful the backstage assemblage oregon moving with the state, I volition instrumentality it truthful that I tin assistance this country.”