Restaurant manager Bashar Yassine fled his home in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta in 2018 after the government of Bashar Al Assad carried out some of its worst attacks against the Syrian people in the area, including a sarin nerve gas attack.
Mr Yassine fled the Assad regime's bombs to Idlib, the north-western city where he now runs Salleh, a breakfast venue serving fatteh and felafel. His neighbourhood of Sakhba, in Eastern Ghouta, was under siege for four years by the Syrian army and his mother and sister were killed by bombardments.
Millions found refuge in Idlib under its rebel rule as Mr Al Assad sought to crush all opposition during the country's 13-year civil war. With the end of Assad family rule after half a century, Mr Yassine yearns to move back to Eastern Ghouta, but there would be only ruins to greet him.
“I went there with my father, I couldn’t recognise where my home was,” he says of his first visit in eight years. “I’d love to return but the infrastructure and homes are destroyed.
"When we went to see the graves, we were full of sadness. I asked my father if he wanted to go back to Damascus, but he said ‘I didn’t rebuild my home so where else can I go?’”
So devastating was the damage in Eastern Ghouta that some houses did not resemble buildings, just pebbles and dust on the ground. Mr Yassine is one of many who now face the mammoth task of rebuilding. He said he would need at least a year to reconstruct his home, even if he were not facing the financial difficulties of many displaced Syrians.
While there is widespread joy at Mr Al Assad's fall, the task of moving ahead is daunting. Millions have been displaced, many of whom ended up in Idlib governorate, the final bastion of the rebels before they launched their lightning offensive on Syria a month ago.
Among them is Hussein Amine Hajj Abdullah, who runs an education centre for orphans in Idlib, but is originally from rural Hama. “I have many responsibilities here, I’m the manager of the institutions, for the orphans,” he said. “As for my town, my home is destroyed, my farm damaged, the wells are destroyed. I can’t go back – all at least for now.”
Mustafa Ibrahim from Ma’arat Al Nu’man concurs. “The one who can rebuild his house, will rebuild. But those without money can’t and sleep in tents.”
Syria's economy has been shattered by the conflict, salaries are dismal and the value of the Syrian pound has plunged. Significant investment and skills from abroad will be needed to get the country back on its feet, analysts say.
Moustafa Soufi, 57, told The National that his hometown of Ma’arat Al Nu’man in Syria's north-west was so bad that there are craters in city centre streets. In 2019, the Syrian army advanced on Ma’arat Al Nu’man, forcing many residents such as Mr Soufi to flee to decrepit refugee camps in the countryside around Idlib.
“I feel happy – it’s like when someone is about to suffocate you but at the last minute they relieve you and you take a breath,” he said, referring to the end of Mr Al Assad's regime on December 8.
But outside the city's Umayyad Mosque on his first visit home in five years, he reminisced with sadness about the bustling city it used to be. “All morning I’ve been walking around looking at the streets and buildings,” he explained.
“In the past on Fridays, a lot of people came to this mosque and then would go to the markets and buy anything. This one is for shoes, this one for food, this for carpenters,” he said, pointing to different areas of the town. We had doctors, clinics in this building. On Saturdays, this building would see many people come from the villages to buy things.”
In Saraqib, another town near Idlib, Ammar, 35, stood by a motorway selling petrol, snacks and water on Sunday. He left his home six years ago, like many in the villages and towns of Idlib governorate, fleeing a military advance.
His home has also been flattened by bombing. None of his family or neighbours have been able to return, except for his uncle whose home was occupied by Assad government soldiers and so was spared.
“I can't go back; it's destroyed,” Mr Ammar said, describing contrasting emotions of joy at the fall of Mr Al Assad and sadness at being unable to return. “Maybe in the future this country will be rebuilt.”
He took The National on a tour of Saraqib, pointing out its old souq, homes and schools that are now crumpled. Many across the Idlib governorate say regime soldiers stole everything they could from their communities, even iron and plastic used to make taps for washing in the local mosques.
Houthayfa Hamoud, 23, showed The National where he used to relax at his grandparents' home in Al Ghadfa, another destroyed town.
“That home, in the front, is my uncle's house. It was severely attacked,” he said of the area, which until a month ago was occupied by the former regime. “I need to go back to my village, to my home, to my house. But we don't have the financial support.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: M'A Yaromoon, Jesus Rosales (jockey), Khalifa Al Neydai (trainer)
5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: No Riesgo Al Maury, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Mahmouda, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AS Jezan, George Buckell, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Dolman, Antonio Fresu, Bhupath Seemar
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
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Race%20card
%3Cp%3E6pm%3A%20Al%20Maktoum%20Challenge%20Round%201%20%E2%80%93%20Group%201%20(PA)%20%2450%2C000%20(Dirt)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E6.35pm%3A%20Dubai%20Racing%20Club%20Classic%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20%24100%2C000%20(D)%202%2C410m%3Cbr%3E7.10pm%3A%20Dubawi%20Stakes%20%E2%80%93%20Group%203%20(TB)%20%24150%2C000%20(D)%201%2C200m%3Cbr%3E7.45pm%3A%20Jumeirah%20Classic%20Trial%20%E2%80%93%20Conditions%20(TB)%20%24150%2C000%20(Turf)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E8.20pm%3A%20Al%20Maktoum%20Challenge%20Round%201%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(TB)%20%24250%2C000%20(D)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E8.55pm%3A%20Al%20Fahidi%20Fort%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(TB)%20%24180%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E9.30pm%3A%20Ertijaal%20Dubai%20Dash%20%E2%80%93%20Listed%20(TB)%20%24100%2C000%20(T)%201%2C000m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
