The former capital of the ISIS caliphate in Syria is not immune to international urban trends: in the ruined city, an ‘I Love Raqqa’ sign now stands in the middle of Al Naim Square, where just a few years ago the extremist group would display the severed heads of victims on fence posts.
After the fall of Bashar Al Assad's regime on December 8th, the sign's lettering was hastily repainted in the colours of the Syrian revolutionary flag.
The newly painted sculpture, its colours already fading under Raqqa’s heavy dust, stands in contrast to its surroundings – collapsed houses and empty concrete buildings, their windows reduced to hollow black squares, still unrepaired since the ISIS war.
Once a stronghold of the opposition against Mr Al Assad before falling to jihadists, Raqqa now sees many residents rejoicing at the fall of the regime they long opposed. “No one could have been happier at the news” said Ammar Al Jassem, a young Raqqa activist who joined the anti-Assad movement in 2011. “I fought the Assad regime through my youth-led media activism and exposing its crimes, including repression and arbitrary arrests,” he added.
As a result of his activism, he was arrested twice by the regime’s security forces. “I was tortured for 12 days on charges of deserting military service despite being a student,” he said.
A few days after Damascus fell to Islamist rebel groups in December 2024, marking the end of the Assad family's half-century of iron-fisted rule, hundreds gathered at the square to celebrate, singing revolutionary songs for the first time in over a decade – some hoping for Raqqa's reintegration into a unified Syria.
Since 2017, after the coalition and its Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) allies defeated ISIS in the city, Raqqa – a Sunni Arab-majority city – has been governed by the Kurdish-led authorities of the semi-autonomous region of north-east Syria.
But the gathering at the Al Naim Square quickly turned violent, as clashes erupted between protesters celebrating the regime’s downfall and SDF-affiliated security forces. Several were injured by gunfire, though it is not clear who initiated the shooting.
Online, pictures of murals reading “May the Qassad regime fall”, referring to the Arabic acronym for the SDF, were widely shared, a sign of the growing divide between Arab and Kurds. Discontent has long been brewing in other Arab-majority regions, such as Deir Ezzor, where the whole military council, made up of members of Arab tribes, defected from the SDF after the fall of the regime.
While some Raqqa residents may feel a closer ideological and sectarian affinity with the new Syrian government, the path to reunification remains long. Negotiations between the SDF and the HTS-led government – headed by former al Qaeda leader-turned-statesman Ahmed Al Shara – have encountered many hurdles. Kurds fear their hard-won gains will be jeopardised under the new administration and demand guarantees for minorities.
The SDF were not invited to take part in the Syrian national conference organised on Tuesday, despite the Syrian authorities saying that the event is in “support of an inclusive political transition in Syria and its swift economic recovery, reconstruction, and stabilisation."
HTS, born from the Al Nusra front – the Syrian offshoot of al Qaeda, – shares roots with the very groups the SDF has battled for years. And even if HTS has distanced itself from jihadist extremism, mistrust remains.
Raqqa has been under curfew since December 12 and calm had returned when The National visited the city last week. The SDF has raised Syria’s revolutionary flags on its official buildings and Mazloum Abdi, its general commander, congratulated Mr Al Shara on his appointment as president, inviting him to visit the region.
A forgotten city
But for many Raqqa residents, exhaustion drowns out politics. “Many are disinterested in the political matter,” Ahmad, 42, a construction worker gathered with his friends around a makeshift stove in a dilapidated building, told The National. “People are more worried about the economy than politics: the real challenge is rent, ” he added.
Ahmad said that his earnings are around a $100 per month, while rent is as much or even more. “What do you do? You either steal or find another job,” he said.
“If you don’t work, you die,” his friend added. Refeaat works as a local employee with the administration. He earns 1.5 million Syrian pounds ($40 per month). His priority after having been through war, devastation and displacement, is stability.
“If we have security and jobs, it doesn't matter who is in charge,” he said. “Even if it were Israel,” he added, almost provokingly, glancing quickly at his friends, who began laughing dismissively. “No, no, I'm speaking the truth,” he insisted.
We don’t know Al Shara. We need to see how he rules. Look at how they ran Idlib. They are involved in everything – business, trade – they take a cut from everything, like every other group in Syria
Refeaat,
Raqqa resident
Both Refeaat and his friends said they remain cautious about the future. “The real risk is chaos. A transition doesn’t happen in one or two months. We are happy about the fall of the regime but also afraid about what’s coming next”.
Refeaat said that even though he is Sunni, that doesn't mean he automatically trusts the HTS ruling. ” We don’t know Al Shara. We need to see how he rules. Look at how they ran Idlib. They are involved in everything – business, trade – they take a cut from everything, like every other group in Syria,” he added.
Refeaat pointing at children cheerfully playing in the desolated neighbourhood around him said that he worries for them. "No education. No future. What is there to expect?”.
Raqqa is a forgotten city. Once at the centre of international attention during the ISIS war, it has long since faded from the headlines. The massive bombing campaign by the US-led international coalition, which defeated ISIS in 2017, has left deep scars from which it has yet to recover. Some residents still hold a grudge against the coalition for the massive destruction.
“When we came back, It was zero. Everything was destroyed. Still, not much has changed,” Umm Al Nemer, a Raqqa resident, told The National.
Another insists that things are much better now that ISIS is gone, like Umm Mohamed, 50, who stayed during their rule. “We all know their crimes, of course it’s better in that aspect under the Kurds”, she said. But the economic situation has lagged behind.
“It’s exhausting to live here. We have really seen it all. We just hope things get better.”
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
