As dusk settles on the gutted buildings around them, Tareq Abu Ziad and his family broke the Ramadan fast on the remains of their home.
The northern Syrian town of Ariha is a silent, grey sea of loose cinder blocks and mangled iron rods.
Mr Abu Ziad, 29, had to make a little clearing in the rubble on his roof to lay foam mattresses for his wife and three children to sit on as they shared their meal.
“Now my family and I are here on top of the destruction,” he said.
“We are reliving a very difficult and painful memory. I pray that God doesn’t let anyone else experience this.”
He and his family fled Ariha last year when Syrian government troops backed by air strikes launched an offensive against the town, controlled at the time by rebel groups.
Within a few weeks, about a million civilians fled the assault on the wider Idlib region, the last stronghold of opposition to the government of President Bashar Al Assad after nine years of war.
Ariha’s entire population headed north as much of the town was razed.
But as a ceasefire held, some of the destitute have since opted to return and look for cheap accommodation amid the ruins.
Mr Abu Ziad came back last month and found a place to stay.
But he wanted to share at least one iftar where his home used to be.
“Every year we used to spend Ramadan here and we wanted to spend one day of this Ramadan here,” Mr Abu Ziad said.
All around them and as far as the eye could see, there was not a soul, only row after row of destroyed homes etching out a scraggly skyline in the twilight.
The home’s kitchen is long gone but Mr Abu Ziad’s mother said they came prepared.
“We brought ready meals from outside,” she explains. “The most important thing is that we relive our memories and eat in our home.”
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Company%20Profile
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The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyperPay%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202014%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhannad%20Ebwini%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2455m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AB%20Ventures%2C%20Amwal%20Capital%2C%20INet%2C%20Mada%20VC%2C%20Mastercard%2C%20SVC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
