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The Syria I Found Again

Salwan Georges

The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 ended over 50 years of Assad family rule. Civil war, economic collapse, and waning Russian and Iranian support led to Assad’s ouster. With over 580,000 killed, half the population displaced, and 90% living in poverty, Syria now faces the monumental task of rebuilding.

In the aftermath, Washington Post photojournalist Salwan Georges—an Iraqi-American who fled Syria in 2004—returned to document a country reckoning with its past. His journey was also personal. His father was held in prison in 2000 under harsh conditions. When Salwan visited the site, he found his father’s poetry etched into the cell wall.

From Damascus to Aleppo and Hama, Salwan captured the scars of war: bombed homes, deserted neighborhoods, and a society grappling with loss. He returned to St. Ephraim Monastery, where he lived as a child refugee, reuniting with Monk Hanna in a moment of quiet healing.

Through photographs and memories, Salwan weaves Syria’s collapse with his own family’s trauma. His work bears witness to a nation emerging from dictatorship, holding on to fragments of hope while rebuilding from ruins.

The Fall of Assad

The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 ended more than five decades of Assad family rule. The collapse followed years of civil war, economic freefall, and waning support from Russia and Iran. By 2024, Syria faced hyperinflation, over 50% unemployment, and extreme poverty, with more than 90% of Syrians living below the poverty line.

Assad’s grip on power had long been eroded by the civil war. The conflict killed over 580,000 people, displaced around 13 million—half the pre-war population—and reduced cities like Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus to rubble.

In late 2024, a united front of opposition forces launched a final offensive on Damascus. Assad fled to Moscow. His departure had broader implications for regional dynamics.

Now, Syria faces the monumental task of recovery: rebuilding infrastructure, reviving the economy, and creating inclusive political structures. The international community must decide how to support the country’s path to peace and stability.

The Syria I Found Again

After two decades, Iraqi-American photojournalist Salwan Georges returns to Syria in 2025 as the Assad regime collapses. The journey is both professional and deeply personal. His father was imprisoned in 2000. When Salwan visits the site, he finds his father’s poetry still etched into the cell wall—a haunting trace of past trauma.

Across Damascus, Aleppo, and Hama, Salwan documents the war’s aftermath: bombed-out buildings, abandoned homes, and a society emerging from dictatorship. He revisits St. Ephraim Monastery in Maarat Sednaya, where he once lived as a refugee, and reconnects with Monk Hanna—now old and forgetful, yet still a symbol of solace.

This is a story of memory, identity, and reckoning. Through images and reflection, Salwan weaves Syria’s devastation with his family’s history, capturing a nation—and a personal past—at a turning point.