Across Syria, streets are filled with jubilant crowds as more than half a century of Assad family rule comes to an end. Families are reunited, and hope for a new, free future begins to take root. Yet, the brutal reality of the past is also laid bare: over 600,000 lives have been lost during 13 years of civil war, and at least 100,000 people have disappeared without a trace. Despite the growing optimism, one pressing question hangs in the air – how will Syria be governed now?
The first day of school after the fall of the Assad regime is marked by change. Portraits of the president have been taken down from the walls, the revolution flag flutters in the schoolyard, and for the first time, lessons no longer have to align with the regime's version of history.
Thousands of people flood the Umayyad mosque, the biggest mosque in Damascus, for the first Friday prayer after President Assad was ousted.
– Where is my husband!? Where is Haitham!?
Fatima rushes out in tears after looking into the morgue's cold storage filled with dead bodies. Under President al-Assad's rule, hundreds of thousands of people disappeared without a trace. Many were imprisoned in the regime's notorious jails, where torture and executions were routine. Fatima's husband vanished 13 years ago. Now, with the Syrian dictatorship overthrown, she, like so many others, is hoping to find answers.
At the morgue of Damascus largest hospital, families queue in hope of finding answers about their loved ones. All bodies show signs of external violence and are so badly deteriorated that identification is nearly impossible without DNA testing.
The stench of death inside the morgue is so overwhelming that many choose to search for their loved ones among photographs displayed on a wall outside. Under President al-Assad's rule, hundreds of thousands of people disappeared without a trace. Many were imprisoned in the regime's notorious jails, where torture and executions were routine.
A rebel soldier tries to avoid becoming a target for Kurdish snipers. Despite rebels having gained control of large parts of Syria, uncertainty persists in some areas. In parts of Aleppo and northeastern Syria, where Kurds still maintain a strong presence, the celebration of Assad's regime's fall is overshadowed by fears of escalating attacks from jihadists and Turkey.
All across the country, pictures of the former president are torned down.
While celebrations take place across the country, many minorities worry about how the nation will be governed. At the Syrian-Lebanese border, many—especially Shia Muslims—have sought refuge. Here, they sleep under the open sky, waiting for a chance to cross into Lebanon.
In Umayyad Square in Damascus, people have been celebrating for days after the fall of the Assad regime. Hopes for the future are high, but concerns about how the country will now be governed are also high. Will it move in a more secular or Islamist direction?
Syria awakes to a new, yet still uncertain, morning. Will it move towards a more secular path, or will an Islamist rule take hold?