In Damascus, the past is always present. Beneath the surface of Syria’s capital lie the scars of over a decade of onslaught by the brutal Assad regime. Above the surface, however, the deeply religious population continues to prioritize their faith above all else. The prominent Umayyad Mosque, or Masjid al-Amawi, draws thousands of worshippers daily, and mosques across the city are never left empty.

After the liberation of Syria from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad, Syrians finally have something to look forward to—even after everything they’ve endured.

For the very first time, @Islamic visited Damascus to speak directly with locals about their hopes for the future and how they envision rebuilding their country.

Despite the loss, trauma, and destruction, one thing continues to carry the Syrian people forward: their faith. Syria is home to 25 million people. While the majority are Sunni Muslim Arabs, the country is also home to religious and ethnic minorities, including the Druze, Shia, Alawites, Arab and Assyrian Christians, Kurds, and Turkomans.

In Damascus, the Umayyad Mosque remains full during every prayer—but that devotion isn’t limited to the city’s famous landmarks. 

Across the capital, mosques are consistently filled for all five daily prayers. For the country’s Muslim majority, including over 16 million Sunni Muslims, faith remains the backbone of daily life. 

After each salah, the imam leads the congregation in heartfelt du‘a and dhikr, and many worshippers stay seated to continue their own quiet remembrance or Qur’an recitation.

The atmosphere in each mosque is deeply spiritual and communal.

During our visit, one lesson by Shaykh Ramadan Deeb—a prominent scholar in Damascus—was especially striking. Despite it being a weekday, the mosque was packed with attendees of all ages.

Faith isn’t confined to mosques either. When riding in taxis, it’s common for drivers to play a chapter from the Qur’an or a religious song, called a “nasheed,” praising the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. 

For many Syrians, Islam is not just a religion, it’s the foundation of their identity, and a major reason they survived the brutality of the Assad regime.

In the capital, life continues—but under constant constraint. Most residents only have access to electricity for four to five hours a day, which is a recent improvement from the mere two hours available just six months ago, before the liberation.

The city still runs on outdated infrastructure and aging machinery. It feels like stepping into a world frozen in the late 1990s: many cars are over 20 years old, credit card payments don’t exist, and international data plans are completely unusable unless connected to Syrian telecom providers.

Just a few miles southwest of central Damascus lies Darayya, once known for its beauty, now remembered for its suffering.

In 2012, the Darayya Massacre claimed over 700 civilian lives, many of whom were executed by regime soldiers. Locals pointed out places where more than 9,000 barrel bombs were dropped. They recalled how the regime encircled the city, cutting off food, medicine, and aid for months.

At one of the martyrs’ gravesites, as pictured below, a local caretaker explained how the gravestones were all put in place just a few months ago. Before that, there were no formal gravestones to identify each person. The regime would not allow Syrians to honor their family and friends; if anyone was caught visiting a grave, they would immediately be taken to jail. 

One local named Yasir, described the way regime soldiers stole the locals’ land. He said not only would they remove people from their homes, but they would steal everything they owned, even floor tiles. 

When locals were able to return, they found nothing but four walls and a dirt floor. 

June 27, 2025: A gravesite of martyrs in Darayaa [Photo courtesy of Ennes Kahf]

But Syria is beginning to heal.

Electricity is slowly improving. Solar panels now sit atop apartment buildings, helping families cope with daily outages.

A local government volunteer told @Islamic about the Ministry of Communications’ new SilkLink project — an ambitious initiative to turn Syria into the central digital hub connecting Asia and Europe.

Even with other Middle Eastern countries far ahead in the tech sector, Syria still dreams of becoming a digital crossroads for the modern world.

Still, none of this erases the exhaustion felt across the country. The people are tired — from war, politics, and a never-ending stream of noise that rarely leads to peace.

Yet, despite it all, the dream of a better Syria lives on.

The future remains uncertain. But for the first time in years, the people of Syria are beginning to hope.