The Syria I Found Again

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.