I just came back from my second trip to Syria, where I spent two weeks between Damascus, Hama, and Idlib, three cities with vastly different conditions, each having followed a distinct path over the past 15 years. Two of them I discovered for the first time; one of them, I fell in love with.

As I go through my field trip notebook, I’d like to share a few thoughts about my travels in Syria. Though my work is mostly on and about Syria, this 13-day trip was primarily about discovering the country, basically, a holiday.

Still, I ended up learning as much, if not more, than during my previous two-week work trip in January. When you’re just out there, on the ground, exploring with no specific focus, your curiosity is naturally stimulated by direct exposure. It’s the most organic way to learn and there’s no better feeling than that.

I met so many fantastic people from across the secular–religious and liberal–conservative spectrums, mostly ordinary, everyday people.

Unlike what I’ve done before, and what’s usually done, I won’t go into specific themes. Instead, I’ll take it day by day both for myself, to relive the journey, and to share what I saw, as I saw it. Be prepared for long, disorganized thoughts, as I lived them.

(There's so much more that I could share, but what stands below is probably already too much! Sorry for the long read.) May 3, 2025 – Return to Damascus

It was my first time back in Damascus after three months, and I was eager to see what had changed in such a short period. Based on the news and what I gather through my work, I expected things to have moved quickly. Not a dramatic improvement, but at least a marginal one.

And that’s exactly how returning to Damascus felt.

There was sunshine, noticeably less pollution, more electricity… and traffic police. The city felt more ‘normal,’ less chaotic. No more Sarraf on every corner, and fewer people queuing at ATMs. Sidewalks were less crowded. It was actually quite enjoyable just to be there.

In the Old Town (still a bubble, increasingly disconnected from surrounding neighborhoods) life felt better than elsewhere. Some local parks had been cleaned, and people were genuinely spending leisure time in them. Sidewalk plants were being replanted. Houses were getting repainted. It almost looked like ‘normal life.’

As you move away from the Old Town, the Souks also seem to be doing “better,” kind of. Less chaotic, more orderly, and with more goods, Western products, even. Probably less people too.

But most other areas remain far from improved. The poverty is just as severe as three months ago.

The way I usually describe poverty in Damascus (and maybe you’ll accuse me of not having traveled enough) is this: while you’re eating, kids, some no older than four, come up to you just to ask for a bite of food, to eat right then and there. They don’t ask for money. They don’t try to sell you lighters or trinkets. They simply ask for food.

I’ve never seen children ask for food to consume on the spot in any other country.

And that’s still the case today. I couldn’t tell whether this phenomenon had decreased at all, and if it had, the change was only marginal.

To anyone working on Syria: I can only encourage you to visit, at least, Damascus.

I just spent 17 days in Damascus, from January 14 to January 30. I had never imagined I would learn this much in such a short period of time.

I know it’s a cliché, but in this (long) thread 1️⃣🧵, I want to reflect on these two weeks that—perhaps selfishly—brought me so much.

I hope that one day, I’ll be able to give back to Syria for all it has given me. 2️⃣ Most of the people I spoke with (in English, Arabic, and (broken) Turkish) were regular, everyday individuals—mostly poor or extremely poor. Predominantly Sunni Arabs, but also some Alawites, Christians, and a few Turkmens.

My comments and reflections below are in no way, shape, or form linked to formal research. My questions were driven by curiosity and a desire to understand Syria and its people better, with the aim of speaking and writing about the country with greater precision and a deeper understanding of conditions on the ground. As such, I'll be sharing thoughts rather than anything else. So do not expect any actual academic, technical, or journalistic feedback.

(I apologize in advance for the (probably) disconnected and raw thoughts.)

While #Turkey is very a seismically active area and strong earthquakes frequently take place, this is NOT the case for #Syria. The February 6 Earthquake only further highlights the Syrian people's unluckiness.

A thread on earthquakes in Syria according to official data. I went through the 7,200+ earthquakes recorded by Syria's National Center for Earthquakes (NCE) between 1995 and 2021 and here is what I found:

1. Since 1995, no earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 and over was recorded on Syrian territory. Turkey witnessed 18.

Since #Syria is back into the international spotlight and that misinformation regarding sanctions and humanitarian aid is back on the menu, it’s time to provide a few facts in order to clear things up.

1. Sanctions do not prevent humanitarian aid from entering Syria. This one is a give but you can still check this handy @eu_echo guide regarding humanitarian exemptions and/or read about the US implementing further exemptions in Dec 22.

home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel…
dgecho-partners-helpdesk.eu/sanctions/huma…