A Story of Loss
Marwa’s nightmare began when Islamic State (IS) took over her hometown. This marked the beginning of her and her family’s destruction. IS initially portrayed...
I Don’t Even Have the Right To Grieve
Don’t ever make a friend during wartime. There’s a role for you to grieve as a mother, a sister, a wife, a lover, but...
Documenting Death in Aleppo
Aleppo is one of the most dangerous places in the world. In this war-torn city, a team of 18 medical examiners work under exceptionally...
A Bad Purchase
During the early years of Syria’s revolution, those of us who supported it took part in whichever way we could, be that political or...
From Siege to Displacement
Residents forcibly evacuated from the last opposition-held neighbourhood in Homs have found refuge in Zawghara camp, in the Aleppo countryside near Jarabulus. Waer al-Homsihad...
Between Islamic State and the Regime
It was three o’clock in the morning on April 29, 2015. This would be my penultimate trip to regime-controlled Aleppo before I left Syria...
Treating Aleppo’s Traumatised Children
Nour could not accept that her father gone forever. He had been killed during a government air strike on Aleppo, but his eight year...
A Journey via Aleppo’s “Death-Crossing”
Bustan al-Qasr was the last area of Aleppo with a direct link between government and opposition-held neighbourhoods. City residents called it the “Crossing of...
The Mannequin Challenge
Was it Syrians who invented the so-called mannequin challenge, even though we never got credit for it? The world was quick to embrace this...
Hammam al-Suq: Old Aleppean Ritual Revived Amid Ongoing Conflict
The city of Aleppo was once known for its historic markets and ancient baths. One of the traditional rituals locals had grown fond of...
Shortages Force Aleppo Medical Centres to Close
Medical care becomes especially vital when a nation is enduring protracted conflict. In Aleppo in northwest Syria, health centres have operated under dire conditions...
My Son, My Protector
I will never forget how the day that changed my life unfolded. It was early evening on September 7, 2007 when the phone started...
Aleppo, I Will Return
Fierce bombing had become an everyday part of life in my beloved city of Aleppo. But when the regime began their final push to...
The Crossing of Death
It was July 10, 2013 and I stood at the Bustan al-Qasar crossing: the crossing of death, as I called it. A siege had...
The Dressmaker’s Daughter
A few blocks away from my house in Aleppo’s northern suburbs, there lived a seamstress and her daughter Hasnaa. Hasnaa was a beautiful 21-year-old...
Aleppo Schoolgirls Receive First Aid Training
Basic training in emergency care is particularly important in rebel-held areas of Aleppo as qualified medics are few and far between. Female pupils at...
