On the eighth of December, the Assad regime — which had ruled with iron and fire for decades — fell after the final offensive launched by the Syrian opposition in mid-November, marking the end of a decade of bloodshed and devastation. That day was a major turning point in the country’s history — the day when the meaning of silence changed, when trenches turned into arenas of hope, and death became a heavy memory.
Amid the shocking scenes of destruction that blanketed cities and towns, mass graves were uncovered one after another, telling the stories of those who had been forcibly disappeared. Saydnaya Prison was finally opened, revealing what had been hidden behind its walls for decades.
As a photojournalist who has witnessed the war through my lens since its beginning, I found myself facing a scene unlike any other: a homeland oscillating between joy and sorrow, between life and death. Through my camera, I sought to capture the moment of transformation — the breaking of fear and the birth of hope.
These images are not only about the fall of a regime, but about the birth of a new era in which Syrians search for the meaning of life amid the ruins of silence.
An aerial picture taken by drone shows a general view of the statue of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad lying on the ground on one of the hills of the town of Deir Atiyah Qalamoun Syria 14 January 2025 after the Syrian opposition toppled it with the fall of Bashar al-Assad s regime in early December 2024 Mohammed Al Rifai - epa
Opposition fighters tearing up a huge portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo Syria 30 November 2024 following a large offensive by rebel forces November 27 taking large parts of the country s second biggest city The offensive triggered Russian strikes on Aleppo 30 November 2024 the first since 2016 and saw Syria s military withdraw its troops from the city The attack was led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham HTS Mohammed Al Rifai - epa
An aerial photo taken with a drone shows people gathering to celebrate the opposition takeover of Damascus following the Friday prayers at Umayyad Square in Damascus Syria 13 December 2024 Hay at Tahrir Al-Sham HTS leader Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani called on people across the country to celebrate the victory of the revolution on 13 December following the capture of Damascus and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad on 08 December 2024 EPA MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
A Syrian rebel fires a weapon into the air to celebrate the rebel takeover of Damascus in Homs Syria early 08 December 2024 Syrian rebels entered Damascus on 08 December 2024 and announced in a televised statement the Liberation of the city of Damascus and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad as well as the release of all the prisoners The rebels also urged the Syrian armed forces to leave Syrian public institutions which will stay under the control of the outgoing Syrian prime minister until the official handover ceremony Mohammed Al Rifai - epa
Members of the Syrian Civil Defense group the White Helmets carry a body bag after several bodies and human remains were discovered along a road leading to the airport in Damascus Syria 16 December 2024 According to the White Helmets 17 bodies and 24 bags containing human bones were found dumped on the side of the road leading to Damascus International Airport and an investigation was launched to determine the identities of the bodies and the circumstances of death EPA MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
Syrian opposition forces help US citizen Travis Timmerman C who was found by residents in the town of Dhiyabiya south of the Syrian capital Damascus on 12 December 2024 In a video interview circulating online Timmerman said he was arrested earlier this year as he was walking near the Lebanese town of Zahle afterwhich he spent 7 months in the Palestine Branch prison in the Syrian capital of Damascus He was released after rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad on 08 December 2024 EPA MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
Syrians wait to hear about relatives they believe were held in secret cells at Sednaya prison dubbed by Amnesty International as the Human Slaughterhouse near Damascus Syria 09 December 2024 Rescue efforts continue to find prisoners Syrian rebels entered Damascus on 08 December 2024 and announced in a televised statement the Liberation of the city of Damascus and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad as well as the release of all the prisoners EPA MOHAMMED A
Syrian rebels walk towards the presidential palace after they took over Damascus Syria 08 December 2024 Syrian rebels entered Damascus on 08 December 2024 and announced in a televised statement the Liberation of the city of Damascus and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad as well as the release of all the prisoners The rebels also urged the Syrian armed forces to leave Syrian public institutions which will stay under the control of the outgoing Syrian prime minister until the official handover ceremony EPA MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
Members of the Syrian Civil Defense group the White Helmets prepare numbered tags at the site where bodies were discovered in a warehouse in the Sayyida Zeinab district of Damascus Syria 18 December 2024 According to the White Helmets around 20 bodies and 10 bags containing human bones were discovered at the warehouse in the Sayyida Zeinab district EPA MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
A man walks with a bicycle in front of destroyed buildings in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in southern Damascus on December 10 2024 The fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has put Syria at a crossroads after nearly 14 years of civil war sparked by his bloody crackdown on democratic protests Photo by Mohammed Al- Rifai - AFP
An aerial picture taken with a drone shows Sednaya prison dubbed by Amnesty International as the Human Slaughterhouse near Damascus Syria 09 December 2024 Rescue efforts continue to find prisoners Syrian rebels entered Damascus on 08 December 2024 and announced in a televised statement the Liberation of the city of Damascus and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad as well as the release of all the prisoners EPA MOHAMMED AL RIFAI br br
People walk inside the Saydnaya prison as Syrian rescuers search for potential hidden basements at the facility in Damascus on December 9 2024 Syrian rescuers searched the Sednaya jail synonymous with the worst atrocities of ousted president Bashar al-Assad s rule as people in the capital on December 9 gathered to celebrate a day after Assad fled while Islamist-led rebels swept into the capital ending five decades of brutal rule over a country ravaged by one of the deadliest wars of the century Photo by Mohammed AL-RIFAI AFP