Syria
Pictures from Assad’s palace: They take selfies where a dictator once sat enthroned
When the rebels came, Bashar al-Assad fled Syria headlong. Where the dictator once sat enthroned, onlookers now stroll through deserted halls.
In the end, it only took a few weeks for his terror regime to collapse: When the rebels reached the capital Damascus, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad apparently fled headlong. His exact whereabouts are still unknown. It is the end of a decades-long reign of terror that ended surprisingly bloodlessly. The army moved away from Assad and there was practically no resistance against the insurgents.
Syria: Onlookers stroll through Bashar al-Assad’s presidential palace
The opposition fighters gradually took over the most important government buildings in the capital. Including the dictator’s presidential palace. Suddenly onlookers and rebels walked arm in arm through the halls, which only very few people thought they would see from the inside.
Assad’s palace is a huge area. The main house alone covers almost 31,500 square meters. Chandeliers hang from the ceilings, the walls are decorated with precious natural stones, and gold was apparently the color of choice for the ruler.
Onlookers and looters raided the palace, taking away anything that wasn’t nailed down or taking selfies in the building’s practically empty foyers. The pictures show: While Assad terrorized his own population, some of them starving or being bombed, he ran the government in magnificent halls.
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Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
