President Bashar al-Assad has left Syria behind, fleeing to Russia with his family and leaving his once impregnable residence in Damascus to be ransacked by militants and rebels.
Members of Jaish al-Islam, an Islamist and Salafist alliance with links to al-Qaida and other rebels, stormed the sprawling property in Damascus’ affluent al-Maliki neighborhood after their swift offensive toppled the Assad government last week.
The luxurious complex, consisting of three six-story buildings surrounded by manicured gardens, was a symbol of Assad’s power.
Rooms once filled with high-end furnishings were stripped bare by militants and other excited interlopers who roamed the halls with a mixture of defiance and glee.
Video footage showed militants and other Syrian citizens raiding bedrooms – seizing dishes, clothing and even a Louis Vuitton shopping bag.
One man was heard joking that everything was on “Sale! Salty!”
“I’m taking pictures because I’m so happy to be here in the middle of his house,” Abu Omar, one of the rebels, told an AFP correspondent.
Meanwhile, Umm Nader, who came to see the residence with her husband, told AFP, “I came to see this place where we were banned because they wanted us to live in poverty and deprivation.”
Despite the luxury, the house now stands as a relic of a bygone era, with heat and electricity still working – a stark contrast to the daily blackouts endured by ordinary Syrians.
Assad’s now-abandoned presidential palace, known as the “People’s Palace” is located on Mount Mezzeh in western Damascus, near Mount Qasioun and the Mezzeh neighborhood – one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in the volatile country.
The palace spans over 310,000 square meters and until this week was housed within a heavily secured 5.49 million square meter complex, which includes a private hospital and the headquarters of the Republic Guard.
Designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, who left the project before construction began, the building features Carrara marble interiors and bronze gates by Syrian-Jewish artist Maurice Nseiri.
Commissioned by Hafez al-Assad in 1979, the palace has been characterized as having a “feudal” architectural style and has served as a venue for receiving government and foreign delegations, including a 1994 peace discussion between US President Bill Clinton and Hafez al-Assad. .
After the raid on the residence on Sunday, according to Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Assad had already left Syria via Damascus International Airport through secret tunnels discovered under the palace.
Outside the residence, the streets were filled with celebratory crowds cheering Assad’s ouster after more than 13 years of civil war.
While his home in Damascus is now under the control of militants, Assad and his family have found refuge in Moscow, where they were granted asylum by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Known for their vast wealth, estimated at $2 billion, the Assad family is expected to live a life of luxury in Russia.
Over the past decade, Assad’s relatives quietly bought at least 20 high-end apartments in Moscow, worth more than $30 million.
Many of these properties are in the prestigious City of Capitals skyscraper complex, located in Moscow’s prime financial district.
The City of Capitals complex, once Europe’s tallest building, is synonymous with opulence, with panoramic views, high finishes and a prestigious address shared by Russia’s wealthiest elites.
These apartments now offer the Assads a comfortable haven away from the chaos of Damascus.
It remains unclear whether the family will live in one of these private properties or in a government-run safe house.
Asma al-Assad, the president’s London-born wife, has long been associated with a taste for high-end living. In 2012, leaked emails revealed her penchant for big spending, including $350,000 decorating the mansion.
The Assad family’s new life in Moscow is likely to be based on these vast financial resources, most of which are hidden in offshore accounts and real estate investments.
Assad’s eldest son, Hafez, also has deep ties to Russia, recently earning a doctorate in physical and mathematical sciences from Moscow State University.
His dissertation, written in Russian and devoted to algebraic number theory, reflects the family’s long ties to the Kremlin.
The fall of Damascus to Jaish al-Islam raises concerns about the future of Syria, particularly for the Christian minority that had been protected under Assad’s secular government. The militant group, known for its hardline Islamist ideology, now wields significant power in a nation torn apart by war and economic collapse.
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