ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Syrians are learning a lot about their country after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad. Some of these discoveries have stirred up grief and anger over lost relatives in horrific prisons. Others have brought a sense of relief and joy. That was evident at the Al-Hamidiyah market in the heart of the old city of Damascus. It was once inaccessible to many Syrians. NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi visited the market on a busy night and brings us this report.
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: I'm walking down Al-Hamidiyah market in central Damascus, and it is crowded. There are thousands of Syrians walking up and down the market, shopping for sweaters and bridal dresses and gold. And some people here have been telling me that this is the first time that they've entered this market in 15, 16 years.
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL GROUP #1: (Singing in Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: The most played song in Syria rings throughout the market.
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL GROUP #1: (Singing in Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: "Raise your head up high. You're a free Syrian."
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
AL-SHALCHI: The Ottoman-era Hamidiyah market is the largest in Syria. It's a long, wide path with shops on either side, vendors in the middle and covered by a high metal arch. The market goes right up to the Ummayad Mosque, the largest in Damascus. Rami Badran watches the shoppers walk by. He owns a leather goods store.
RAMI BADRAN: (Speaking Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: "Yes, it's much busier because of people who weren't able to come to Damascus before," he says. Many Syrians fled their homes when the Assad regime clamped down on peaceful protests in 2011, triggering the 13-year civil war. But a lot of people at the market are also tourists from other parts of Syria who've never been able to visit the capital. Different factions control different parts of the country. A visit to Damascus was not an easy prospect.
(SOUNDBITE OF HORN HONKING)
AL-SHALCHI: A leader from the Syrian National Army walks through the crowd. The SNA is one of the rebel factions which helped overthrow the Assad regime. People stop to shake his hand and kiss his cheeks. He's surrounded by a large group of armed men in fatigues, the bottom half of their faces covered with masks.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: "We always dreamt of this, and now we made it come true," he says. His entourage hurries him off, breaking into chants of, God is great.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP #1: (Chanting in Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: There's a red sign that hangs above the shoppers in the market, and in big, bold, yellow Arabic words, it says, the sun has risen over Syria.
WISSAM BAKDASH: (Speaking Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: Wissam Bakdash's family has owned Bakdash Ice Cream since 1895. It's one of the most famous ice cream shops in Syria. And today it's packed with people enjoying his treats. I ask him if he's seeing new customers.
BAKDASH: (Speaking Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: "People are saying that, for 10 years, they didn't dare leave their homes," Bakdash says. The workers make the ice cream by smashing ingredients in a deep, metal cylinder using large rods.
(SOUNDBITE OF RODS CLANGING)
AL-SHALCHI: They break into an anti-Assad song using their rods as instruments.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP #2: (Singing in Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: Just next door, 40-year-old Alaa Sloojee fixes a stand of purses he's selling in his shop. His face glows with a wide smile. He says he feels relief that the old regime is gone.
ALAA SLOOJEE: (Speaking Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: "Our whole world was just one word - fear," Sloojee says. He says he's excited about what's to come for his business.
SLOOJEE: (Speaking Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: "We can bring back industry, bring back our trade. We can stop being afraid," Sloojee says. He's optimistic.
SLOOJEE: (Speaking Arabic, laughter).
AL-SHALCHI: "We're just going to be like you in America," Sloojee says. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Damascus.
(SOUNDBITE OF TEMS SONG, "BURNING") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
