Entering Syria in 2025 | New Government in Power

Syria's government just collapsed.

I'm heading there right now for the first time since I was banned for

shooting a video series

that the old regime did not like.

Since my last trip, everything has changed.

On December 8, 2024, opposition forces took over the Syrian capital of Damascus,

forcing out their dictator.

Bashar Assad, whose family ruled for over 50 years.

This marks a historic turning point in the civil war that's killed nearly 1

million people since 2011.

The success of this rebellion has given Syrians a new sense of freedom,

but the future remains uncertain.

The war has created the largest refugee crisis in modern history,

displacing more than half of Syria's total population.

To make things worse, food prices are soaring, medical care is hard to access,

and electricity goes out daily.

And get this drop.

And the power just went out.

With no functioning government, borders that were once locked down are now wide open.

Massive rallies fill the streets.

And buildings with official records have been burn to ashes.

Literally in one night they burned all the documents.

Yes.

They want to hide the evidence.

Over the next four days,

I'm attempting to visit Syria's most dangerous cities

that have been off limits for decades.

I've never seen anything like that in my life!

I'm also going to try to get access inside the country's deadliest prison,

where all the inmates just escaped.

So what do the local people think about the fall of Assad's regime?

And what are their hopes for the next generation?

After visiting every country in the world,

this is the craziest trip of my life.

My journey begins in Beirut, Lebanon, one of my favorite cities on Earth,

and I really enjoyed being back.

Welcome.

But sadly, I'm sick like a dog from food poisoning

that I picked up a few days ago in India.

On the short drive to the Syrian border,

my driver and I crossed through multiple checkpoints to exit Lebanon.

We're in no man's land between Lebanon and Syria.

But on the Syrian side, with the government in shambles,

they have an interesting new system.

So there's kind of a loophole to get into Syria, they stamp a paper,

not the passport.

Here's my actual entry.

But what if I lose the paper

and then there's no proof

that I entered Syria?

It is surreal to cross this border,

especially since I never thought I'd step foot here again.

I love Syria.

This country has a fascinating history.

Some of the world's most hospitable people.

The more you take pictures, the more we love you.

And honestly, the best cuisine in the Middle East.

But right away, things feel different.

I am walking past checkpoints that have literally just been demolished.

The moment you go into Syria,

you have all these abandoned buildings here that used to be checkpoints, completely gutted.

Imagine military standing here with weapons, like, recently, like six weeks ago.

This is the old Syria flag, which they've destroyed the walls,

and now the new flag is over there.

It is a totally different Syria.

And I'm ready for this one.

It's gonna be one hell of a trip.

How are you doing?

Come back.

Good to see you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This is Ayoub and he will be my local guide for the next four

days.

I freaked out because there's no signal here.

And I was like, how is it's going on the border?

I was banned from Syria, like, until...

Yes. two months ago.

Yes.

Yes.

But when the new government now,

they don't care because all of the issues is related to Assad regime.

I'm not going to get kidnapped?

If I do, you need to bail me out of prison.

Yeah.

No.

Ayoub tells me that we can try to sneak inside the famous Sednaya prison,

where all the inmates escaped after Assad fled to Russia.

But first I want to hear his take on how people are feeling now

that their corrupt leader is gone.

They don't care that I'm filming?

Do they want me to film?

No.

Yes, because they want to expose Assad crimes, you know?

Okay.

When I came here last time, it was completely opposite.

Now it's very relaxing.

We even can fly a drone next to a checkpoint on a predatory base.

Crazy, dude.

It's a new Syria.

People are happy because for them, Assad is the worst thing to Syria.

Ever.

Yeah.

Who is in power now?

His name is Abu Mohammad Al-Julani People like him?

He's nice?

He's acting nice with people.

But for me personally, I support democracy,

but I think we don't have this right now.

But it's better than...

Assad?

Of course.

Anything is better than Assad.

Anything.

Before we head to the prison,

we have to check out Damascus

as the beating heart of Syria's economy

and culture.

I'm dying to see how much has changed since my last visit.

So crazy to be back here, man.

I remember everything.

All of this area was closed by checkpoints

and military because Assad lives close from here.

You cannot walk here freely.

They like to use the horn in Syria.

It's so cool to be back here in Damascus

and just remember standing in this exact spot.

Through all the wars and everything.

The old city is really intact, like it hasn't been destroyed.

Ayoub and I met in 2019.

Yeah.

Yes.

Hi, my name is Ayoub,

and we're going to tell you a different story about Syria.

And then my friend Rowan, who runs Young Pioneer Tours,

who actually set up this trip, he told me about Ayoub.

And now we're here.

I didn't imagine we'll meet again.

Small world bro.

Yeah.

Small world.

Really small world.

Everywhere in Damascus is bustling with activity and street life.

So everywhere on the streets of Damascus now, you can find people exchanging money.

Where before it was illegal, but now they really want dollars.

And you exchange anywhere.

Like here.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, America.

I got all this money here, but it has Assad's face on it.

Right here.

Ayoub is telling me that the money is going to be changed.

They will remove zeros like Turkey, and they will remove the Assad photo.

What a crazy time to visit a country where everything is changing.

All over Syria, you find bullet holes in Assad's face.

So crazy to see this happening.

These are photos of people missing in Sednaya Prison.

Look at this.

So sad.

As we make our way to the prison,

the outskirts of Damascus tell an ugly story,

one of civil war and terrible suffering.

The physical line between the beautiful city center

and the desolate rubble is razor thin.

You see now here, it looks nice.

Compare it with after that line.

Wooow, Yeah. look at those buildings.

Under Assad, Syrians endured mass executions, chemical attacks on civilians,

and the deliberate bombing of hospitals and schools.

It literally feels like another planet out here.

Every building around me is destroyed.

Completely destroyed, Gone, gutted.

This used to be a kitchen.

A lady in the evening cooking here, kids playing here.

And now it's all gone.

It's not clean yet.

From mines.

From mines?

Mines are the the The rockets that didn't explode.

Bro.

Be careful of mines?

How how am I gonna know if I step on a mine?

I walked through this way many times.

I.

Thought you were gonna say be careful about glass or something.

Not about. rockets that haven't exploded.

Do you remember when all these, like, attacks?

Yes.

Before the war, I used to come here with my brother.

No words can describe the feeling of standing here right now

and looking at all this destruction.

I mean, I've traveled to Ukraine and Mogadishu Somalia, and Libya.

You see a little bit of destruction, but not like this.

It's hard to swallow.

Soldiers used to be here, and moving through those tunnels.

Let's go in the tunnel.

Wow, dude.

Keeps going farther and farther.

It gets narrow and narrow.

It's freaky here.

Wait, so people could live down here?

I think this Is for electricity.

Yeah.

So people did live down here.

This is kind of freaky.

Yeah, it's like a city under a city.

Yeah, but it's so quiet and still in here.

It's difficult to breathe.

This is so not safe.

There's glass everywhere.

This is the, last, checkpoint of Assad regime army on that time.

Can go inside of it.

Yeah, it's empty.

Whoa, man.

So wild then you can peep outside from here.

Is this like one of the worst destruction in all of Syria?

Yes, this area called Jobar.

In the whole country, this is like.

Yes, Jobar, Darayya, Homs, this is the most.

Can you imagine?

Assad forces?

here?

And the oppositions, and the tunnels.

The Syrian civil war started in 2011

as protests against Assad regime inspired by the Arab Spring,

which was a wave of uprisings across the Middle east demanding democracy

and an end to corruption.

But after the brutal government crackdown,

it spiraled into a full scale war involving rebels and other militias.

The Free Syrian army was the first major rebel group supported by Turkey.

But over time, it dissolved and lost influence.

Now a militant group called HTS,

which is short for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

and was once part of Al Qaeda,

controls the majority of Syria, and has a large base in Idlib,

a city in northwestern Syria where I'm hoping to visit later.

Meanwhile, ISIS, or the Islamic State, took over Syria and Iraq,

enforcing extreme rule through mass killings.

They were eventually defeated,

but a few members still linger in the desert of Syria.

Finally, we have the Syrian Democratic Forces, who are mostly led by the Kurds,

a stateless ethnic group in the northeast.

They received US Support to fight isis,

but now Turkey sees them as a major threat.

Russia and Iran have backed Assad's government,

while the opposition has been supported by Gulf states like Qatar.

It is devastating that kids

and families have been caught in the crossfire of these shifting power dynamics.

But nowhere explains this new stage of the conflict better than the human slaughterhouse

I'm about to enter.

Just arrived at, one of the world's, deadliest prisons called Sednaya here.

Over 150,000 people have been killed, inside of that gate.

Let's get into the prison.

Hello.

Hello.

Hello.

Holy shit we've just entered the prison.

If I contacted you like, three months ago.

And I said, hey bro, let's go to Sednaya prison.

What would you say?

Yeah.

You are crazy.

That's impossible.

I never imagined myself.

Coming here, because no one expect that Assad regime would fall.

That fast.

They got all these tanks from Russia.

Can feel like they're Russian cars.

So eerie to be the only one here.

This is so bizarre.

We just entered the prison, and this is insane.

So this is a normal celll.

There's a normal cell?

They keep here up to 100%, only in this space.

What?

are their bodies in here?

No, no, only clothes.

Because when everyone left, they only left with their clothes.

They only have light.

From here.

Are you sure?

So imagine yourself, sitting here and that's the only light you can see.

Damn.

This is how it used to be.

Yeah.

Only this, small window.

Wow.

Three locks And there is 100 people inside.

Wow, this is so scary, man.

Only one small toilet.

For a 100 people?

Yeah.

That's the toilet?

Yeah.

What is that?

Sugar or no, laundry.

Laundry.

This is... the prison's... clothes.

It's a smell very bad.

And you can find the water bags and everywhere because of the bugs.

I can't describe the feeling of being in here.

It's just so recent.

Like, all their clothes are just, literally here on the floor.

They just like got up and left.

That's it.

Every single cell here at 100 people?

Yes.

And in the end, there are the showers.

People died in here?

Yes.

Often?

Yes.

Because.

During the war, more than 150,000 people were killed in Sednaya Prison.

And it was full of people.

So when they want to bring more people,

they need to terminate some of the prisoners.

Who were the prisoners here?

Were they like drug dealers, rapists, like criminals?

No, no, not criminals.

The majority of the prisoners here,

they took them because of their political opinions against the government.

So.

They were just normal people?

Yeah, most of them are educated.

Cold water.

And it's freezing in here.

There's no heating.

Actually gets quite cold in Syria in the winter, like right now.

They used to torture people with the wheels.

Like they put.

The prisoner inside and they hit it.

This is the red section.

It's full of cells, like this one.

So it's the same design.

And underground there's the single cells.

The worst part.

I don't think I've ever seen a place like this, man.

I've been to all kind of abandoned buildings,

but not a prison that was just... emptied...

It's so cold in here.

Like, God, my whole body's freezing.

This is the single cell section.

Careful.

This is the worst part.

But I heard they put like 10 people inside 10 people?

Yeah, because they don't have space.

Holy shit.

That's the bathroom.

There's like the people who've been here.

They write, like memories.

So you see the lines?

Yeah.

It's the days.

Wow, look at that.

Those spider webs?

Yeah.

That's a spider web?

Yeah.

Holy shit.

Damn.

This is so.

Scary.

All the single cells are right next to each other.

I can't believe I'm in this prison right now.

I've heard all about it.

Bro it smells like death in here, literally.

I think I gotta get the out of here.

This place freaks me out.

So, I can't believe that everybody was just freed at once.

When the news. hit that Assad left.

Like everyone just.

At night, Yeah. the prison... keepers, they ran away, they escaped.

So people from the village, which is next to the prison,

they came here and they free.

All of the prisoners.

So many Syrians were coming here Wow.

And, like digging underneath,

looking for a secret cells

because they are desperate

and they want Yeah. to know anything about their relatives

and families.

Yeah.

And also here they found some clothes belongs to women's.

So also they keep women in this prison.

What does it say?

How hard is to live without hope.

I have no words what it feels like walking around this place.

It is a dark, scary.

Place.

I can't imagine being stuck here for being innocent.

They even have small cells.

Like this.

You will stay here.

You cannot stand up.

Oh.

This is the space you have.

Look at all these clothes.

Oh, they smell terrible.

Oh, man, they're like wet and cold clothes.

Walking through this prison

and thinking about how many people died here makes me sick.

It's hard to believe these horrific conditions

and the fact that all prisoners escaped just a few weeks ago.

But there is a glimmer of hope, because back in Damascus,

I stumble upon a rally of people celebrating the fall of the old regime.

The idea of establishing a new country with a new government is really exciting.

It doesn't happen often in today's day and age,

but it's happening right now in Syria, and I'm here for it.

Damascus is the world's oldest continuously inhabited city

and is a cultural

and historical treasure.

Once a key hub on the Silk Road,

it has been shaped by countless civilizations like the Romans, Ottoman and French.

For centuries, Muslims, Christians and Jews coexisted here, making it a true spiritual crossroads.

The city is famous for its ancient mosques and bustling markets,

and I can't wait to soak in the atmosphere that I remember so well.

Walking in the, beautiful old streets here in the old city.

Look at this food everywhere, man.

Unfortunately, I have one of the worst food poisonings of my life right now,

so I'm not able to enjoy any of the food here.

But it's some of my favorite cuisine in the world.

But I got to Just kind of take a look and keep walking.

Today is Friday, so everyone goes, to hang out.

Man, I'm so happy to be here.

This is amazing.

What a place.

Super lively.

I just came from Beirut before this, and I gotta admit,

there's way more action going on here in Damascus than in Beirut.

It's really cool you can see the kids.

Gearing up and.

New Syrian flag scarfs and beanies with the new flag.

It's really, really changing guys.

It is insane to witness this.

I was here six years ago, right here.

I remember this street food vendor, and I took a bite of the shawarma.

Right here in this exact spot.

Very good.

Entering the amazing Umayyad Mosque.

Oh, man, what a place.

Last time I was here, this whole courtyard was off limits.

You couldn't go in the middle.

So I actually snuck up to the top of

that minaret and I hiked all the way to there.

I had the most epic GoPro selfie shot overlooking Damascus from there.

I'm on the top of Damascus right now.

It's the fourth holiest mosque in Islam.

It used to be an Aramaic temple, then a Roman, then a church,

before that a Synagogue, then it's... become a church, then half church, half mosque.

Then they turn it to a full mosque

and they keep that minaret from the time of the church.

So if you look to the minarets, it's all different.

I can't really put into words how special this place is.

It is amazing.

You just feel like you're walking through history when you're here.

It's insane.

This is how, you know Syria has changed.

We're going to drone from the middle of the.

Mosque.

Yeah.

It's a little bit emotional for me right now because.

I honestly thought I was never going to come back to Syria

and see all the beauty here.

But, here I am, back again and enjoying it, honestly,

more than I've ever enjoyed it.

English?

English.

Are you happy these days in Syria?

Yes, he's happy.

Why?

He don't need to do the military military service anymore.

That's why he's happy.

Why else are you happy?

Because prices are going down now.

Life is easier.

Are you happy in Syria?

Yeah, very happy.

He said, God bless America.

How do you feel about life now in Syria?

And she feels safe now for her country.

She suffered during the war because of the fighting,

and now she feel like that's the end, of this nightmare.

That's why she's happy.

Thanks for sharing.

How about you?

How do you feel?

She's... super happy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We are now entering inside the mosque Immediately when I walked in here,

the prayer came on.

It's so cool to revisit a place after,

extended period of time and just realize how.

How much you've changed, and how your perspectives on the world are different.

But the building looks exactly the same.

The call to prayer is one of the most beautiful sounds on planet Earth,

and it's a great way to end the night.

After diving into some heavy topics, tomorrow,

I'll be ready for another big day of exploration

because this time we're going to road trip outside of Damascus.

After a good night's rest,

we're on our way north to a city called Idlib,

which was once controlled by ISIS and completely off limits for anyone to visit.

Nowadays, Idlib is a stronghold of hts, the new militia in power.

People in this city have faced relentless bombings, sieges, and extreme hardship.

So I have to admit I'm feeling as nervous as I am excited.

On the way out of Damascus,

we pass by a wild looking building

that looks like it was set on fire just yesterday.

What was this building?

Department of Immigration.

This is where we get visas from.

So, literally in one night they burned all the documents?

Yes, because they want to hide the evidence.

I've been banned from Syria.

And all the evidence of that was in this building?

Yes.

So now nobody knows the details?

but there was a paper in here that says I was ban?

Yes.

Exactly.

The whole system is here.

I feel bad because now they need to make more efforts,

but also because. we need some evidence to prove what exactly was the security

forces agencies doing in here?

It's a little bit intimidating that these guys are walking around with huge guns.

Like, who are they?

They're good guys, right?

Yes, now their name is Ministry of...

Internal Defense.

Just then Ayoub mentions a pill factory where Assad's government used to manufacture illegal

drugs.

And I know we have to check it out.

The drug that they would make in here is similar to like speed

or Adderall.

And they would make it in the millionth in this exact warehouse,

which is now empty.

Our final stop.

Leaving Damascus might be the craziest place I've ever stepped foot in.

The abandoned Iranian embassy.

And we're about to just barge in?

Whoa, dude.

For decades, Iran was one of Assad's biggest supporters, providing weapons, funding,

and even fighters to keep his regime in power.

But the moment Assad fled to Moscow, all the Persians left Syria with him.

And their embassy was left in the dust with no security guard.

Wow.

Look at all these Iranian flags.

Holy shit.

There's pictures of the leader, like, all over the place.

Dude, this dude just came out of the wall.

What the.

Just a random dude that came with us.

He's, like, searching around for stuff.

I feel like, there's still cameras in here

that Iran's like watching me

or something.

I do want to go back to Iran someday.

I love you Iran.

Look at the cat.

Whoa.

This is a library in here.

Dude, look at this.

All these books.

Behind this bookshelf, there's a secret door.

Dude, this is a secret room.

I wonder what they did in this room.

What happened in here?

I'm in a secret room in the Iranian embassy in Syria.

I've been to Iran three times.

I love the country.

It's one of my favorites in the world.

And I just can't believe I'm stepping on. all these artifacts, books, CDs.

You want to get out of here?

I'm not scared.

I'm scared, dude.

How are you not scared?

We won't, come back here every day.

Holy crap.

This is a control room.

This is hard drives.

Hard drives some?

Hard drives?

Yep.

Damn.

That's.

Wait, who is that?

Assad and?

Assad the father.

And the Iranian president Oh.

There's probably some value in this room.

When Iranians drink tea, they put this rock candy inside of it.

Of course.

I find this on the ground.

I'm looking for Saffron the spices.

Saffron?

Everything's already been looted.

Esfahan.

I love this city.

This is the front door.

How do we exit?

No, we can't get out here.

There's, like, important documents everywhere.

Like, what kind of business was done in here?

I need Saffron!

Forget the saffron bro, Let's go.

I need my life.

So are people, like, happy about?

Everyone's happy, right?

Yes, everyone is happy and optimistic.

Because during Assad time, everyone felt like,

the future is bad for sure. 90% or, like 100%?

A 100%.

Even the the people who used to support Assad.

Is it going to be a good thing in the end

or a bad thing?

I'm not sure yet.

It's not clear yet.

If you replace Assad with the demon itself, it's better than Assad.

He's the worst thing ever.

So anything is better than Assad?

Yes, and it's a big challenge because in such a country like Syria,

we need democracy.

It's very diverse country.

And as I understand, like, still the border areas of Syria,

near the Turkish border, near the Iraq border, they're still kind of dangerous?

Yes.

We're currently driving through Homs,

which is known as the most destroyed city in Syria.

It's incredibly sad.

The rebuilding Every single house is covered in bullet holes.

As we're pulling up to a sketchy checkpoint,

I'm feeling nervous to get out of the car

because we don't know who is who.

They're actually nice.

Can I see your gun?

Homie gave me his gun just now.

Holy shit This is crazy.

Bye bye.

Bye bye.

That was insane.

That car and all their weapons and shit.

As it turns out, these guys were just curious.

And it's clear they want to show that Syria is changing.

We are still on our way to Idlib,

but I'm noticing a lot of tents out my window

and decide to pull over to see what's going on.

So we're somewhere near the town of Hama.

In between Damascus and Idlib, and we found a community of gypsies?

You can see there are tents here.

They're just really, like, off the side of the road.

Yes.

English.

No, Arabi.

Hello.

So we are walking through the community here, and everywhere we go,

all the kids follow.

Which is actually kind of cool.

They have their own community.

This is their shop.

They got shisha.

This is awesome.

Just a dude chilling, smoking shisha in the corner.

It's crazy.

Their faces are like.

A lot of them are like white with blonde. features.

Like green eyes, blue eyes, bro.

They have a lot of kids.

Like, each family, like this guy, he has five kids and one wife.

Some men have like two, three wives.

Syria has gone through a, crazy liberation in the last few weeks.

How does it make you feel?

He don't like a sad family Who used to suffer through his whole time.

And we don't have ideas and we serve in the army,

but they don't give Syrian ideas.

What do you think the future holds for Syria?

Saying good things about the president.

He said he's been sent by God.

He's good.

He said they, promised them that they will get Syrian IDs now, like,

their rights as citizens.

What do you think about this experience?

This is my first time being here, actually.

It looks nice, but I met like, gypsies in in the city.

They, do some businesses, and I know they have their own language.

Yeah.

Is it offensive to call them Gypsies?

Oh, he said it's different, Gypsies are different than Turkmen.

They are Turkmen.

This section is Turkmen, that section is Gypsies.

So it's different race.

Are they Muslim?

Yes, yes, Muslims.

There are about a hundred thousand Turkmen nomads in Syria,

a group that has been here for nearly a thousand years.

These guys were originally Herders and traders moving with the seasons.

But over time, many settled in northern and central Syria.

Today, their way of life has been shaped by history, conflict and modernization.

Some still live as nomads, like the community I'm with right now,

while others have been forced to settle in cities

or even leave the country due to war.

I truly can't believe my luck for bumping into them.

The very kind man has invited us into his tent here.

Whoa.

I think they're excited to see us.

Yeah.

Can you ask her, how long do you stay in each location?

He said they stayed like one month, two months,

then they moved to Aleppo or Damascus.

Depends.

They said they work also, as farmers.

For example, in the olive seasons, they go to Aleppo.

In which ways did you suffer during the Assad regime?

They didn't have any political freedom on that time, on Assad time.

But now they do.

They used to be afraid of talking about politics or asking for their rights.

Now we can talk and the situation is better.

We don't have any problems.

Now that you're able to talk, tell tell me what's on your mind?

He wants education for the kids.

What are the common jobs here?

Is it farming only?

They work, everything.

Wherever they get a chance, they work.

What things are the most important to your community?

And family is important, but for them, they are like very humble people.

So they just want. to survive.

This is crazy.

Like, we're being just swarmed by people.

The discipline here is wild.

Like, they have no manners.

They don't understand.

Like, it's all in good, good faith.

It's interesting that they settle, like, on the side of the freeway.

Like, they don't want more privacy like England.

Yeah.

These. are the kids that are begging in the cities, but when you,

but when you're in their community, they're just different.

It's weird.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I never imagined myself coming here.

But is their language like pure Turkish or It's a dialect?

Oh, same same language.

Pure Turkish?

Yeah pure Turkish.

We are exist in here.

We live here.

They don't hurt anyone.

They have humble life.

They are happy.

The chief.

Yeah.

The chief.

We.

We just saw your community, so we wanted to stop and say hi.

He said, you are most welcome.

Thank you.

How many kids do you have?

Eleven kids?

man!

Why is it so important for you to have kids?

Yeah.

To bring blessings.

He said, now we will have more kids because the situation is getting better.

How do you feel about the current situation in Syria?

They are very happy and they feel safe now.

He said during a sad time, they used to have, like, very bad situation,

but now they feel optimistic about the new Government.

I'm very happy for you.

What do you want the whole world to know about your community?

Every good thing.

The new government, he hope

that they will make them more happy

and they want to spread,

peace and happiness around the world.

All right.

We're being ordered to sit down and have some chai.

Cheers, bro.

Cheers.

That is extremely sweet.

I think it's like 90% sugar and 10% water.

Yes.

Apparently they have birds in here.

We're going to check it out.

Yeah.

So, why do you have birds?

It's a hobby.

He bought them?

Do you know what kind of bird it is?

He said booze, but I don't know what type.

Are they Syrian?

Yes, Syrian.

Yeah.

How many kids do you have?

Two kids.

Right here?

He's really cute.

Where do they give birth to the babies?

In the hospital in Damascus.

This is the small kid, 15 days old.

Wooow.

Wow.

Oh my god.

That's so beautiful.

Wow.

The wife looks really young.

He's 24 years old, same age his wife.

How many kids do you want to have?

He said the... minimum average is like 5, 10.

He likes the kids.

All right.

Getting to the car is going to be really difficult.

How are we going to do this?

This is the most difficult part.

How to escape now?

Escaping is going to be quite the challenge here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Wow.

That was crazy experience dude.

Whoa.

They want money.

They want money.

Yeah.

Be careful with that.

Oh, my God.

Are you crazy?

I want them to move.

Are you crazy?

Why did you?

I want them to move, man.

Dude, they're literally riding on the car.

Those kids were so cute and chaotic, but their innocence warms my heart.

I can't help but feel sorry for all the trauma they've been through with

the Nomads.

In the rearview mirror, we are now approaching Idlib.

And believe me when I say,

this is one of the most intense places in the world.

Broo, there's tanks.

After five long hours of driving, we are here.

Welcome to Idlib.

And this is so significant because, I remember, on my last trip to Syria,

they were like, you cannot go near Idlib.

It's a no go zone.

So let's go to Idlib!

Let's check it out.

There are checkpoints, like, all around us, but Ayoub says that we're safe.

I still feel a little bit kind of sketchy to be here.

As Ayoub just told me.

This is the most conservative area of Syria.

If you saw the sign on the right,

it says the terms and conditions for clothing and how you should looks like.

Am I dressed okay?

Yeah.

But for females.

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Avoid mentioning Americans.

Let's say...

Canadian.

Canadian?

Okay, I'm Canadian.

Careful when you cross the street in Syria, these guys drive like crazy.

Oh my God.

It's almost as bad as Iran.

What does it say behind you?

It says Syria for all Syrians.

And the date of the fall of Assad regime and even the timing.

And this white flag, which is the new government, basically.

Yes.

HTS flag.

And it looks like the Taliban flag.

What does it say on the flag?

Yeah.

There is no God instead of Allah and Prophet Muhammad is the prophet.

The adrenaline rush that I get from being in a place

that I know has been like forbidden.

For anyone to visiting Syrians and, tourists.

It really gets me going.

Time to explore Idlib.

As I mentioned, Idlib is controlled by HTS,

a former Al Qaeda affiliate that now rules Syria with an iron fist.

They claim to have distanced themselves from jihad or engaging in violent extremism,

but their strict interpretation of Islamic law tells an interesting story.

Bro, what is going on?

This is chaotic as hell.

This is absolutely insane.

Like, everyone's just running around.

That kid looks like he's 10 years old, driving a motorcycle.

Is it always chaotic here?

Do you think that most people in Syria are scared to come here now?

Yes, they think, Idlib, could be dangerous.

It's so conservative, different than Damascus.

It almost feels like a different country.

Yeah, yeah.

And there's like foreigner fighters everywhere.

Are you nervous?

Kind of, to be honest.

Yeah, me too.

I'm not afraid, but, I need to be careful.

Are you worried that people are going to ask us questions like,

what are you doing here?

No, I'm worried because like, for example,

being in a fight here is not like in Damascus.

But who's going to fight you?

Like if we hit someone with a car, for example.

Everyone have guns.

Ooh, okay okay.

Totally different energy on these streets.

Like, everyone's intimidating.

A lot of people have guns.

They all have big beards and no mustache.

Like the ISIS look.

I just popped into a gun shop cuz there's

so many here and I was curious,

and I asked the price of a Glock

and it was a 180 US dollars.

They're just like throwing the weapons around like no one's business.

And he was like, do you want it?

Might be the cheapest, guns in the world.

Only in Idlib Syria can you do that.

Do you think everybody here has guns on them?

I think so.

And they have like the military dress.

So we're coming up to the main square here.

There's actually beautiful little palm trees, there's a little, clock.

And guess what?

My SIM card don't work here.

So we don't have Internet.

Why doesn't it work?

Really?

Because they use Turkish networks here.

Everything is Turkish?

well, do they use Turkish lira?

Yes.

Why do they use Turkish lira?

Yeah.

Because they are closed and supported by Turkey.

And so many of the products they have here, made in Turkey.

So they just use Turkish lira?

You think I'm the only tourist here right now?

Of course.

Yeah.

But not the only foreigner, because there's so much fighters here.

So many.

Foreign fighters.

But who brought them here?

Who sponsored them?

Yeah.

They went.

Since the... revolution start 2011.

Did you ever think you would visit Idlib in your life?

Never.

Because I didn't expect that Assad will fall.

Right, but so even for you right now, you're like looking around everywhere,

trying to understand what's going on.

Yeah.

Yes.

And, the products they have here looks different than the one in Damascus.

We are pretty close to the Turkish border.

It's like, two hours by car maybe?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I haven't seen any pictures of Assad here.

But even during his regime there was no pictures of him?

Yeah.

Of course, no, during the regime time, It was but since 2011,

they remove all of the, photos of Assad.

There was?

So they were against him here?

Yes, since the beginning.

It was the opposition?

Yeah.

Every store is like a military store.

Yeah, I would say this is not the most touristy,

friendly place I've ever been.

It's very, very.

Intense here.

But everybody's in military.

Because everyone joined HTS.

Because they don't have any job opportunities in here.

It's a small city.

Oh, okay.

Look at this guy.

Like, dude, what the hell?

That's insane!

They're just walking around with huge weapons.

Everyone is armed here!

Yeah.

Ayoub has taken me to a famous sweet spot shop here because apparently,

they're known for their sweets in Idlib.

It's really busy in here.

Everyone's pushing around.

Yeah.

You can check.

How they made it.

Take the coffee.

Thank you.

I love how you're just thrown in it.

You're just here, like right in the middle of it,

right in front of everything.

Time to give it a try.

Whoa.

Really crunchy on the outside.

Inside there's cheese, milk, cream.

There's walnuts, pistachios.

This is amazing.

What a moment.

What a moment here in Idlib.

What's your name?

Mohammed.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Where are you from?

I'm from Martein, Oman, near Idlib yeah.

And there's a lot of military guys walking around with weapons?

No matter.

It makes you, It makes you feel comfortable?

No.

Yeah.

Those people are Syrians as well.

They are from us, and they freed us from the, raging.

How do you feel about the current situation in Syria with the new regime?

We hope the new regime will be, well for the Syrians.

The most important things, as a Syrian.

There will not be everything forever.

As a, other Syrians know about the old regime.

Amazing.

Yeah.

Won't be forever.

After everything I've seen in Idlib, it's hard to imagine things getting more intense.

But now we're heading to Aleppo,

once Syria's largest city and economic heart and now a symbol of devastation.

The battle for control between Assad's forces

and the rebels left

so much of Aleppo's old city in ruins,

destroying historic souks and mosques.

Then, in 2023, a 7.8 earthquake struck,

killing thousands and damaging the iconic Aleppo citadel,

the world's oldest castle dating back to the third millennium BC.

The last time I was in Syria,

I was lucky enough to climb to the top of the citadel,

which was unbelievable.

But hearing bombs going off in the distance nearly gave me a heart attack.

We're on top of the Aleppo citadel,

and every two minutes we can hear a bomb go off.

It's like.

Now I want to see how people in Aleppo are rebuilding their lives.

So good to be back here,

this is one of my favorite places in all the Middle East.

Straight into the hustle and bustle.

Right now, I'm on a mission to get my hair cut.

It's long And itchy.

I forgot how amazing the street markets are here.

You can buy anything.

Oh, my God.

Can I try an olive?

Oh, I love olive.

The back alleys of Aleppo.

Damn.

What is under there?

Damn!

This is not the Aleppo that most people... come to see.

We are in some, like, grimy vegetable market that's really dirty,

with dilapidated buildings everywhere.

But it's really freaking awesome.

We have found a barber here.

We're going to get my haircut in this exact spot.

I don't want it to be too short.

In America, it's number three, but I don't know if it's the same here.

This is a little bit dirty.

This is kind of ridiculous.

I literally have no clue how short he's cutting it.

Pretty aggressive.

Good or no good?

Very good.

Very good, yeah.

One of the most bizarre haircut experiences I've ever had.

I literally can't see anything in a mirror.

So I'm putting my full trust in this guy.

This is the $1 haircut in Aleppo, Syria.

How does it look, bro?

Does it?

You have to fully surrender,

to the guy cutting your hair and hope that he's doing a good job.

You know, I've had haircuts all over the world,

but this has to be one of the coolest places.

I've drawn a bit of a crowd here.

I also think he's making it too short, but whatevs.

Those scissors are getting awfully close.

I mean, he he completely up.

Like, it's way too short here.

And then there's a long beard.

It does not look good.

Bro if this guy cuts me, my life is over, I'm telling you.

Oh, my God.

The razor blade sharp.

Something about the knife is way scarier than.

The scissors.

Very good.

Perfect.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

All right, we got to pay him.

No, no brother.

How much is normal?

No, no.

Come on, just take it.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Okay.

Bye bye.

Well, that was the most ridiculous haircut I've ever had.

Bye.

It's a lot of people with missing limbs, dude.

Why?

Yeah.

Because of the war, because so many people were involved.

All my favorite cities in Turkey are Gaziantep, Antakya, they're all, like,

on the border of Syria.

So this, this region is really my favorite region in the world.

Yeah.

My opinion is the best cuisine in Syria is here.

Behind me is considered the best falafel in the world.

And falafel is one of my favorite foods.

Finally, my food poisoning is curing,

and this is the first meal I'm going to eat, really, in three days.

It's a really cool system.

You pay outside, the cashier is just in the street.

You get your ticket,

and then you go up to the counter and get the falafel.

This is a kitchen where they make all the fresh falafel

and bread from scratch.

This is a Jacuzzi of falafel.

This is a massive, shawarma.

Huge!

The spices on that fresh, hot, chicken shawarma.

Yes.

This could be the most beautiful kitchen I've ever been.

The best falafel in the world.

Yes, you gonna try it?

Yes.

These guys work so hard, they don't take a second to breathe.

Yeah.

How's that?

First bite of the falafel.

Oh, my God.

That is. really good.

Extremely crunchy.

Tasty.

Got the pomegranate, on top of it.

That's easily the best bite of falafel I've ever had.

We need to fill up our car with gasoline.

And the situation now in Syria is there's gas in big bottles everywhere.

It is all black market gasoline.

It's crazy.

During the Assad regime, this was impossible, and now there's gasoline everywhere!

So there are now tens of thousands of gas stations in Syria.

They're like mini shops with all these little entrepreneurs

that are just selling gas on the black market.

So, during the Assad regime, you couldn't do this?

No, we could do this, but it's, it was illegal.

So they, they do it like they hide.

So now it's all over the streets?

And it's cheaper?

Yeah.

No, the difference is you can fill the car now from the gas station.

But this is a Lebanese Octan 95.

But is it.

It's cheaper now than before?

Yes, much cheaper.

So where do they get the gas from?

They smuggled from Lebanon.

You know when it's full because it starts, blasting out on the ground?

You pay him in dollars or?

Checking if it's fake.

It's a real 50 bucks to fill up the tank.

During Assad time, it used to cost 80, 90.

Why is it so much cheaper now?

Because.

They smuggle it.

They smuggle it also on that time, but now, because it's available everywhere.

Also on the gas station.

There's no limitation.

So you can fill the car and pay in dollars.

During Assad time, we used to get like 25 liter each. 12 days.

And now you can pay in US dollars.

But before you couldn't?

Why didn't they accept dollars before?

Yes.

Because it was forbidden.

Because Assad wants to... control the exchange rate by make it forbidden.

So if you come to Syria, bring us dollars.

They need it.

It's been a long day of driving.

We are now arriving in, Hama to crash for the night.

Good driving, bro.

This is an insane hotel lobby.

It is crazy beautiful in here.

Hello, cutie pie.

You gonna take my bag for me?

Thank you.

Very unexpected to be in a random small city in Syria

and get this drop.

And the power just went out.

And there's a restaurant here with no power.

I guess that's one of the realities of, being in Syria.

Frequent power outages.

Damn.

Oh, and it's back on.

All right, I'm gonna hit the hay.

I am exhausted and ready for an amazing day, tomorrow.

Good night.

So I'm here in Hama

and I'm gonna show you how smart the ancient civilizations were here in Syria.

So here's the river, which is a water source.

And they built this huge wooden wheel which would collect water from the river,

bring it up over the bridge

and into the farms

and into the communities

so they would get access to water.

That is so freaking cool.

Syria is the cradle of civilization.

This is ancient Mesopotamia.

This is like, the most fertile lands.

This is where settlements started.

I just think it's so cool.

Today's destination is Palmyra,

an ancient city with some of the best preserved Roman ruins on Earth.

You can see it on the map.

Smack dab in the center of Syria

and once a major stop on the Silk Road.

But until recently, the city was completely off limits for reasons you're about to

find out.

We are cruising on the road to Palmyra.

It is pretty empty out here.

It's just desert.

Last time I tried to go to Palmyra,

we were actually on the road

and my driver got a call

that there was a suicide bomber,

like, somewhere.

Halfway at one of the checkpoints.

So we had to turn around and go back.

Looks like this time we're going to be, looking pretty good to get there.

Even though there are many checkpoints, different situation, and there's no permit.

Now you can just freely just go.

We are driving in the middle of nowhere in the desert in the center

of Syria,

and there's a freaking... tank.

And bro what is that?

This is for the driver, I think.

Of the tank?

Yeah.

How.

How recent do you think this?

Like, two weeks, three weeks ago?

You think so?

Is this a Russian tank?

Yeah.

I think so, yeah.

I feel like there can be explosives in there.

Be careful, man.

Seriously.

Are these rockets?

Yeah, it's fully loaded.

It's fully loaded.

Look at these rockets.

Is that what causes all the destruction on the buildings, like?

Katyusha.

Yes, called Katyusha.

Oh, from here, this is how they shoot, they press maybe this one?

Do you want to try?

No, no.

Holy crap dude.

I'm now taking over the wheel.

Ayuba's been driving so well for so long,

but time for the American to drive in Syria.

I'm a good driver.

Don't worry.

I never thought I'd be driving in Syria.

This is cool.

It adds another layer of adventure to handle the car.

Rolling up to a checkpoint right now.

Behind the wheel, there's like. 10 soldiers right here,

and they all have massive guns.

Yeah, I don't know what he said.

That's why.

He said.

You know what sheikh means?

Yeah, Prince.

He called me a prince.

That's good.

So why did he call me Sheikh?

Because he's religious.

So they call each other Sheikh because they.

It's like you going to a higher position.

After taking turns behind the wheel, we finally arrive in Palmyra,

and the anticipation gives me goosebumps.

So ISIS controlled all of this city?

Yes.

They were, They were controlling the checkpoints.

They were in the city.

Yeah.

And they destroyed the monuments.

Those monuments have been here for, like 2000 years.

I just imagine like 15 years ago.

How many tourists were here now?

I'm the only one.

It used to be like Greece on that time.

Full of people, even at night.

Pretty destroyed.

Sad.

Very sad, man.

All right, about 40 checkpoints later, we have arrived in Palmyra and sadly,

a lot of the city is destroyed.

I mean, there was a beautiful mosque here.

It's like desolate.

I mean, there's a few people walking around, but,

all the buildings are literally destroyed.

It looks like a freaking apocalypse movie.

There's like one or two shops here, guys selling. gasoline.

And over here.

It's completely destroyed.

Look at this, like a kitchen right there that's about to fall through the

cracks.

So sad.

It's like give you a pit in your stomach when you're... see this.

What is it like to live in Palmyra?

Before the liberation, electricity was on the entire time in Palmyra

because it's like a military base.

Now after the liberation,

they still have the electricity

and water and more people are coming back to restore their houses.

Now there's around like 10,000 people in Palmyra.

And before the war, it used to be more than 100,000.

Before 2012 tell me about what Palmyra used to feel like.

Before the, The war they used to count on tourism.

It used to be full of tourists.

They want to rebuild it, and everyone come back to their house.

Now we are heading to the ancient ruins where towering Roman columns have stood

for more than 2,000 years.

But during the civil war,

ISIS took control of the area and used the site for public executions,

bombing the most important temples in the process.

I wasn't able to come to Palmyra on my last trip,

so now I'm determined to see what remains.

Dang, dude.

I feel free.

We're firing guns behind us.

Dude scream at the top of your lungs.

It feels good.

Syria is amazing!

Palmyra was an ancient city that became part of the Roman Empire.

And all the impressive ruins.

Are located right here in the center part of Syria.

And it's huge.

There's actually references of Palmyra that are mentioned in the Bible,

believe it or not.

Some dating as far back as the second millennium B.C.

That's how ancient. this place is.

However, in the first century B.C. was

when people settled here during the ancient Silk Road.

And the Romans took it over,

and they built all these incredible structures that you see left here right now.

Behind me is the, Bel Temple, which was the main site here in Palmyra,

and it was.

Completely destroyed by Isis.

What does this have to do with anything?

Why does this have to make them?

upset this?

beautiful, beautiful History.

How did you react when it was destroyed?

The first time I visited Palmyra is after it destroyed,

because before the war I was 15 years old,

so I wouldn't be able to come here.

But it was so sad.

Your entire adult life has been war.

We are entering the, Amphitheater here.

Wow.

Yeah.

Dudee.

Yeah.

This is incredibly preserved.

Wow.

In 2016, ISIS made this damage in the amphitheater also on the Arch of

Victory.

It used to be to look really nice before that.

Wow.

I'm getting like this, out of body experience standing here right now.

Just imagine what kind of.

Activity happened right here in this amphitheater.

Give me the goosebumps.

This is the Roman amphitheater, which is incredibly intact,

except for some parts that were destroyed over there.

But the steps and the way that it feels.

Guys, I've been to so many Roman ruined sites around the world.

This has to be the best.

Maybe it's because I'm in Syria of all places.

Knowing the history that's happened here, the recent history,

the journey to actually reach this spot, going through 40 checkpoints and knowing, like,

all the tension going on with this country,

the fact that I actually made it here.

You know, I always wonder

when I go to an epic place like this that's

so historical.

Like, what was it like when the people were building these temples, these pillars,

these columns?

Like, what were they eating?

What were the markets like?

what were the relationships like?

What do people do for fun?

Did they even make money?

Did they need money to live?

Like, all these questions I have, when I stand here.

Incredibly epic.

We're entering the castle area,

which had been occupied by Russian soldiers for 10 years.

And now all the Russians have left.

Like, this place has been off limits, right?

Yeah I never been here, but there's so many tanks.

Oh, my God.

I don't know if we should be here, bro.

This is completely.

This is covered in tanks.

Holy shit.

We need to leave.

It's just cool to see tanks.

Like, forget about war, forget about everything.

Like, the actual experience of being here

and being able to have access to things like this is

so cool.

Doesn't matter what country.

It's very cool that they allow us to go, everywhere.

If we did something like this during Assad regime time, that's the end.

Like, you'd be put in Sednaya prison or what?

Yeah, something like this.

This is insane.

What is going on?

Holy shit Dude, I am freaked out.

What?

Yeah.

Here's the entrance.

How old is this castle?

It's from the 13th century, from the Mamluki period.

So it's an Islamic castle and there is a Dutch surrounded castle.

It's called Fakhr ad-Din al-Maani castle.

So we don't know what's going to happen with this. castle,

whether HTS is going to take it over to be their own like compound?

or if they're going to open as a tourism?

or if they're just going to close it permanently.

I hope they will open it for tourism.

Look at this bridge.

To get there.

Is that safe?

Dude, look at that drop though.

Like if that, if you drop through that, you're not gonna survive that fall.

I don't know, man.

That cannot be safe.

Let's do it man.

This is so scary.

Like.

I don't know.

Don't look down.

Dude I don't know, man.

I, I don't know if I can, if I can go over this bridge,

man.

Look at this.

I just realized for the first time the incredible view of Palmyra down there.

As much as I want to go inside, I have to just. say no.

Like, dude, there's no way, man.

This is the sketchiest bridge I've ever seen.

So as I understand,

I'm like the very first tourist. to be here standing right here.

Did you ever think you'd be standing right here?

No never ever.

No.

I'm so happy.

It's cool that you are a Syrian

and you're finally able to explore your own country.

That's awesome, man.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Good stuff.

Yeah.

Since this was a Russian base and all the Russians recently cleared out,

I can actually walk through the checkpoint to see

if anything interesting was left behind.

Damn.

There's like. clothes.

Jackets.

A hat.

It's freaky to be in here right now.

Lots of cigarettes.

Oh my God.

What is this Getting a little rowdy in here with these pictures.

With the Russian base behind us, we're back on the road,

still wrapping our heads around how fast things have changed in Syria.

It looks like I'm driving straight to a fire.

What the is that?

I don't know.

Should we drive through it or what?

If the other cars are driving through it?

It's not clear, but there is a huge fire in front of us.

Bro, the bus is on fire.

Holy.

Yeah, because you see how how, the fire is coming from here.

Jesus.

Careful!

Careful!

I see, I see, yeah.

Holy... shit.

There's a freaking bus on fire, on the highway in the middle of Syria.

The burning bus behind me feels like a symbol of everything I've seen in

Syria.

Destruction, chaos, and lives turned upside down over the years.

Tens of millions have been displaced, entire cities have been reduced to rubble,

and regular civilians have been caught in the middle of a brutal war.

With Assad's regime finally gone, the concentration of power is constantly shifting,

and no one knows what comes next.

But one thing is certain.

The people here have hope.

A kind of hope that refuses to die, no matter what they've survived.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the proud people of Syria,

and I know that their story isn't over.

It has only just started.