Syrians in Turkey weigh hopes and fears of return
For many Syrians who grew up in exile, the idea of returning home carries a powerful emotional pull, even when their memories of the country are faint or fragmented. Ahmed, 18, is one of them. Standing outside a mosque in Gaziantep, near Turkey’s border with Syria, he speaks with determination about his future. His family fled Syria when he was five, but he plans to return within the next two years. Before that, he wants to save some money, aware that salaries in Syria remain low. Despite the uncertainty, he believes the country’s prospects will improve as reconstruction advances. If Ahmed follows through, he will join more than half a million Syrians who have left Turkey since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Many of them had lived in Turkey for over a decade, after fleeing the civil […]
