August 21, 2013

Sarin attack on Ghouta

Source: UN News

April 4, 2017

Sarin attack on Khan Shaykhun

Source: OPCW

April 7, 2018

Chlorine attack on Douma (attributed to Syrian Arab Air Forces)

Source: The Spokesman-Review / Associated Press

Film · From pain to hope

Syria: from pain to hope

2 min · 78 real photos · 7 chapters

Watch the film With music

Contains real images of destruction, flight and the search for the missing. No images of the dead or injured.

About 2 minutes, 78 real, freely licensed photos in 7 chapters; on phones a shorter cut of about 2 minutes plays. Every photo is captioned with place and year and credited. Music is optional.

♪ Music: „Samaii Hijaz Kar Kurdi“ – Chahadé Saadé (oud), Odeon, c. 1926 · „Lamma Bada Yatathanna (muwashshah)“ – Shaykh Sayyid al-Safti (1875–1939) · public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

Documented timeline 20

1. 2011-03
   Uprising 2011

   Daraa: children detained over graffiti, protests begin

   According to Human Rights Watch, protests in Daraa broke out after security forces detained and tortured 15 children accused of painting anti-government graffiti. The protests began on 18 March 2011. HRW documented the crackdown in its report “We've Never Seen Such Horror”, based on more than 50 interviews.

   Daraa · Daraa

   Sources

   • Syria: Crimes Against Humanity in Daraa (release of report “We've Never Seen Such Horror”) Human Rights Watch, 2011-06-01
2. 2011-05/2013-08
   Detention and the missing

   The “Caesar” photographs

   A military defector code-named “Caesar” copied and smuggled out 53,275 photographs taken between May 2011 and August 2013. In its December 2015 report “If the Dead Could Speak”, Human Rights Watch found that the images show at least 6,786 detainees who died in detention or after transfer to a military hospital, most of them held by five intelligence branches in Damascus. HRW considered the photos authentic evidence of crimes against humanity. (The images are not reproduced here.)

   Damascus (government detention facilities) · Damascus

   Sources

   • Syria: Stories Behind Photos of Killed Detainees (report “If the Dead Could Speak”) Human Rights Watch, 2015-12-16
3. 2012-05-25
   War and destruction

   Killings in Houla

   On 25 May 2012, 108 people, including 49 children, were killed in the Houla area, according to the UN. In August 2012 the UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that government forces and Shabiha fighters were responsible for the killings. The UN Human Rights Council had condemned the killings at a special session in June 2012.

   Houla (Taldou) · Homs

   Sources

   • UN News report on the Human Rights Council special session on El-Houleh UN News, 2012-06-01
   • Syrian Government and opposition forces responsible for war crimes – UN panel UN News, 2012-08-15
4. 2013-04-24
   Damaged heritage

   Minaret of Aleppo's Great Mosque destroyed

   On 24 April 2013 the minaret of the Great Mosque at the heart of Aleppo's ancient city collapsed during clashes; UNESCO deplored the loss the same day without assigning blame. Responsibility was contested: Syrian state media blamed the Nusra Front, while opposition activists said army tank fire destroyed it.

   Aleppo, Great (Umayyad) Mosque · Aleppo

   Sources

   • UNESCO Director-General deplores continuing destruction of ancient Aleppo, a World Heritage site UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2013-04-24
   • Minaret of ancient Aleppo mosque destroyed Al Jazeera, 2013-04-25
5. 2013-07/2014-03
   Siege, hunger and cold

   Siege of Yarmouk: starvation deaths

   Amnesty International reported in March 2014 that Syrian government forces had tightened the siege of the Yarmouk area of Damascus in July 2013. Of nearly 200 deaths recorded since then, Amnesty attributed 128 to starvation. Amnesty described the use of starvation of civilians as a war crime.

   Yarmouk (Palestinian refugee camp), Damascus · Damascus

   Sources

   • Syria: Yarmouk under siege – a horror story of war crimes, starvation and death Amnesty International, 2014-03-10
6. 2013-08-21
   Chemical attacks

   Sarin attack on Ghouta

   In the early hours of 21 August 2013, surface-to-surface rockets containing sarin struck opposition-held areas of the Ghouta around Damascus. The UN investigation mission led by Åke Sellström confirmed in September 2013 that chemical weapons had been used against civilians, including children, “on a relatively large scale”; identifying perpetrators was not part of its mandate. The UN Commission of Inquiry said in March 2014 that the perpetrators likely had access to the Syrian military's stockpile. SNHR counts at least 1,144 people killed; other tallies differ.

   Eastern and Western Ghouta (Zamalka, Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah) · Rif Dimashq

   Sources

   • Those guilty of chemical weapons attacks in Syria must be held accountable – Ban UN News, 2013-12-13
   • United Nations Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic – Final report (A/68/663–S/2013/735) United Nations, 2013-12-13
   • Chemical weapons used in Syria appear to come from army stockpile: UN Ahram Online (reporting UN Commission of Inquiry), 2014-03-05
   • The Thirteenth Anniversary of the Two Ghouta Massacre: The Largest Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), 2026-08-21
7. 2013/2018-04-14
   Siege, hunger and cold

   Siege and recapture of Eastern Ghouta

   The UN Commission of Inquiry called the five-year siege of Eastern Ghouta, which ended in April 2018, “the longest running siege in modern history”. In its June 2018 report it found that pro-government forces deliberately starved civilians, amounting to a crime against humanity, and that armed groups committed war crimes through indiscriminate shelling of Damascus. About 140,000 people were displaced after the recapture on 14 April 2018; up to 50,000 were moved to Idlib and Aleppo governorates under evacuation agreements.

   Eastern Ghouta · Rif Dimashq

   Sources

   • UN: Syrian forces committed war crimes in Eastern Ghouta Al Jazeera (reporting UN Commission of Inquiry), 2018-06-20
8. 2015-05/2015-08
   Damaged heritage

   ISIL seizes Palmyra; antiquities scholar killed

   ISIL seized Palmyra from Syrian government forces in May 2015. In August 2015 UNESCO's Director-General deplored the killing of Khaled al-Asaad, aged 82, who had overseen the antiquities of Palmyra for more than 50 years and had been held for over a month. UNESCO stated he was killed because he would not betray his commitment to Palmyra.

   Palmyra (Tadmur) · Homs

   Sources

   • UN confirms destruction of famed Palmyra temple Al Jazeera (reporting UNITAR/UNOSAT), 2015-09-01
   • Director-General Irina Bokova deplores the loss of two leading scholars of Syrian antiquity UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2015-08-21
9. 2015-07-09
   Displacement and refuge

   Syrian refugees exceed four million

   On 9 July 2015 UNHCR reported more than 4,013,000 Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, including about 1.8 million in Turkey and 1.17 million in Lebanon, and at least 7.6 million people displaced inside Syria. Guterres called it the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation.

   Neighbouring countries

   Sources

   • Total number of Syrian refugees exceeds four million (UNHCR press release, Geneva) UNHCR Canada, 2015-07-09
10. 2016-07/2016-12
    Siege, hunger and cold

    Battle and siege of eastern Aleppo

    The UN Commission of Inquiry found that during the battle for eastern Aleppo (July–December 2016) civilians on both sides fell victim to war crimes committed by all parties. Pro-government forces used siege tactics; daily Syrian and Russian air strikes destroyed hospitals, schools and markets, and by late December no functioning hospital remained in eastern Aleppo. Armed groups indiscriminately shelled western Aleppo and prevented civilians from leaving.

    Eastern Aleppo · Aleppo

    Sources

    • War crimes committed by all parties in battle for Aleppo – UN-mandated inquiry on Syria UN News, 2017-03-01
11. 2016-12-15/2016-12-22
    Displacement and refuge

    Evacuation of eastern Aleppo

    Between 15 and 22 December 2016 the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent evacuated more than 35,000 people from eastern Aleppo; in a synchronised movement 1,200 people left the besieged towns of Foah and Kefraya. The UN Commission of Inquiry later found that the evacuation agreement amounted to forced displacement, as there was no military necessity.

    Eastern Aleppo · Aleppo

    Sources

    • The inside story of the Aleppo evacuation ICRC (Medium)
    • War crimes committed by all parties in battle for Aleppo – UN-mandated inquiry on Syria UN News, 2017-03-01
12. 2017-02-07
    Detention and the missing

    Amnesty report on Saydnaya: “Human Slaughterhouse”

    On 7 February 2017 Amnesty International published “Human slaughterhouse”, estimating that between 5,000 and 13,000 people were executed in mass hangings at Saydnaya Military Prison between September 2011 and December 2015, based on interviews with 84 people including former guards, detainees and officials. Amnesty concluded that killings, torture and extermination there amounted to crimes against humanity. The Syrian government denied killing or mistreating detainees.

    Saydnaya Military Prison · Rif Dimashq

    Sources

    • Syria: Human slaughterhouse: Mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya Prison, Syria (MDE 24/5415/2017) Amnesty International, 2017-02-07
    • Amnesty: Thousands Killed In Mass Hangings At Syrian Military Jail RFE/RL (via GlobalSecurity.org), 2017-02-07
13. 2017-04-04
    Chemical attacks

    Sarin attack on Khan Shaykhun

    On the morning of 4 April 2017 sarin was released in Khan Shaykhun. The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission confirmed sarin exposure on 30 June 2017 without attributing responsibility. The OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (report of 26 October 2017) and, separately, the UN Commission of Inquiry (6 September 2017) attributed the attack to the Syrian Arab Republic/Syrian forces. The COI counted at least 83 dead, about a third of them children; the JIM spoke of around 100 killed. Syria denied responsibility.

    Khan Shaykhun · Idlib

    Sources

    • OPCW Fact-Finding Mission Confirms Use of Chemical Weapons in Khan Shaykhun on 4 April 2017 OPCW, 2017-06-30
    • Security Council meeting coverage SC/13060: briefing on the seventh report of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism UN Meetings Coverage, 2017-11-07
    • Syria forces behind Khan Sheikhoun gas attack: UN probe Al Jazeera (reporting UN Commission of Inquiry), 2017-09-06
14. 2017-06-06/2017-10-17
    War and destruction

    Battle of Raqqa

    Between 6 June and 17 October 2017 the US-led coalition and its local partners fought to expel ISIL from Raqqa. In its June 2018 report “War of annihilation”, Amnesty International said the coalition's repeated use of explosive weapons in populated areas killed hundreds of civilians and left much of the city in ruins, and that ISIL committed war crimes including the use of civilians as human shields.

    Raqqa · Raqqa

    Sources

    • Syria: Raqqa in ruins and civilians devastated after US-led ‘war of annihilation’ Amnesty International, 2018-06-05
15. 2022-06-28
    War and destruction

    UN estimate: 306,887 civilians killed in ten years

    On 28 June 2022 the UN human rights office (OHCHR) estimated that 306,887 civilians were killed in conflict-related violence between 1 March 2011 and 31 March 2021, about 1.5 per cent of the pre-war population. 143,350 deaths were individually documented; the rest were estimated statistically. Deaths from loss of access to health care, food and water were not included.

    Syria (nationwide)

    Sources

    • Syria: Decade of brutal war left nearly 307,000 civilians dead UN News (OHCHR report), 2022-06-28
16. 2023-02-06
    War and destruction

    Earthquakes of 6 February 2023

    In the early hours of 6 February 2023 a magnitude 7.7 earthquake centred near the Türkiye–Syria border, followed by many aftershocks, struck a country already weakened by war. As of 12 February the UN counted 5,791 people killed and 10,041 injured in Syria, 4,377 of the deaths in the north-west; 8.8 million people lived in the most affected areas, mainly in Aleppo and Idlib governorates.

    North-west and northern Syria · Aleppo

    Sources

    • Flash Appeal: Syrian Arab Republic Earthquake (February – May 2023) United Nations in Syria, 2023-02-18
17. 2024-11-27/2024-12-07
    8 December 2024

    Offensive from the north-west: Aleppo, Hama, Homs

    On 27 November 2024 armed opposition groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive in north-western Syria. According to AP, they entered Aleppo on 29 November, said they controlled the city on 30 November, captured Hama on 5 December and took Homs on 7 December after government forces withdrew. OCHA reported on 5 December at least 178,000 people displaced and at least 69 civilians killed, figures that remained unverified.

    Aleppo, Hama, Homs · Aleppo

    Sources

    • How it happened: Two seismic weeks that toppled Syria's government (AP) Voice of America / Associated Press, 2024-12-08
    • Whole of Syria Flash Update No. 2 – Recent developments in Syria (as of 5 December 2024) OCHA (ReliefWeb), 2024-12-05
18. 2024-12-08
    8 December 2024

    Fall of the Assad government

    On 8 December 2024 opposition forces entered Damascus with little resistance, and Syrian state television broadcast a statement that President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown. Assad left the country; Russian state news agencies later said he and his family were in Moscow and had been granted asylum. UN Secretary-General Guterres said the future of Syria was a matter for Syrians to determine and called for an orderly political transition.

    Damascus · Damascus

    Sources

    • How it happened: Two seismic weeks that toppled Syria's government (AP) Voice of America / Associated Press, 2024-12-08
    • UN Secretary-General Marks the ‘Fall of the Dictatorial Regime’ in Syria Asharq Al-Awsat, 2024-12-08
19. 2024-12-08
    8 December 2024

    Prison doors opened, detainees freed from Saydnaya

    On 8 December 2024 the doors of dozens of prisons and detention centres, including Saydnaya, were opened, and Amnesty International reported that hundreds of people were freed, among them women and young children. Images showed emaciated detainees. SNHR later stressed that only a limited number of detainees were released alive while tens of thousands remain unaccounted for.

    Saydnaya Military Prison and other detention centres · Rif Dimashq

    Sources

    • Se abren las puertas de Saydnaya, el “matadero humano”, y la puerta de la esperanza en Siria Amnistía Internacional España, 2024-12-09
    • Fourteenth Annual Report on Enforced Disappearances in Syria on the Occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), 2025-08-30
20. 2026-04-30
    Return and recovery

    Returns reach 1.63 million refugees and 1.89 million IDPs

    By the end of April 2026 UNHCR counted 1,630,874 Syrians who had returned from abroad since 8 December 2024, mainly from the region, and 1,890,390 returned IDPs. UNHCR said housing and property damage, limited jobs and safety remain key factors in return decisions; 15.6 million people still required assistance as of March 2026. UNHCR's data portal listed 1,966,356 IDP returns as of 9 July 2026 and notes its figures may understate total returns.

    Syria (nationwide)

    Sources

    • UNHCR Syria Operational Update – April 2026 UNHCR, 2026-05
    • UNHCR Syria Operational Update – March 2026 UNHCR, 2026-04
    • Syrian returnees in Syria – UNHCR Operational Data Portal UNHCR, 2026-07-09

Archive of Syrian memory 188

Real photographs with free licences, each with place, date, author, source and verification status. Where no free licence exists, we link to the source instead of copying.

• Aleppo 2005
• Aleppo 2005-09-10
• Aleppo 2005-09-10
• Homs 2005-12-26
• Aleppo 2006-05-23
• Damascus 2008-02-07
• Aleppo 2008-04-28
• Damaskus 2008-05-04
• Krak des Chevaliers / al-Husn 2008-05-05
• Damaskus 2008-08-16
• Damaskus 2008-08-16
• Damascus 2008-08-16
• Hama 2008-08-19
• Palmyra 2009-03-31
• Damascus 2009-04-04
• Aleppo 2009-04-08
• Aleppo 2009-04-08
• Aleppo 2009-04-09
• Aleppo 2009-04-09
• Aleppo 2009-04-09
• Aleppo 2009-04-09
• Damascus 2009-04-14
• Damascus 2009-04-14
• Damascus 2009-04-14
• Damascus 2009-04-15
• Damaskus 2010-01-01
• Damascus 2010-01-01
• Damaskus 2010-03-31
• Damaskus 2010-04-01
• Hama 2010-04-02
• Aleppo 2010-04-04
• Homs 2010-08-19
• Damascus (an-Nawfara café) 2010-09-10
• Damascus 2010-09-11
• Aleppo 2010-09-16
• Aleppo 2010-09-28
• Hama 2010-10-31
• Damaskus 2011-04-03
• Douma 2011-04-10
• — 2011-04-12
• Homs 2011-04-18
• Banyas 2011-04-29
• Hama 2011-07-08
• Hama 2011-07-22
• Amuda 2011-08-19
• Banyas 2011-09-16
• Douma 2012-01-14
• Homs 2012-02-03
• Tahrir Square, Cairo (Egypt) 2012-02-03
• Homs 2012-02-25
• Homs 2012-04-05
• Homs 2012-04-05
• Homs 2012-04-05
• Homs 2012-04-05
• Homs 2012-04-05
• Homs 2012-04-05
• Homs 2012-04-05
• Homs 2012-04-05
• Homs 2012-04-05
• Sofia (Bulgaria) 2012-08-17
• Sofia (Bulgaria) 2012-08-17
• Azaz 2012-08-21
• Libanon (Bekaa) 2012-08-26
• Azaz 2012-09-03
• Türkisch-syrische Grenze 2012-09-03
• Aleppo 2012-10-03
• Aleppo 2012-10-06
• Aleppo 2012-10-06
• Aleppo 2012-10-06
• Daraa 2013
• Aleppo 2013-06-12
• Zaatari-Lager (Jordanien) 2013-07-18
• Krak des Chevaliers / al-Husn 2013-08-18
• Zaatari camp, Jordan 2013-08-20
• Zaatari camp, Jordan 2013-08-20
• Zaatari-Lager (Jordanien) 2013-08-29
• Zaatari-Lager (Jordanien) 2013-08-29
• Zaatari camp, Jordan 2013-08-29
• Zaatari camp, Jordan 2013-08-29
• Libanon (Bekaa) 2013-11-05
• Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 2013-11-05
• Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 2013-11-05
• Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 2013-11-05
• Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 2013-11-05
• Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 2013-11-05
• Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 2013-11-05
• Northern Lebanon 2013-11-07
• Yarmouk (Damaskus) 2014-01-31
• Zaatari camp (Jordan) 2014-07-18
• Syrian airspace 2014-09-27
• Kobani 2014-10-16
• Maarat al-Numan 2014-11-17
• Zaatari-Lager (Jordanien) 2015-02-27
• Zaatari camp, Jordan 2015-02-27
• Zaatari camp, Jordan 2015-03-12
• Hannover (Deutschland) 2015-08-21
• Hannover (Deutschland) 2015-08-21
• Hannover, Germany 2015-08-21
• Keleti station, Budapest (Hungary) 2015-09-03
• Keleti station, Budapest (Hungary) 2015-09-04
• Keleti station, Budapest (Hungary) 2015-09-04
• Keleti station, Budapest (Hungary) 2015-09-05
• Grenze Ungarn/Österreich 2015-09-06
• Aleppo 2015-09-10
• Aleppo 2015-09-10
• Aleppo 2015-09-10
• Al-Haddadin Mosque, Aleppo 2015-09-10
• Stockholm (Schweden) 2015-09-18
• Stockholm (Schweden) 2015-09-23
• Skala Sykamias, Lesbos (Greece) 2015-10-29
• Skala Sykamias, Lesbos (Greece) 2015-10-29
• Skala Sykamias, Lesbos (Greece) 2015-10-30
• Skala Sykamias, Lesbos (Greece) 2015-10-30
• Aleppo 2016-02-28
• Zaatari camp, Jordan 2016-06-07
• Aleppo 2016-06-18
• Aleppo 2016-12-13
• Aleppo 2016-12-18
• Aleppo Citadel surroundings 2016-12-22
• — 2016-12-22
• Aleppo Citadel 2016-12-22
• Aleppo 2016-12-23
• Aleppo 2016-12-25
• Aleppo 2016-12-30
• Aleppo 2017-01-13
• Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 2017-01-30
• Jobar (Damaskus) 2017-03-20
• Aleppo 2017-04-11
• Homs 2017-06-10
• Homs 2017-06-10
• Raqqa 2017-08-01
• Raqqa 2017-12-08
• Raqqa 2017-12-08
• Raqqa 2017-12-08
• Aleppo 2017-12-11
• Eastern Mediterranean (strike on Syrian chemical-weapons sites) 2018-04-13
• Old City of Aleppo 2018-08-08
• Aleppo 2018-09-28
• Aleppo 2019-04-22
• Aleppo 2019-04-22
• Aleppo 2019-04-22
• Aleppo 2019-10-06
• Aleppo 2019-10-06
• Aleppo 2019-10-06
• Aleppo 2019-10-06
• Aleppo 2019-10-06
• Al-Hol camp 2019-10-16
• Al-Hol camp 2019-10-17
• Aleppo 2020-02-22
• Pazarkule (türk.-griech. Grenze) 2020-03-08
• Deir ez-Zor 2020-10-01
• Deir ez-Zor 2020-10-01
• Aleppo 2020-10-24
• Homs 2020-11-09
• — 2021-02-21
• London (UK) 2023-09-02
• Aleppo 2024-04-11
• Aleppo 2024-12-02
• Aleppo 2024-12-02
• Aleppo 2024-12-02
• Hama Military Airport 2024-12-05
• Deutschland 2024-12-08
• Manchester (UK) 2024-12-08
• Syria 2024-12-08
• Syria 2024-12-08
• Syria 2024-12-08
• Syrian state television 2024-12-08
• — 2024-12-09
• Berlin, Germany 2024-12-09
• Damaskus 2024-12-10
• — 2024-12-11
• Damaskus 2024-12-14
• Damaskus 2024-12-14
• Damaskus 2025-01-19
• Aleppo 2025-02-08
• Aleppo 2025-02-08
• Douma 2025-02-12
• al-Abzemo (Umland Aleppo) 2025-03-03
• Aleppo 2025-03-15
• Damascus 2025-04-04
• Aleppo 2025-04-17
• Homs 2025-06-09
• Umm Haratayn al-Gharbiyah 2025-12-31
• Bab al-Hawa Expressway, Idlib 2026-07-23
• Idlib 2026-07-23
• Bab al-Hawa Expressway, Idlib 2026-07-24
• Umm Haratayn al-Gharbiyah 2026-09-23
• Umm Haratayn al-Gharbiyah (westl. Umland Homs) 2026-10-04

×

Before / After

Drag to compare · Both photos show the same site, but not always from the same viewpoint.

War damage and recovery on the map

Chemical attacks

Documented incidents with the findings of the UN and the OPCW. Each entry names the investigating body and its conclusion.

• 222 chemical attacks documented 23 Dec 2012 – 8 Dec 2024; 1,514 killed; 11,080 injured; 217 attributed by SNHR to Assad-government forces, 5 to ISIL (SNHR, 2026-08-21)
• COI (Sept 2017) held the Syrian government responsible for at least 23 other chemical attacks since March 2013 (Al Jazeera 2017-09-06 reporting COI)

Detention and the disappeared

Stories from Syria

Published reports in which survivors and relatives speak, with a link to the original. Personal stories are only added after verification and with consent.

• We've Never Seen Such Horror: Crimes against Humanity in DaraaHuman Rights Watch · 2011-06-01Detention and torture of 15 children in Daraa (March 2011)
• If the Dead Could Speak: Mass Deaths and Torture in Syria's Detention FacilitiesHuman Rights Watch · 2015-12-1653,275 Caesar photographs; ≥6,786 dead detainees; images described, not linked
• Out of sight, out of mind: Deaths in detention in the Syrian Arab Republic (A/HRC/31/CRP.1)UN Commission of Inquiry · 2016-02Extermination as crime against humanity; 621 interviews; period 10 Mar 2011–30 Nov 2015
• Human slaughterhouse: Mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya Prison (MDE 24/5415/2017)Amnesty International · 2017-02-075,000–13,000 executions estimate
• Syria: Preserve Evidence of Mass AtrocitiesHRW, Amnesty International, ADMSP · 2024-12-23State of facilities and records after 8 Dec 2024
• Fourteenth Annual Report on Enforced Disappearances in SyriaSNHR · 2025-08-30177,057 still forcibly disappeared

Recovery is an ongoing process; for many Syrians the suffering has not ended.