The Road to Palmyra
After years of violence, Syrians hope to restore the ancient city in the desert.
MARCH 25, 2025
The conflict in most of Syria ended when Bashar al-Assad fled for Moscow in the early hours of December 8, but in Palmyra, an ancient town in central Syria, locals say members of the Islamic State are still hiding in nearby caves or have joined other armed groups, separate from the new government’s authority.
The story of Palmyra, known as Tadmor in Arabic, is the story of many in the Levant: a city that passed through the hands of various empires throughout history. For decades, visitors made the pilgrimage to this UNESCO World Heritage site to see the ruins of the Fakhr-al-Din al-Maani Castle, the Temple of Bel and the Great Colonnade.
But Palmyra did not escape the country’s brutal civil war unscathed. The Islamic State, which had carved out a self-proclaimed caliphate in large parts of northeast Syria and western Iraq, captured Palmyra in May 2015, killing a prominent Syrian archaeologist who had protected the site and blowing up the Temple of Bel and other ancient remnants.
Over the next few years, the city changed hands between regime forces and Islamic State militants. An international coalition beat back the Islamic State, dislodging its hold over its caliphate in 2019 and forcing it to lose its grip on its territory.
The brutal regime of the Assad family also made itself felt in the city. Not far from the ruins lies Tadmor Military Prison, where thousands were tortured and killed until it was destroyed by the Islamic State in 2015. A walk through the prison shows the inhumane conditions of the cells, where many were kept in solitary confinement.
Fourteen years of war have left the country desolate, and its people exhausted; millions have been displaced or were forced to become refugees. But in Palmyra, and many places across the country, people are now finally able to return home and reunite with their families. Archaeologists and researchers, too, have returned — in the hopes of helping to restore and protect Palmyra’s cultural heritage.
On the road to Palmyra, deep in the Syrian desert. A road sign shows the distances to Palmyra and Baghdad.
A view from Palmyra Castle.
Wael, an English literature teacher, reunites with his family after 10 years of separation.
The colonnades and arches of Palmyra’s Great Colonnade, a main avenue that once ran through the heart of the city.
Local farmers drive through the ruins.
The entrance of Tadmor Military Prison. The writing on the wall reads: “Oh protector of my country, oh guardian, forever you remain a leader, Hafez al-Assad.”
Unused ammunition, still sealed in bags, left behind by the Assad regime inside Tadmor Military Prison.
A cell in the prison.
Abou Abdallah, the mayor of Palmyra, points to the only opening for light and air in a solitary confinement cell.
Palmyra Castle, as seen from inside the city.
✺ Published in “Issue 26: Gospel” of The Dial
