“Happiness beyond words.” That’s how Hisham Bakir, 53, describes the feeling that has stayed with him since the fall of the Syrian regime in early December. “I knew it would happen but never expected it so fast.”
In just eleven days, Syria—after more than 13 years of war—changed forever. The conflict left millions dead, missing, or displaced.
“The first thing I did was plant a fig tree,” Hisham said. Before he was displaced five years ago, he was a farmer in Khan al-Sabil, southern Idlib. Since then, he has been unemployed, relying on aid to support his family.
“The people returning are those whose homes weren’t destroyed. Many don’t have children with them.”
Hisham
When it became safe, Hisham rushed back to his farm, only to find his home destroyed. But instead of stopping, he got to work—planting figs and grapes, trying to rebuild. “The village has no clinics or schools,” he said.
For the past three years, Hisham has lived in a camp in Kafr Jalis with his wife and four children: Sanad, 22; Hasna, 17; Ibrahim, 13; and Khadija, 5.
When he fled, he carried nothing but his family tree records, which he had spent years compiling, and his beehives—his passion and livelihood for 35 years. He once had 100 hives, but now only seven remain. The bees struggled to survive in the north due to the lack of forage.
Hisham is his family’s historian, documenting names and stories and passing them on to future generations. But his heart remains in beekeeping—a craft he hopes to rebuild when he returns home.
“I miss my neighbours who have returned, but I’m happy for them,” he said. “I hope we can follow soon.”
“I miss my neighbours who have returned, but I’m happy for them. I hope we can follow soon.”
Hisham
