Yasmine al-Saleh has two reasons to celebrate this year: the Eid al-Adha holiday and her family’s long-awaited return home after nine years in a notorious displacement camp in the Syrian desert.
Though their hometown of al-Qaryatayn in eastern Homs province bears the scars of nearly 14 years of civil war, with many buildings collapsed and their own house dangerously unstable, al-Saleh’s joy is unmistakable.
A man cleans the street beside a destroyed old church as families return to their homes after spending nine years in a notorious displacement camp in the Syrian desert, al-Qaryatayn, Syria, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo)
“When I first stepped into my house – words can’t describe the happiness,” she said tearfully. “Even though it’s destroyed, we have no money, we’re hungry, in debt, my husband is old and can’t work, and I have children – it’s still a castle to me.”
Yasmine al-Saleh cleans pots beside her daughters, Aya (L) and Nour, after she and her family returned to their home following nine years in a notorious displacement camp in the Syrian desert, al-Qaryatayn, Syria, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo)
