Last week the walls of the Krak des Chevaliers castle — one of Syria’s most cherished cultural landmarks — in the countryside of Homs were shaken again, but this time by electronic dance music. As widely shared on social media, there were laser shows, famous DJs and hundreds of young people banging their heads to the rhythm.
The same party was held at the castle last year as well.
truly bizarre seeing scenes of a rave in Krak de Chevaliers — a revered UNESCO World Heritage site partially damaged in the war.
The security situation apparently prevents UNESCO missions to visit the site to check damage, but it’s safe enough for botoxed Estonian DJs to spin pic.twitter.com/4entScuMEh
— Sarah Dadouch | سارة دعدوش (@SarahDadouch) September 10, 2022
In Damascus in the famous Bab Sharqi quarter, bars, clubs and restaurants are full of diners and partygoers. On average, the cost of food in the restaurant per person is around 290,000 SL ($20). With alcohol, it is more.
Are these the signs of a return to normal in a country that has been ravaged by war for more than a decade or the privileged few enjoying the best of life in the midst of poverty and misery?
I think, in their own ways, both — but more of the second. This situation is not unique to Syria of course. Every country with a crisis of that sort goes through similar experiences. What is unique to Syria is the proportions.
According to the United Nations, over 90% of the population in Syria lives below the poverty line.
Read more: From refugees to crippling poverty, a look at Syria's never-ending humanitarian crisis
The average salary for the lowest level of government employees is around 200,000 SL ($14). An army officer carrying the rank of a general earns something like 700,000 SL (around $48) a month. They are said to make up for their low pay through other means.
The ordinary Syrian living in Damascus no longer receives subsidies on fuel, inflation is extremely high and Syria's lira on suffering from extreme devaluation. Basic infrastructure is lacking. Electricity and running water are scarce, at 2-4 hours a day. Widespread corruption is the natural consequence of all that.
When the crisis started in 2011, many upper-middle-class and business elite Syrians left their country for Lebanon and also other neighbouring countries, Europe and other places and established a new life. Since then, very few have come back to resettle and a few are making the occasional trip to look after their property or relatives, but the majority remain abroad.
Loyalty system
While this is how it is in general, the traditional money-making mechanism of the regime is working unhindered. Since the times of Hafez al-Assad, in Syria, the regime has implemented a system of privileges and rewards to ensure the loyalty of people around them.
The core of the money-making mechanism in Syria today is said to be Bashar al-Assad, his wife Asma and brother Maher al-Assad.
The other components of the machinery have changed, as money has changed hands.
Apart from a few old faces, the nouveau riche who fill the restaurants and spend money lavishly are al-Assad loyalists who made their fortune during the war, mostly at the expense of others.
