Damascus | Al Majalla

The vagabonds of Damascus past

In light of the spike in mental illness cases in Syria, Al Majalla sheds light on several famous vagabonds in Damascus from the 1950s to the 1990s

Sami Moubayed 05 July 2023

As the prestigious university turns 100 this year, Al Majalla looks back at its evolution and most significant influences.

Eduardo Ramon

The fascinating history of Damascus University

As the prestigious university turns 100 today, Al Majalla looks back at its evolution and most significant influences

Sami Moubayed 13 June 2023

Eiko Ojala

Plagued by war, queues and sorrow, Syrians await their inevitable demise

Syrian novelist Khaled Khalifa shares his firsthand account from the heart of the country's capital, describing the endless sorrow of the Syrian people

Khaled Khalifa 26 April 2023

A worker walks past Syrian national flags at a solar farm in Hama, Syria November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi

Starved of Electricity, Some Syrians Turn To Solar Power

Facing crippling electricity cuts, Syrian dentist Ibrahim al-Akzam has turned to solar power to keep his Damascus clinic going, a reflection of the deep energy crisis in his country after 11 years of…

15 December 2022

Ahlam Mohsin Warda, a single mother bringing up three children, helps her son with his studies at their home in Damascus, Syria November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar

Syrians Brace for Long, Cold Winter as Fuel Crisis Bites

Mohammed Abu Ramadan can't afford to keep his children warm this winter so he and his sister's family in Damascus take it in turn to look after them - heating their homes only for the weeks that the…

08 December 2022

A number of Syrians gather in front of a Frankfurt Court where the trial of Syrian doctor Alaa M. over torture charges is being held. (Supplied)

Syrian Doctor’s Germany Trial, A Message to Intl Community

*Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of violence and torture. German authorities are prosecuting a Syrian doctor accused of committing crimes against humanity during his…

Jiwan Soz 04 February 2022

A Syrian policeman patrols the ancient oasis city of Palmyra in March. Many Syrian antiquities have been looted and smuggled out of the country during the past three years of civil war/ Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images

Antiquities Smuggling: New Source of Funding for Syrian Militias

Qamishli- Iran’s military influence in Syria has moved through different forms and levels since the beginning of Tehran’s intervention in the Syrian crisis years ago to support Syrian President…

Jiwan Soz 14 January 2022

A handout photo made available by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian President Bashar Assad (C-R) receiving a Russian delegation headed by Alexander Lavrentiev (C-L), the special envoy of President Vladimir Putin, in Damascus, Syria, 17 November 2021. EPA/SANA HANDOUT

Does It Make Sense To Turn A New Page With A Murderer?

A year ago the U.S. Democratic President Joe Biden was elected to succeed the Republican President Donald Trump, but until this moment his policy on Syria, if any, has not been announced. We have…

Alia Mansour 19 November 2021

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Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (C) reviews a military honour guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) during a welcoming ceremony in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on January 31, 2019.

GREG BAKER / AFP

Politics

Pivot to China? Gulf states mull options after Doha strike

12 September 2025

Israel's attack in Qatar erodes Gulf states' trust in the US and serves as a stark reminder that they cannot depend on American security guarantees

Xiaotong Yang

A Hezbollah flag is placed in front of the shrine of Shamoun al-Safa, built within a castle in the village of Shamaa in southern Lebanon's Tyre governorate, on January 31, 2025, that was heavily damaged by Israeli bombing.

Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP

Business & Economy

Trump Economic Zone plan raises eyebrows in Lebanon

11 September 2025

Many Lebanese see the project as a demographic one with economic dressings aimed at expelling the country's southern population from their lands

Souraya Chahine

Al Majalla

Politics

From Idlib to New York: Sharaa’s winding road the UN

12 September 2025

From the plains of Idlib to the presidential palace in Damascus and now the UN headquarters in Manhattan, Al Majalla traces the Syrian president's journey to get to this historic moment

Ibrahim Hamidi

Opinion

'The Voice of Hind Rajab' shows cries for justice are only getting louder

07 September 2025

A 24-minute standing ovation at the film premiere was more than a symbolic gesture of justice for Israel's murder of little Hind, but a heartfelt cry of real anguish over the ongoing genocide in Gaza

Samer Abou Hawwach