Türkiye has seen a new wave of returns to Syria among refugees since the Baathist regime collapsed on Dec. 8, 2024. The country’s border crossings with Syria still teem with refugees who find hope in the post-Assad country despite widespread devastation left behind after more than a decade of civil war.
Former refugees now adapt to their new lives in Syria after spending years in Türkiye. Since December 2024, more than 450,000 Syrians have returned to the country from Türkiye.
Abdullah Dibo, a shopkeeper in Aleppo, is among them. Dibo left his country when the unrest began and spent some 13 years in Gaziantep, a Turkish province on the border. He said he led a secure life in Türkiye and decided to return to Aleppo’s Bab district after the fall of the Assad regime. “We are treated very well in Türkiye. I learned a lot from my Turkish brothers. Actually, I do the business I learned from them here in Syria. Syria is safer now,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday.
Ahmed Talib studied civil engineering in Gaziantep and pursued postgraduate studies there. When the conflict ended, he accompanied his family to Syria. “Türkiye gave me a safe haven and protected my family. Now I am back in Syria and want to work in the reconstruction of my country,” he says.
Fazlullah Shuwami was pursuing postgraduate studies in Damascus when the war disrupted his studies. He left for Türkiye in late 2015. “In the beginning, it was a tough life. I had problems learning the language and finding a job. Later, I attended language and vocational training courses. The 10 years I spent there contributed a lot to my life,” he said. Shuwami said his experience in Türkiye helped his personal development. “Being a refugee teaches you to stand on your own. I am more self-confident now. I made new friends. Learning a new language and culture changed my point of view,” he said. Like Dibo, Shuwami said he wanted to utilize all the knowledge he acquired in Türkiye in Syria. “I am glad that my country is liberated. We have all the means now. I can resume my studies or start my own business,” he said.
Abdulaziz al-Shami, 28, started a restaurant in Istanbul and brought it to Aleppo after returning to Syria. “We combined Turkish and Aleppo cuisine and offer new tastes to our customers,” he said. Al-Shami said he was delighted by Turkish hospitality and that he now works with colleagues who are as familiar with Turkish and Turkish culture as he is. Al-Shami invites others remaining in Türkiye to return home. “We are like one country after all,” he said, pointing to the growing ties between Türkiye and Syria.
Türkiye embraced refugees from its southern neighbor as the war intensified and, at one point, hosted the largest Syrian refugee community in the world. Despite reaction from far-right groups, the government adhered to its principle of an open-door policy for refugees fleeing the war. It occasionally encouraged returns for refugees, but only to areas in northern Syria liberated from terrorist groups, and only voluntarily. After the collapse of the Baathist regime, refugees who called Türkiye home for years have been streaming to the border crossings for returns.
