Luxury Cars and other goods found in Bashar al-Assad’s Presidential Palace

Following former President Bashar al-Assad’s abrupt departure from Syria, Damascus bore witness to a significant and symbolic shift in the nation’s history. Citizens explored the grandeur of the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace on Sunday, a space long associated with the centralisation of power.

Video footage showed Syrians walking freely through the palace’s lavishly decorated halls, capturing moments on camera, with some taking items such as furniture, artwork, and ornaments. Men, women, and children peeked into Assad’s bedrooms and official cabins, exploring the 31,500-square-metre residence and its lush gardens. They posed for photographs together, referring to it as the “people’s palace.”

Content circulating online offered a glimpse into a garage filled with luxury and sports cars, including Mercedes-Benz, Ferraris, Porsches, Audis, Lamborghinis, and several armoured SUVs. Some attendees could be seen taking clothes, plates, and other personal belongings, even seizing a Louis Vuitton trunk shopping bag.

In another scene, the older Muhajreen Palace offered a glimpse into a similar story. Verified footage displayed men and women navigating its expansive white marble floors and intricate wooden doors. Objects had been removed from shelves, and a cabinet stood empty, while ornate chandeliers remained hanging above the activity; though attempts were made to take those as well.

Assad’s palace in Damascus has been taken over pic.twitter.com/QZoE2162eP

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 8, 2024

The events of the day brought echoes of Iraq’s history following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, particularly in the public’s access to the ostentatious displays of power within previously inaccessible spaces. At the New Shaab Palace on Mount Mazzeh, celebratory gunfire marked the change as a group filmed their presence at the gates and explored the palace grounds.