A feast during the war: the nightlife of Damascus

The civil war in Syria has not subsided for more than four years, and although millions of refugees have already left the country, many young Syrians are trying to live a normal life. In the Old City in Damascus, about a mile from the front, Syrian youth began going to bars and clubs, trying to return to a normal peaceful life. This could not have been seen two years ago. Many of the bars have only been open for about a couple of months. Reuters photographer Omar Sanadiki captured what the nightlife of Damascus is like today.

(15 photos in total)

Source: Business Insider

Dana Dakkak works as a bartender at Pub Sharqi in Damascus. "People are tired of the war and just want to live a normal life, so they walk, socialize," she says.

Damascus became safer in February, when Russia sent its troops to Syria and an agreement was reached on a partial truce, which helped to stabilize the situation.

Locals began to walk and socialize a little more.

"This definitely didn't happen two years ago, and now there is much more enthusiasm," says 23—year-old Nicholas Rahal. — I can now go to this or that bar or club. Places opened up and people started walking."

Living a night life, Syrians get the opportunity to breathe easy, and not hide in fear at home.

Lovers of night entertainment drink beer, watch football and smoke hookahs in popular bars in Damascus.

Many people thought about leaving, but now that there are opportunities to socialize and live more or less normally, they decided to stay. "When I saw that some kind of life appeared here, I stayed," says Dana Ibrahim. "I don't want to be a refugee."

But a few miles from the bars in the Old City of Damascus, there is still a war going on.

Sometimes in the distance you can hear volleys from artillery guns, and soldiers with machine guns walk around, search cars in search of explosives at army checkpoints, which creates many kilometers of traffic jams. According to the latest data, more than 470 thousand people died during the conflict.

Sometimes the bombing takes place just a few miles from the club streets of Damascus.

Nightlife is not just a way to forget about the war for a while. It also helps create jobs in the midst of an economic crisis.

According to Reuters, due to inflation, the Syrian pound lost 90% of its value in 2011.

For 550 Syrian pounds, which corresponds to about one dollar, you can buy one beer.

The traumatic experience of people living in a state of war is a truth that is not talked about, especially those who go to bars.

Meanwhile, each of them almost certainly has a psychological trauma caused by the war that is haunting the people of Syria.