DAMASCUS, Dec 10 (Reuters) – For 42-year-old Anas Idrees, the journey from Lebanon to Syria marked a significant personal milestone—the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. After securing plans to bring his family back, Idrees made his way to one of the city’s most iconic spots: the Hamidiyeh Souk, home to the famed Bakdash ice cream parlour.
Idrees, who hadn’t tasted the legendary Arabic gelato in 15 years, ordered a large scoop of Bakdash’s signature mastic-infused ice cream, a treat that had become a distant memory after the civil war turned him into a refugee. After savoring the first bite, he remarked, “I swear to God, it tastes different now. It was good before, but it’s changed because now we are happy inside.”
For over a century, Bakdash has been serving its signature Arabic-style ice cream made from Sahlab, a flour derived from orchid roots. The ice cream is traditionally pounded with long mallets until it achieves its soft, stretchy texture. Each bowl, topped with a generous layer of pistachios, costs just $1—a small price for a slice of Damascus’ rich cultural heritage.
The parlour has long been a symbol of Syrian tradition, but for many Syrians, particularly those displaced by the war, enjoying a bowl of Bakdash’s ice cream had become a rare luxury. Since the beginning of the civil war in 2011, many people have been unable to visit Damascus due to the ongoing conflict and Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests. But now, with the regime’s fall and a fleeting victory for the opposition, hundreds of Syrians, both from inside and outside the country, have flocked to Damascus, eager to reconnect with their capital’s soul.
On Monday, hundreds gathered at Bakdash, including many fighters fresh from the battlefield. Some, still dressed in military fatigues and carrying weapons slung across their backs, tucked into the ice cream that occasionally became entangled in their long, untamed beards.
Ahmed Aslaan, a 22-year-old fighter who had not seen Damascus in over a decade, spoke of the deep sense of freedom that came with his first visit back to the capital. “Thank God we achieved our goal. Now we can go around all of Syria in our own car,” he said, smiling between bites. “We were all stuck in a tiny area before, now we have space.”
The reopening of Bakdash after Assad’s ousting was a powerful symbol of change for Samir Bakdash, co-owner of the parlour. He said the decision to reopen the day after the regime’s collapse was his way of expressing joy at the end of a government that had oppressed Syrians for decades, forcing him to pay bribes just to keep the business running.
Despite claims that the ice cream’s recipe has remained unchanged since his great-grandfather created it in the 1890s, regular customers, like Eman Ghazal, a 20-something business student, were quick to point out that something felt different. “It tastes different—it’s delicious and has gotten even better,” she said. “It’s not just the ice cream, it’s life in general. It’s as if the walls are smiling and the sun has finally come out.”
The sight of fighters, families, and old friends sharing ice cream at Bakdash reflects the larger sense of hope and renewal sweeping through Syria as the country emerges from more than a decade of civil war. For many, a simple scoop of ice cream represents not just a return to normalcy, but a celebration of newfound freedom.
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