Hello, I'm Mark Lowen, and this is the documentary from the BBC World Service.

This time in BBC OS Conversations, we bring together people inside Syria three months after the fall of Assad.

After 13 years of civil war, a transitional government is now in charge,

led by the leader of the Islamist rebel group

that swept through the country in a matter of weeks. In our conversations, two women discuss

new freedoms, but also share fears about safety and women's rights. Families are reunited as people

return, and tour guides debate what Syria has to offer.

We have a huge potential, touristically speaking. Someone says that Syria is a huge

touristic powerhouse. On the 8th of December 2024, rebel forces captured the Syrian capital

Damascus, and Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, bringing his brutal and

corrupt regime to an end. Since taking power, the interim president Ahmed al-Chara has overseen

the dismantling of Assad's security agencies and has promised that those responsible for the mass

murder of civilians would be held to account. Last month, he also held a national

dialogue conference to provide recommendations on the future direction of the country. But as

leader of the Islamist group, Hayat Tarir al-Sham or HTS, there are also concerns about the new

government. Syria is home to many different religious and ethnic groups,

and some fear that more conservative members of HTS could influence policy over areas such as

women's rights. Nor is the fighting over. As we record this program on Friday lunchtime, forces

linked to the new government have been battling Assad loyalists in the port

cities of Latakia and Tartuz. Reports suggest that more than 70 people have been killed.

We recorded our first conversation before this latest violence when we brought together two

women to discuss what life is now like in Syria. Rita is a student and tour guide, and Suad is a teacher in Damascus.

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