Why Deir al-Zour remains Syria’s most ruined city and how people are trying to rebuild

Why Deir al-Zour remains Syria’s most ruined city and how people are trying to rebuild

Deir al-Zour, an eastern Syrian city on the Euphrates, is Syria's most ravaged city from its 13-year civil war. It was more devastated than any other Syrian city, initially by Bashar al-Assad's regime, and subsequently by ISIS, United Nations Habitat said. Children play in the river and families picnic by its shores today, but ruins still dominate in its neighbourhoods, and hopes for peace are fragile, the New York Times reported.

From uprising to neglect

The city takes pride in being part of the very first to rise against Assad in 2011, with demonstrations beginning around the Othman bin Affan mosque. But citizen Ali Muhammad al-Hilou argues sacrifice has not been rewarded. Today occupied by President Ahmed al-Shara, an old rebel leader, citizens are left out. The new regime is blamed by them for turning a blind eye to Deir al-Zour's suffering despite it being at the centre of the revolution.

Daily existence in the rubble

Life involves the going on despite the collapsed houses and shattered mosques. Families like those in Deir al-Zour centre continue to live outside the devastated homes, dreading to go into unsafe structures. Minor bazaars, schools, and tea stands are gradually coming into being, but infrastructure is fragile. Electricity is still unreliable, clean water scarce, and jobs in short supply. Existence is a mixture of determination and resignation for the majority.

Hurdles to recovery

The devastation of the city prevents rebuilding. Billions of dollars are needed to restore homes, hospitals, and roads to vitality. Money keeps coming in slowly, though, and corruption keeps taking a step backward. Aid agencies have struggled to provide long-term aid, citing security issues as well as the government's absence of coordination. Local authorities declare that if investment is not maintained, Deir al-Zour risks falling behind as other Syrian cities advance more quickly.

A front line that never dissipated

Even in comparative quiet, Deir al-Zour is a fault line of power politics. ISIS holdouts continue to shape the desert fringe, as tribal conflicts and militias struggle for hegemony. This ongoing instability deters investors and humanitarian workers. For its citizens, the war is not yet over — a reminder that it is not about buildings, but about rebuilding trust, security, and a future without violence.

A fragile hope

Amidst tragedy, there are moments of hope. There is children's play in the places where bombs previously rained down upon, youths imagine universities, and families picnic by the river as the sun sets over its surface. These simple acts of living are challenges to the forces of hopelessness. Locals, however, maintain that genuine hope will arrive only when Deir al-Zour receives the credit, support, and reconstruction it long had coming but was denied.