IDLIB, Syria / ISTANBUL

Since the fall of the 61-year Baath regime a year ago this week, Christians in northwestern Syria who were forced to abandon their villages during the civil war are returning to their ancestral lands.

Approximately 20,000 people lived in the Christian villages of Ghassaniyah, Yacoubiyah, Judayda, and Quniyah, located west of Idlib, in northwestern Syria, before the 13-year civil war.

The Christian population in the area, however, shrank to as low as 500 people during the harshest years of the civil war in 2013-2015.

Most residents of these villages were forced to migrate due to intense artillery and airstrikes by forces of the since-ousted Assad regime and clashes in the region.

'We returned to breathe our village's air'

Semmaye Agop from the village of Quniyah in Idlib said he spent his childhood and youth in the village but was forced to migrate due to attacks by the Assad regime, which was ousted on Dec. 8, 2024.

"We took our children and my wife and migrated to Tartus," in coastal Syria, he told Anadolu, noting that bombardment intensified with the civil war.

Explaining that they returned to their village after the revolution, Agop said: "We returned to breathe our village's air. But there’s no water, no electricity, no internet. We can’t even communicate properly with our children. Still, we returned to our land. God willing, the situation will be completely fixed."

'Traces of 2023 earthquakes and bombings still remain'

Livan Muvas said they left their village after bombardment began in 2013, first going to Lebanon and then being forced to go to the United Arab Emirates.

"By the grace of God, we returned to our village and our land. This is the dream of all Syrians," Muvas said. "We have been here for centuries, we are attached to our land."

Stating they faced great destruction when they returned to their village after 12 years, Muvas said: "Traces of the (2023) earthquakes and bombardment still remain. Infrastructure problems, internet and coverage difficulties create challenges. But fellowship exists among all sectors of Syrians. We will rebuild Syria."

Along with some 60,000 deaths in 12 Turkish provinces, the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes took some 6,000-8,500 lives in neighboring northwestern Syria.

Hanna Jalluf, who lived in Quniyah before the war, said they were forced to migrate due to bombing by Assad regime forces.

Noting that he returned to his village after the regime's fall and the situation is better, Jalluf said his situation improved, adding: “I stayed here and felt that life is better than before."