Journeying through Syria’s shattered cities as they move from war to peace

By Osman Bahadir Dincer, Senior Researcher, Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC)
Bahar Baser, Professor in Political Science and International Relations, Durham University
Zeynep Sahin Mencütek, Senior Researcher in International Politics, Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC)

It was around seven o'clock in the evening when we arrived at a church in the city of Hama, Syria, to attend the wedding of a friend. As guests gradually filled the courtyard, music began to echo through the building. One by one, the bride, groom, and their relatives entered the church accompanied by songs, applause and cheers.

After the religious ceremony concluded, groups of young men and women began performing Ewiha, a traditional wedding chant in Syria and the Levant. Their voices rose and fell in a rhythmic dialogue as verses praising the bride and groom were answered…

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