In the large courtyard of the Faculty of Letters at Damascus University, hundreds of jubilant students trampled on Sunday a statue, symbol of the former power, a week after the fall of the capital.
“The atmosphere is extraordinary, everyone is happy, look at the joy of the people,” exclaims Rinad Abdallah, an 18-year-old medical student.
In front of her, the several-meter-high statue of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria unchallenged from 1971 to 2000 before his son succeeded him, was thrown to the ground.
"I have an old photo where I'm posing in front of the statue, now I'm going to pose in the same place, without the statue!" the young woman says, laughing.
The faculty's dean, Dr. Ali Allaham, told AFP that classes resumed on Sunday with around 80% of staff and a "large number" of students present.
In the courtyard, hundreds of students are cheering, chanting revolutionary slogans and waving the three-star flag, a symbol of the 2011 pro-democracy uprising.
"This is a moment we have been waiting for for so long. And then, there is no longer this statue that oppressed us with its presence," says Yasmine Chehab, a 29-year-old English literature student.
"We finally feel free! We can finally say what we think without fear," continues the student, who says she is confident in the future of Syria.
"There will be a place for all communities, who will move forward hand in hand," she adds.
Thousands of students marched in a spontaneous demonstration towards the central Umayyad Square, where Syrians have been celebrating the fall of Bashar al-Assad for a week.
Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir, in charge of the transition in Syria, assured on Wednesday that the coalition led by the Islamists of Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) would guarantee the rights of all, in a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country.
Flags everywhere
Schoolchildren, some in uniform, also returned to class in Damascus on Sunday for the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad on December 8, according to AFP journalists.
On their way to school, girls make the victory sign. One of them has drawn the three-star flag on her cheek. Others proudly wave flags that flutter in the wind.
"The school has asked us (...) to send middle and high school students to class. The youngest will return in two days," Raghida Ghosn, 56, a mother of three, told AFP.
Inside a classroom, little has changed, or almost nothing. A large flag, symbol of the revolution, has been hung on the wall.
According to a public school employee, attendance on Sunday "does not exceed 30%," but "the numbers should gradually increase."
A Sunday Mass was also celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition in Damascus.
Life has also resumed in shops and businesses and residents have been going to their offices since the early hours of the day.
In front of a bakery in the residential and popular district of Rokn-Eddine, around 10 people were queuing, in peace, noted an AFP journalist.
On the sidewalks, street vendors offer cans of gasoline to residents, who are suffering from the fuel shortage.
In Damascus, as everywhere in Syria, repeated power cuts are frequent. They deprive residents of long hours of electricity, sometimes up to 20 hours a day in some neighborhoods.
