A signed portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, dated 2002, was among the many treasures inside Bashar al-Assad’s New Shaab Palace in Damascus, now overrun by insurgent forces. The portrait, a relic of the Syrian president’s diplomatic go to to Buckingham Palace together with his British-born spouse Asma, was found in a room filled with prized possessions and diplomatic presents.
The room, now extensively photographed, featured gold-encrusted chests, work, pottery, and mementoes of Assad’s rule, together with a rug together with his face, a gold FIFA award from 2005, and a silver protect, the NYT reported. The 2002 portrait takes us again to the time Assad courted international leaders, striving to rehabilitate Syria’s picture following his father’s brutal regime.
Bashar al-Assad, who as soon as projected a picture of reform, noticed his rule crumble below the load of a brutal civil conflict that started in 2011. He and his household fled Damascus on December 8 in haste, searching for asylum in Moscow, as insurgent forces swept by the capital after a 12-day offensive. Proof of their abrupt departure was seen within the palace, with navy maps left scattered on Assad’s desk. Hours later, civilians posed for selfies on the as soon as closely guarded workspace – the collapse of his long-standing rule.
Because the palace doorways had been thrown open, footage confirmed civilians and fighters looting objects starting from Louis Vuitton baggage to chandeliers. Outdoors, Assad’s fleet of luxurious autos, together with Ferraris, Aston Martins, Rolls-Royces, and a Bugatti Veyron, turned a spectacle for the crowds.
Rebels now guard the palace gates, stopping looting whereas utilizing the grand reception rooms as resting spots. Inside, remnants of a swiftly deserted regime – shredded paperwork, half-finished espresso cups, and scattered luxurious objects – paint a vivid image of how the Assad dynasty fell.
The scene echoes the autumn of different autocratic leaders. In 2011, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s compound revealed jewel-encrusted pistols and a weird portrait of Condoleezza Rice, alongside a golden dagger value $10 million, later recovered in 2016.