Syrians taste freedom at the famous Damascus ice cream parlor

After racing from Lebanon to Syria to celebrate the fall of the Assad regime and making arrangements for his family to follow, 42-year-old Anas Idrees knew what was next on his list of priorities.

He ventured into the grand Hamidiyeh Souk in old Damascus until he arrived at the renowned Bakdash ice cream parlor. He then ordered a large scoop of their signature mastic-infused Arabic gelato.

Idrees had last savored it 15 years earlier before the Syrian civil war made him a refugee.

People gather at Bakdash ice-cream parlour, in Hamidiyeh Souk, after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 9, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano

"I swear to God, it tastes different now," he said after eating a spoonful. "It was good before, but it's changed because now we are happy inside."

For over 100 years and through many wars, Bakdash has served Arabic-style ice cream infused with Sahlab, a flour made from orchid roots, pounded by hand with meter-long mallets until it takes on a soft, stretchy texture.

A generous heap costs just $1 per bowl and is served coated in pistachios.

Bakdash is much-loved across Syria, but many Syrians have been unable to visit their capital city since former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011, igniting a 13-year civil war that divided the country.

A worker prepares ice cream at Bakdash ice-cream parlour, in Hamidiyeh Souk, after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 9, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano

In the wake of Assad's ouster following a lightning rebel advance, tens of thousands of Syrians have converged on Damascus from across the country and outside its borders.

On Monday, hundreds turned up at Bakdash, many of them fighters fresh from the battlefield who slung guns around their backs to tuck into the cool treat that sometimes got caught in long, unkempt beards.

Ahmed Aslaan, a 22-year-old combatant wearing green fatigues, said he had not seen Damascus in over a decade, and enjoying the ice cream was a perk of his newfound freedom.

A paper is placed with the price of one ice cream in Syrian pounds, Turkish lira, and U.S. dollars at Bakdash ice-cream parlour, in Hamidiyeh Souk, after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 9, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano

"Thank God we achieved our goal. Now we can go around Syria in our car," he said between bites. "We were all stuck in a tiny area before; now we have space."

Co-owner Samir Bakdash said reopening the day after Assad fell was his way to show his joy at the end of a government that oppressed Syrians for decades and forced him to pay bribes to keep his shop open.

He insisted the signature recipe had not changed since his great-grandfather developed it in the 1890s.

People gather in front of Bakdash ice-cream parlor, in Hamidiyeh Souk, after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 9, 2024.REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano

But even regular customers said something felt new.

"It tastes different – it's delicious and has gotten even better," said Eman Ghazal, a business student in her 20s who has been coming to Bakdash since childhood.

"It's not just the ice cream; it's life in general. It's as if the walls are smiling, and the sun has finally come out."