It was one of the earliest civilisations in the world, with excavated settlements suggesting a thriving city life as long ago as 3,000BC.

Its capital, Damascus - or, to some, the "City of Jasmine" - is the oldest capital in human history, and one of the centres of Islamic culture.

And at one point in history, Syria was the centre of the Islamic world. Trade brought economic prosperity and strong infrastructure to the country.

It is hard to imagine now. In the midst of a civil warA war between people from the same country. which has been raging since 2011, almost half of the country's infrastructureThe basic systems and services that a country needs to keep it going. has been destroyed.

Up to 610,000 people have been killed. More than half of the population is forced to live on less than £1.60 per day.¹ In 2022, there were 6.82 million refugees.

And one month ago, disaster struck yet again. The earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on 6 February killed almost 6,800 Syrians and injured a further 14,500.

Even before the catastrophe, the region's population of 4.7 million was forced to survive with just one MRIMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in healthcare to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. machine, 64 X-rayA type of radiation. X-ray imaging is used to create images inside the body. machines, 66 hospitals and 1,245 beds between them. Now, the situation is untenable.

This has put the spotlight on one of the world's most troubled countries - but some say it is not enough. Many experts think the war is in its "endgame", with the dice cast in favour of Syria's President Assad, who is backed by both Russia and Iran. They think we need to have urgent conversations about coming geopolitical shifts.

And yet Syria is still often removed from our news cycle. Some think this is deliberate: many countries have been accused of failing to provide enough aid and support to Syria. Nobody wants the finger pointed at them.

But others say there are practical considerations. Journalists are unable to report from vast parts of Syria, and information trickles out slowly and unreliably. Moreover, it is constantly competing with tragedies elsewhere: in Ukraine, Yemen, Pakistan, Lebanon and more. Who is to say which is more deserving of our attention?

Yes: Very few people could speak clearly on what is happening in Syria right now. However, lots of people have an opinion on the war in Ukraine, because it is constantly in the news. We need to deal fairly with conflicts across the world.

No: Syria has not been forgotten, but it is a longer conflict which has a lower rate of death and casualty per year than Ukraine. This is why Ukraine might be in the news more.

Or... We tend to have more to say about the issues that affect us. Therefore, there have been many discussions about Syrian refugees, and fewer about Syria's domestic situation.