Has Syria been forgotten? The earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey last month was one of the strongest ever recorded in the Levant. But some think that in its aftermath, Syria has slipped once again from our line of vision.
One scanner for 4.7m earthquake survivors
Has Syria been forgotten? The earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey last month was one of the strongest ever recorded in the Levant. But some think that in its aftermath, Syria has slipped once again from our line of vision.
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.
In antiquityThe ancient past, especially before the Middle Ages. Syria was occupied by numerous empires, from the Egyptians and Assyrians to the Persians, Greeks and Romans. In 637AD it was captured from the Byzantine EmpireThe continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. by Muslim Arab armies, and Damascus became the centre of the Islamic world. A rich network of trade and cultural exchange flourished, bringing strong infrastructure and economic prosperity.
It is hard to imagine now. In the midst of a civil war which has been raging since 2011, almost half of the country's infrastructure has been obliterated.
Up to 610,000 people have been killed. More than half of the domestic population is forced to live on less than £1.60 per day.1 In 2022, there were 6.82 million refugees, more than half of them housed in Turkey.
And one month ago, disaster struck yet again. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on 6 February killed almost 6,800 Syrians and injured a further 14,500.
In the northern and western regions affected, around 2.8 million people were already internally displaced due to bombing attacks from their president, Bashar al-Assad - now, a further 10,000 buildings have been destroyed by the natural disaster.
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-ray machines, 66 hospitals and 1,245 beds between them. Now, the situation is untenableSomething that cannot be supported, maintained or defended from criticism. .
"We have used the medications and serums that would have lasted us for four to six months in two to three days," said one doctor in despair. Many of the dead had injuries that might have been curable if not for the country's highly depleted medical supplies.
Though the UN delivered life-saving medical aid to Syria, it needed to wait for permission from the country's president to enter the regions using new border crossings. It took one painstakingly long week for the president to allow access to the opposition-led areas, during which time many died.2
This has renewed 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 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: all those involved in its war - including Russia, Turkey and the US - have been accused of human rights violations, and questions have repeatedly been raised about some Western countries' refusal to house Syrian refugees. Nobody wants the finger pointed at them.
But others say there are practical considerations. Journalists are unable to report from vast swathes 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?
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Has Syria been forgotten?</strong></h5>
Yes: Very few people could speak authoritatively 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.
Antiquity - The ancient past, especially before the Middle Ages.
Byzantine Empire - The continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
MRI - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in healthcare to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body.
Untenable - Something that cannot be supported, maintained or defended from criticism.
One scanner for 4.7m earthquake survivors

Glossary
Antiquity - The ancient past, especially before the Middle Ages.
Byzantine Empire - The continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
MRI - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in healthcare to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body.
Untenable - Something that cannot be supported, maintained or defended from criticism.