One year ago today, Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule came to an end, bringing a close to 13 years of brutal civil war.

On 8 December 2024, Assad stepped down as Syria’s president and fled to Russia, marking one of the most significant political shifts in the Middle East in decades.

Twelve months on, the dust has begun to settle but the country is still grappling with the immense social, political and emotional toll left behind.

While Syria’s interim government has promised to protect all its citizens, not just the majority population of Sunni Muslims, hundreds of people from the country’s Alawite and Druze minorities have been killed in sectarian attacks, including by members of the government’s forces.

The BBC’s Middle East correspondent, Hugo Bachega, is in Syria’s capital, Damascus, speaking to Syrians about how life has changed since the revolution.