A group of young artists in Daraya, near Damascus, has repurposed a bombed-out house into a memorial mural. Led by Bilal Shoraba—an activist and graffiti artist from the town’s 2012–2016 siege—the team painted a large, colorful work across a collapsed ceiling to honor families lost during years of conflict. After returning, Shoraba launched workshops with the Dar Ebla Cultural Center to teach local youth; the mural now symbolizes resilience and renewal amid shattered homes.
Syrian Artists Transform Bombed-Out Daraya House into a Vibrant Memorial Mural
A group of young artists in Daraya, near Damascus, has repurposed a bombed-out house into a memorial mural. Led by Bilal Shoraba—an activist and graffiti artist from the town’s 2012–2016 siege—the team painted a large, colorful work across a collapsed ceiling to honor families lost during years of conflict. After returning, Shoraba launched workshops with the Dar Ebla Cultural Center to teach local youth; the mural now symbolizes resilience and renewal amid shattered homes.
22:03, 04.11.2025Culture
Artists turn ruins into a canvas of remembrance in Daraya
DARAYA, Syria — In the war-ravaged town on the outskirts of Damascus, a group of young Syrian artists has transformed the ruins of a bombed-out house into a vibrant canvas of remembrance.
They painted a large, colorful graffiti mural across a collapsed ceiling to honor families lost during years of conflict. The project was led by Bilal Shoraba, who worked as an activist and graffiti artist in Daraya during the Syrian army’s siege of the town from 2012 to 2016. During that period Shoraba produced roughly 30 graffiti works across Daraya as quiet acts of resistance.
After returning to his hometown, Shoraba partnered with the Dar Ebla Cultural Center to run workshops teaching local youth the techniques and meanings of street art. The mural grew from that collaboration and now stands as a symbol of resilience and renewal amid shattered walls and broken homes.
The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011, has produced immense human suffering: an estimated half a million people killed, millions displaced and tens of thousands still missing. In Daraya, the artists’ paint restores a touch of color and hope to neighborhoods long marked by loss.
Photo gallery: This collection of images was curated by AP photo editors.