Footage and images circulated by activists on social media have revealed that the grave of the late Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad in Qardaha, western Syria, has been exhumed, and his remains relocated to an undisclosed location.
The photos show the site of Assad’s grave having been dug up, coming five months after opposition factions set the grave ablaze following their arrival in Qardaha, a village in the coastal Lattakia province, shortly after the departure of ousted president Bashar al-Assad from the country.
The newly surfaced images depict the grave as empty, with Assad’s remains having been removed and transferred to an unknown site. The exact timing of the exhumation remains unclear.
In earlier incidents, the gravesite had become a symbolic location for opposition figures and social media influencers, who flocked to Qardaha to document the fall of a regime that had long opposed them. Videos circulated online showed some opponents setting fire to the grave, with others engaging in acts of desecration, including urinating on the site, and posting the footage on social media platforms.
Reactions online have been divided. Some users described the relocation of Assad’s remains as a necessary act to “remove a tyrant from Muslim lands,” while others dismissed it as symbolic and inconsequential given the regime’s collapse. Still others suggested that moving the remains was a precautionary step to prevent further desecration and to reduce sectarian tensions amid a fragile and volatile situation on the ground.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
