After Assad’s fall, a revered Shia shrine in Syria faces a new era of uncertainty

On the dusty outskirts of Damascus, the dome of the Sayyida Zeinab shrine gleams in the midday sun. It’s covered in nearly 20 pounds of gold that was donated in the 1980s, according to Ahmad Tahir Mohsen, an engineer at the shrine.

The shrine remains one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Shia Islam. It is believed to house the tomb of Zeinab bint Ali, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad.

The blue-and-green-tiled walls shimmer with Quranic calligraphy and intricate geometric patterns, each hand-painted by Iranian artists. On a typical day, the shrine would be bustling with pilgrims from across the Shia world. Sunni Muslims also sometimes come to visit or to pray. But these days, the courtyard is usually quiet.

As Syria remains in flux, flights to the country are limited, security remains fragile and the aftermath of a major political shift is still unfolding. And with the country in transition, the shrine’s future remains uncertain.

From sanctuary to battleground

During the early years of Syria’s civil war, the Sayyida Zeinab shrine was transformed from a religious sanctuary into a symbol of political and military power. As opposition groups battled government forces, Iran — a Shia-majority nation — sent fighters to protect the shrine.

They became known as the “defenders of the shrine,” and they came from, not just Iran, but Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Iran funding and training all of them.

Over time, the shrine became a de facto base for Shia militias fighting alongside forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. But that era ended with Assad’s ousting in December.

Hadi Ahmad Hassan owns several hotels in the area, and he said he witnessed the transformation of the town firsthand.

He recalled the arrival of Shia militias in 2012.

“They took over nearby villas and farmland by force,” he said. “Landowners and businesses had to obey the militias’ orders because they had so much power and influence in Syria.”

Hassan said about two weeks before the fall of the Assad government, a group of fighters booked rooms at one of his hotels. As soon as Assad left the country, they changed into civilian clothes and fled at 3:00 in the morning.

Later, he discovered weapons hidden in the ceiling panels of the hotel rooms. He said the fighters had even placed their weapons inside trash bins inside the shrine itself.

Today, Hassan is relieved the militias are gone.

“Iran used religion to control our country,” he said.

A new custodian

The man now overseeing the shrine is 60-year-old Jafar Qasem. Sitting in his modest office, Qasem offered tea and reassurance: “The shrine is in safe hands,” he said. “The new government has set up checkpoints. We are secure.”

Yet concerns linger. Extremist groups like ISIS remain a threat. In January, authorities thwarted an ISIS attack near the site.

Qasem, a lifelong resident of the neighborhood, recalled visiting the shrine as a child.

“It was a humble place,” he said, “no electricity. The interior was lit by candles.”

Today, chandeliers shine bright around the clock.

But the sense of stability is far from being restored.

A few blocks away, Ahmad Beyazid Abu Saeed, director of the town of Sayyida Zeinab, was blunt about Iran’s role in the area.

“Iran used this holy place as a military base to pursue its own agenda,” he said, stroking his long beard.

Abu Saeed was part of the forces that took Damascus and forced Assad to flee. His two brothers died in prison during the war.

“After the fall of Assad, there was a lot of chaos here,” he said. “The Shia fighters had scattered their weapons everywhere. Even the children had guns.”

The government has been collecting the weapons, he explained, but there are still a lot of them out on the streets.

“We want pilgrims to return,” Abu Saeed added, “but that won’t happen without real stability.”

Businesses on the brink

For Mahboubeh, a 40-year-old Iranian woman who has lived in Syria for two decades, the stakes are deeply personal. She sells abayas, the long robes worn by some Muslim women, in a small shop near the shrine.

She gave her first name only, because she worries that complaining about the conditions might get her in trouble with the new officials.

“There were times we had 2,000 visitors a day,” she said. “Now we’re lucky if we get 10.”

The new administration in Damascus has banned Iranians from entering Syria. That’s contributed to the reduced number of visitors, which is also impacting businesses in the area.

“We survived the war,” Mahboubeh said, “but we might not survive this economic crisis.”

Producer Zein Khuzam assisted in reporting this story.