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Longing for home amid uncertainty
Ahmed, 18, steps out of a mosque in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with the word Syria. Though he left his homeland at age five, he plans to return within two years. "I am impatient to get there," he says. "Syria will be rebuilt and it will be like gold."
Mass returns follow regime change
Over half a million Syrians have left Turkey since December 2024, when Bashar al-Assad was ousted after years of civil war. Turkey once hosted 3.5 million Syrians-the largest refugee population in the world-but political tensions and sporadic xenophobic attacks have reshaped the landscape.
Officially, Ankara insists no Syrian will be forced to leave. Yet bureaucratic hurdles and a fading welcome signal a shift. A Syrian woman, who asked to remain anonymous, says civil society groups are receiving subtle pressure from authorities to encourage departures. "Even my Turkish friends ask why I'm still here," she says. "We'll return, but in an organized way-if we all go back together, it will be chaos."
Dreams of return clash with harsh realities
Aya Mustafa, 32, longs to return to Aleppo, just two hours from Gaziantep, but practical obstacles loom. Her family's home is occupied, and basic services like electricity and water remain unreliable. "It's a big decision," she says, citing her elderly grandmother and disabled sister. "We need jobs, stability-things we don't have yet."
Language gaps add to the challenge. Many Syrian children born in Turkey don't speak Arabic. Still, Aya remains hopeful. "We believe that day will come," she says. "It will take years, but we'll all be back."
Divided families, divided futures
Not all Syrians share her optimism. A father running an aid organization in Gaziantep rules out returning, citing Syria's economic collapse, security risks, and a lack of trust in the interim government led by former Al Qaeda leader Ahmed Al Sharaa. "The indications aren't good," he says. "Every day there are killings."
His contingency plans include relocating elsewhere if Turkey's policies change. "Plan A is to stay here," he says. "But I'm an engineer-I always have plans B, C, and D."
Policy shifts cast shadow over refugees
Syrians in Turkey hold "temporary protection" status, restricting movement and employment. Work permits are scarce, and many survive on low-wage jobs. From January 2025, free medical care for Syrians was discontinued, and new regulations make hiring them more costly.
Metin Corabatir, head of the migration research center IGAM, warns that upcoming elections could further strain their status. "President Erdogan has been their protector," he says. "But if there's political gain, policies might change."
Xenophobic rhetoric, dormant since the last elections, could resurface. "The infrastructure for that attitude is still alive," Corabatir adds.
A bittersweet journey home
At a border crossing near Gaziantep, Mahmud Sattouf and his wife Suad Helal prepare to visit Syria. With Turkish citizenship, they can return-but for many Syrians, the trip is one-way. Mahmud, a 63-year-old teacher, beams with excitement. "We love our country," he says. "East, west, home is best."
He plans to move back permanently within a year, once Syria stabilizes. "I feel young," he says. "We're ready to rebuild."
"I will be the happiest man in the world," he adds, laughing.
