Tourists flock to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s villa: NPR

QARDAHA, LATAKIA, SYRIA — A long, winding road leads to the former family home of ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad on the outskirts of Latakia on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. Orange and olive trees grow on both sides of the road in Burj Al Islam village. The only thing that disturbs the tranquility of the property is the sound of an electric saw. Dozens of Syrians are cutting down tree branches, collecting them and transporting them in bundles on the backs of pickup trucks, bicycles and motorbikes. They sprint down the road and out of the compound.

Hanan Salih, 40, said people from her village had never been allowed access to the forest before. We didn’t have the right kind of wood to burn in the stove for warmth, but the wood here is perfect.

“Look at our land with all these olives. We couldn’t go in there before, and now we’re here,” Sally told NPR.

A few minutes drive will take you to the gate of the villa. A large number of armed guards are drinking tea as cars enter. People line up at the entrance, waiting to visit the house. It’s like a museum.

The modern white building is surrounded by a garden filled with cacti, palm trees and all kinds of flowers. The villa is huge with a huge kitchen, swimming pool and private beach. It seems that it was built 50 years ago.

There is currently no furniture in the house. Shortly after the dictatorship was toppled last month and President Bashar al-Assad and his family fled Syria, ordinary Syrians invaded and looted previously restricted homes. Wires were exposed on the wall where the television had been snatched, light fixtures had been pulled from the ceiling, glass had been shattered and the sink had been pulled from the bathroom counter. Even heating and air conditioning are gone.

It’s easy to get lost in the villa’s numerous walk-in closets, private bathrooms with modern showers, and rows of bedrooms. The main bathroom has a large Jacuzzi bathtub overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, perfect for a bubble bath while watching the sunset. The toilet, shower and mirror are all broken. The huge kitchen has a bar, large sink, and a professional chef’s worktop.

On one wall in the living room is black spray-painted graffiti cursing the recently deposed ruler.

“Palace of serial killer Bashar al-Assad” is written in Arabic.

Mohamed Ismail, 25, is one of the Syrians touring the house. He posed for a photo on one of the balconies and said he was fascinated by the house, but also bitter about it.

“While he lived in a million-room palace, he kept his people living in poverty,” Ismail says of the former president.

The garden outside is well maintained and large. There’s plenty of space for entertaining, including a pizza oven, bar and cooking area. Besides the swimming pool, there is a series of showers and bathrooms for washing up after a dip.

This is the home of one of the world’s most secretive dictators, and now Syrians afraid to say anything about him roam freely in what was once his living room.