A signed portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, dated 2002, was among the treasures in Bashar al-Assad's new Shaab Palace in Damascus, now overrun by rebels. The portrait, a remnant of the Syrian president's diplomatic visit to Buckingham Palace with his British-born wife Asma, was discovered in a room full of valuables and diplomatic gifts.
The room, now widely photographed, contained gold-encrusted caskets, paintings, pottery and mementos of Assad's rule, including a rug with his face, a 2005 FIFA gold award and a silver shield, the NYT reported. The 2002 portrait takes us back to the days when Assad was courting world leaders and striving to restore Syria's image after his father's brutal regime.
Bashar al-Assad, who once projected an image of reform, saw his rule crumble under the weight of a brutal civil war that began in 2011. He and his family hurriedly fled Damascus on December 8 and sought asylum in Moscow as rebel forces swept through the capital after a 12-day offensive. Evidence of their abrupt departure was visible in the palace, where military maps were scattered on Assad's desk. Hours later, civilians posed for selfies in the once heavily guarded work area — marking the collapse of his long-standing rule.
As the doors of the palace were thrown open, footage showed civilians and fighters looting items ranging from Louis Vuitton bags to chandeliers. Outside, Assad's fleet of luxury vehicles, including Ferraris, Aston Martins, Rolls-Royces and a Bugatti Veyron, became a spectacle for the crowd.
Rebels now guard the palace gates and prevent looting while using the large reception rooms as rest areas. Inside, the remnants of a hastily abandoned regime – shredded documents, half-finished coffee cups and scattered luxuries – paint a vivid picture of how the Assad dynasty fell.
The scene mirrors the fall of other autocratic leaders. In 2011, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's compound revealed jewel-encrusted pistols and a bizarre portrait of Condoleezza Rice, in addition to a gold dagger worth $10 million, which was later recovered in 2016.
