Fear that President Assad would arrest him – and hid in a wall for 13 years

The story of Muhammad Zakour, a Syrian citizen from Latakia, who hid in a narrow space behind a wall in his grandfather's house for 13 years for fear of being arrested by the Assad regime. Only his wife knew of his hiding place, and she provided him with food, water, and medicine. His children grew up believing their father was dead. Zakour emerged from hiding after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.

The story of Muhammad Zakour, a Syrian citizen from Latakia, is one of the strangest disappearance stories to emerge from the Syrian civil war. Zakour spent more than 13 years in a narrow space about one meter wide, behind a wall he built inside his grandfather's house. He took this step after being arrested twice by Syrian security apparatuses in the early years of the war, and after receiving a warning from a relative that he was being sought again. Only his wife knew of his hiding place; she passed him food, water, clothing, and medicine through a small opening, and even described his symptoms to a doctor on his behalf. Zakour's children grew up believing their father was dead, and his brother living in Turkey even held a mourning tent for him. Zakour heard his children growing up beyond the wall, unable to appear before them. The end came on December 8, 2024, with the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. Upon hearing cries of "Allahu Akbar" from outside, Zakour realized the reason for his hiding no longer existed, and he emerged from his hiding place.