A man carries drink and fireworks at a bar as he enjoys the first night of the weekend, in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Photos show Syrians enjoying a night out in Damascus despite some crackdowns
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Ten months after Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government was overthrown when Islamist fighters marched into Damascus, many Syrians still go out and party despite some crackdowns over the past months by the country’s new rulers.
Many restaurants, pubs and night clubs remain open in the capital and people can have a meal in places where alcoholic beverages are served.
Since insurgent groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa took power in early December, some Islamic rules have been imposed in Syria, which for decades had been run by secular governments.
In June, Syrian authorities said women should wear the all-encompassing burkini for swimming except in upscale resorts. Still, in private resorts along Syria’s Mediterranean coast, it is still common to see men and women in bathing suits and sipping alcoholic beverages.
Around the same time, bearded gunmen beat up men and women partying at nightclubs in Damascus in videos that were widely circulated, raising fears among Syrians
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Women take shots at a bar as they enjoy the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)A bartender holds a drink at a bar in Damascus Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)People gather at a bar as they enjoy the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)A bartender prepares a drink at a bar, as people enjoy the first night of the weekend, in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)A woman leaves a bar in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)People dance from a bar window as they enjoy the first night of the weekend, in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)A DJ plays music at a bar during the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)People toast at a bar as they enjoy the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)People dance at a bar as they enjoy the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)A woman dances at a bar as she enjoys the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)People take drinks at a bar as they enjoy the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)A bartender smokes a cigarette at a bar during the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)Women sit at a bar as they enjoy the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)A woman drinks beer at a bar as she enjoys with her friend the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)People sit at a bar as they enjoy the first night of the weekend in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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