Assad’s palace, once a symbol of power, now an empty shell

Jeremy Bowen has returned to Bashar al-Assad’s presidential palace in Damascus, almost a decade after he interviewed the Syrian president in 2015.

The BBC’s international editor recalls his impressions of the president following their conversation.

The Muhajireen Presidential Palace has been vacated following the overthrowing of Assad by rebel groups, with Syrians in the capital able to enter the building.