Hama: Syrian researcher Bashar al-Shamtiya has meticulously documented the historical sites and buildings destroyed by the Baath regime during the Hama massacre in February 1982. He noted that the city suffered greatly for resisting the regime's policies.

According to Anadolu Agency, the 69-year-old Shamtiya has been focused on documenting the historical sites and structures that were reduced to rubble during the massacre. Shamtiya, who has transformed the upper floor of a historic bathhouse in central Hama into a cultural and historical workshop, displays documents and photographs he has gathered in his research. He also facilitates young researchers and students who visit to learn more about the history and structure of the city.

Shamtiya shared insights about the massacre and his work, explaining his deep interest in photography as a tool to document Hama's historical sites. He emphasized that Hama has hosted many civilizations throughout history, and the structures in the city are a testament to its deep-rooted history. However, most of these structures were destroyed in the massacre, including the historic al-Kaylaniyya neighborhood, the Grand Mosque, and ancient mosques and churches in the Madinah district.

Shamtiya recounted the devastating toll on Hama, which had around 250,000 residents at the time of the massacre. Approximately 40,000 people were killed, and 60,000 others were detained and never heard from again, including Shamtiya's own brother. Reflecting on his loss, he noted that he lost at least 20 relatives and close friends in the massacre. Shamtiya has documented their names but lamented the lack of information about where the victims were buried, as soldiers collected the bodies with bulldozers and transported them using heavy machinery.

The 1982 Hama Massacre was one of the worst atrocities committed by Syria's Baath regime, which had seized power in a 1963 coup and was overthrown in December 2024. During Hafez al-Assad's rule, regime forces besieged Hama to suppress an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood. The massacre began on Feb. 2, led by Rifaat al-Assad, and involved bombing residential areas from the air followed by intense artillery shelling.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimates that around 40,000 civilians were massacred in Hama, with many more detained and never heard from again. Entire neighborhoods were destroyed, and numerous historical sites were severely damaged, including 88 mosques and three churches.