The father was present in the house, yet to his children, he was as good as dead! He could hear them, but he could not go near or speak to them; this is not a movie plot, but an incredible chapter from the life of Mohammad Zakour from Syria. To evade the security forces of the Assad regime, Zakour constructed a small, secret space behind a wall in his home. He claims to have remained in hiding there for over 13 years—not just one or two.
The story of Mohammad Zakour from Syria’s Latakia province is currently making headlines. To escape arrest by the Assad regime’s security forces, he hid for more than 13 years in a tiny space created within a wall of his own house. According to Zakour, he joined the anti-Assad movement after the uprising began in Syria in 2011. He was subsequently arrested by Syria’s political security forces. He has claimed that during his three-month imprisonment, he was subjected to torture and witnessed the deaths of other inmates.
The danger did not end even after his release from prison, as security forces were searching for him. He initially hid in the homes of various acquaintances. However, realizing that providing him shelter put those individuals at risk, he turned his own home into a secret hideout. He constructed a concealed space using approximately 100 concrete blocks against a wall in his house. Reports state that this space measured about one meter in width and three meters in height. His wife was his only lifeline
Only Jakour’s wife knew he was alive. She would pass him food, water, clothing, and medicine through a small opening in the wall. Meanwhile, Jakour could hear his children inside the house but could not come out to face them. His five children had been told that their father was dead, a ruse intended to prevent them from inadvertently revealing his whereabouts to security forces. Reports indicate that his brother, who lives in Turkey, had even held a memorial service for him.
He did not emerge even during the 2023 earthquake
Jakour did not step out from behind the wall even during the devastating earthquake of 2023. He had even told his wife that if the house collapsed, that spot should become his grave. However, he has now become a subject of discussion after surviving such a massive earthquake. On December 8, 2024, after rebels entered Damascus and Assad fled Syria, Zakour realized that the regime he had been hiding from had fallen. He then emerged from the secret space within the walls and reunited with his family, alive.
