At home in Syria, Yazan lived with his mother, Zahra; his father, Farees; and his older brother, Sami. He worked in Sami’s barbershop cutting hair in his free time. As he tells it, Damascus was paradise – he had lots of friends, some money, and the freedoms typical of a young man living in a cosmopolitan city. Before the War – before the country was overrun by religious fundamentalism – Yazan and his friends lived a moderate, liberal lifestyle.

They were all religious, but secular. “Religion goes on the inside, you carry it in your heart and in your mind. I don’t mind about drinking alcohol, listening to hard rock, or having girlfriends, I’m a Muslim and I love god, no matter what they say,” Yazan says.

Though the initial upheaval in Syria was characterized by open-mindedness and moderate values, Yazan soon saw that conservative and fundamentalist factions were beginning to steer the course of the rebellion. He recognised that the uprising he’d envisioned would never be realized, and it was time to leave. His journey began in Turkey.