By 1970, after Hafez al-Assad had eliminated his rivals, Syria was drawn into the orbit of his Stalinist-like cult—his image everywhere, the father of a nation he both defined and controlled. This control was passed to his son, Bashar al-Assad, with statues, billboards, and photographs—his face, his father's face—adorning every corner, shaping the very landscape of Syria and tying the nation’s identity to the Assad family.

Over decades, Magnum photographers have captured the Syrian landscape, documenting the regime's violence inflicted on its people.