She Was Buried Underground for 13 Years. Then She Heard the Ocean.
- ajoyce140
- Jan 25
- 3 min read
The sound of waves rolls in like music.
The water touches Dalia’s toes for a moment before being sucked back into the ocean.
For the first time in thirteen years, Dalia stands still listening to the waves.
She had almost forgotten what the ocean sounded like.
For thirteen years, there had been only darkness, silence, and the slow erosion of time underground. Dalia had been imprisoned for telling the truth.
She was a journalist, a writer. A woman who believed that knowledge is power, and that Syrians deserved to know what was happening to their own country.
Born in Damascus, Dalia lived up to her name, Dalia Amatul Haqq, Gentle Servant of Truth. Through her work, she documented life as it was: the fear, the loss, the resilience, the suffering that was going on. She wrote not to provoke, but to bear witness.
That was enough to make her a target.
One afternoon, while walking down a familiar street, she was taken. Blindfolded. Dragged away. Thrown into an isolated cell beneath the earth, just outside Damascus. There was no trial, no charges, and no explanation.
She would spend the next thirteen years there.
In total darkness, Dalia lost all sense of time. Days blurred into years. Years disappeared entirely. She did not know how long she had been gone, only that she was still alive.
And then, suddenly, she was released.
When Dalia emerged, the streets were filled with celebration, voices echoed, and flags waved.
However, as she made her way home, she barely recognized the city she once loved. Entire neighborhoods had fallen. Familiar streets felt foreign. Syria had changed, and so had she.
When Dalia reached her family’s home and stepped through the door, her mother collapsed to the floor.
They had believed she was dead.
For thirteen years, there had been no word. No proof she was alive. Most of the family had mourned her and moved on, but her mother never let go of hope.
Seeing Dalia standing there, alive, brought her to her knees. The two held each other on the floor, crying, relief tangled with grief for the years that could never be returned.
Dalia did not come home to the family she once knew.
Her brothers had been killed in battle. Her sister died of a heart attack, terrified of persecution. Her father passed away from complications of a respiratory infection after being unable to access medical care.
Dalia had survived imprisonment, but she returned to a home shaped by loss.
Still, when asked later if she would do anything differently, her answer surprised many.
She would do it all again.
The information she shared, the truth she refused to bury, saved hundreds of lives, that fateful day. In her mind, that made every sacrifice worth it.
“The truth must prevail,” Dalia says.
Dalia’s story is not rare: it is what coming home looks like after 14 years of violence and chaos.
Across Syria, millions share this reality. Over 14 million people have been displaced inside and outside Syria, and many families are returning to homes that are damaged or destroyed. Schools, hospitals, and basic services have suffered extensive damage, and tens of thousands of people remain missing as families search for loved ones.
Life for Relief and Development USA (LIFE) is providing humanitarian support to Syrians affected by years of conflict and displacement, delivering essential aid that helps families survive today while rebuilding for tomorrow. LIFE has officially received its license to operate in Syria, and our office is now open in Damascus, allowing us to expand our work with greater reach than ever before.
Current LIFE programs in Syria include emergency food, clean water, medical care, shelter, and education support, helping people meet their most basic needs in communities where services are still fragile.
You can give Dalia and many others like her the support and help they need to thrive.
