Damascenes awoke on Sunday to find the end of Bashar al-Assad‘s rule in Syria, marking an end to over a half-century of governing by a ruler with that surname.

Opposition forces arrived shortly before dawn in Umayyad Square, the city center. After a steady trickle in the early hours, a flood of supporters emerged, celebrating and vandalizing symbols of the Assad regime. Dozens of videos showed Assad posters being defaced, statues toppled, and government buildings raided.