Dust from the desert through which they’d travelled to seek sanctuary still clung to their clothes.
And they were the lucky ones – the ones who had just arrived in Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan.
Eight miles south of the Syrian border, the camp is distant enough to be safe but close enough to still hear the sounds of shelling between Bashar al-Assad’s government forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
It is a constant reminder of the reason they left and what awaits them if they return.
The refugees who had arrived that night were given water before receiving medical and administrative checks and joining the 120,000 others clustered in what is now the largest refugee camp in the Middle East.
The entrance to the camp. For many refugees, entering the gates is the first time they feel truly safe. Some families have endured two years of continuous flight within Syria to escape the fighting ... more
The entrance to the camp. For many refugees, entering the gates is the first time they feel truly safe. Some families have endured two years of continuous flight within Syria to escape the fighting before finally leaving for Jordan. (Photo by Jared J. Kohler)
‘I am secure, I can sleep and there is no shooting. I am secure,’ said a father who had travelled there with his wife and four children.
At his feet lay huge makeshift bags fashioned out of curtains in which the family had carried their belongings.
The sounds of children laughing and running around outside drifted in to the subdued atmosphere of the refugee reception area.
He explained how their home on the outskirts of Damascus had been destroyed shortly after the conflict erupted two years ago, and that since then they had become just one more family in the 4.25million people displaced within Syria – nearly a quarter of the total population - desperately trying to avoid the constantly shifting battle zones.
Finally they decided to leave the country, but with vast stretches of the border too dangerous to cross they had to head east towards Iraq. They travelled for four days in a truck with 100 other people wedged in so tight they all had to sit with their legs and arms tucked in.
Camp manager Kilian Kleinschmidt stands in front of a map dividing Zaatari into 12 districts. In front of him are …They moved by night and hid by day. At times they were shot at by fighter jets – an elderly woman motioned with arms outstretched how they would throw themselves to the ground when attacked.
The family’s escape was a reminder that although the camp – now the Jordanian kingdom’s fifth largest city – has its frustrations, namely tensions over shelter, electricity and water, it is ultimately a haven where families risk everything just to get in.
That particular night 250 people arrived. Earlier in the year the number peaked at 3,000 arriving every night. There are currently around 550,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, mostly in urban areas. The Jordanian government has repeatedly asked the international community for more aid, saying the influx of refugees is putting a massive strain on already overstretched water and power supplies as well as demands for housing and education.
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