Life Lived in Exile
Millions of Syrians have fled their homeland in search of safety, with more still trying to leave. What happens to life in this limbo?
Some 3.6 million Syrian refugees live in Turkey, having fled their homeland’s civil war in search of safety. Over the years, Turkey has mostly welcomed them with government-financed programs and a degree of freedom typically unavailable to refugees, many of whom are consigned to camps. As a result, Syrians can be found living and working in cities across Turkey—as far from their country’s border as Istanbul and as close as Gaziantep (indeed, closer still).
Gaziantep lies about an hour’s drive from Syria, and refugees here live almost like voluntary immigrants—almost—studying at the local university, working for local businesses, some poor, others wealthy.
Since an economic crisis hit
