The Syrian government has reclaimed the historic city of Palmyra.
The historic monuments welcomes its guests once again. The landmarks that landed Palmyra on the world heritage sites list seems to have to survive the ordeal of ten months under ISIL
The city's main temple is destroyed but the majestic columns survived and the worst days seems to be behind one of the world's best preserved archeological sites.
But the rest of the city and its modern parts didn't share the same luck , once home to over 50 thousands reduced to less than ten thousand under the ISIL and the scene unwavering clashes that rendered many houses useless.
"Most of the fighting took place in the modern parts of the city where the terrorists fortified themselves. The battle was very difficult but we managed to eliminate a large number of them we have tens of dead bodies and ISIL always tries to take its militants dead bodies and the fact they couldn't means they were in a very difficult situation and we retrieved many items from them like communication codes and ID cards like this one," Colonel Sameer Ahmad with Syrian Army's Press Office said.
The officer is telling me that this is an identification card for ISIL the writing says HOMS state - Islamic police and other details and on other side ISIL seal.
Where ever we go in Palmyra there is an abundance of explosive devices, planted everywhere by the radical militants hoping to make the Syrian army's gains more costly. And very near ISIL graffiti with a chilling message
'the Caliphate state is coming to slaughter you'
"When we lost Palmyra last year, they had outgunned and outnumbered us later we accumulated expertise in the battle of the desert that never stopped this past year. And with the help of Russian technologies we got we were in apposition to turn the tide. The main element was to break the ISIL myth of them being unbeatable and we did that," Lieutenant Taim Issa with Syrian Army Special Forces said.
Palmyra sits on a vital intersection Damascus the borders with Iraq , the oil rich city of Deir Azzour and ISIL's self-proclaimed capital in Araqqa. Making this more than a cultural gain but also a military advantage.
As you can see behind me the Syrian army is restocking its supplies of ammunition and preparing for the next leg of the military operation here in the city of Palmyra in central Syria. An officer told me that their campaign here is unwavering , the Syrian army has been bringing reinforcement today.
But victory came with a price tag. Charred vehicles along the way tell the story of the cutthroat clashes that took place to get to the city.
Yet morale run high in the ranks of the Syrian military. Like Abu Mahmoud, a native of Deir Azzour city, and though he is well into his fifties, he signed up to join the campaign hoping to get to his ISIL besieged native city.
But for now and till they charge again, these soldiers will rest, using the shade of their armored vehicle. Who knows what these soldier is dreaming: a soft bed or a warm meal or maybe a safe country.
