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6d ago

Syria Mandates Burkinis at Public Beaches, Permits Western Swimwear in Select Resorts

Officials say the policy aims to respect public taste by catering to diverse social groups through tailored exemptions for luxury resorts and private beaches.

Image
Women enjoy an afternoon in a park above the city of Homs on January 20, 2025 in Homs.
Women in Damascus, Syria, celebrate the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
The regulations do not extend to beaches belonging to private hotels and resorts, where women can wear “normal western swimwear”

Overview

  • The Tourism Ministry’s June 9 directive requires women at public beaches and pools to wear burkinis or full-body swimwear and instructs men to keep shirts on outside swimming areas.
  • Hotels rated four-star and above, along with private beaches and pools, are exempt from the conservative dress code and may allow typical Western swimwear within moral limits.
  • Assistant Tourism Minister Ghiath al-Farrah denied any blanket ban on bikinis, saying the rules were designed to address “public interest” and accommodate different sensibilities.
  • Analysts link the swimwear regulations to the rising influence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s transitional government after the December overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
  • Enforcement methods and penalties for non-compliance remain unspecified as Syrians debate the implications for personal freedoms and the tourism sector.