Syrians are once again picnicking and smoking shisha amid the ruins of ancient Palmyra, once desecrated by jihadists but still awe-inspiring, and open to the public following the overthrow of president Bashar al-Assad. The city's renowned ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were twice overrun by the Islamic State group, which proceeded to destroy many of the most famed structures. "Palmyra and the ruins have been through horrors. The site has seen ISIS, Iran, the Russians, all of the militias you could think of," says one resident and former rebel fighter. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES