The City Where Time Stood Still 'Kobane'

The year 2014 marked a critical turning point for the Middle East. As ISIS rapidly advanced through Iraq and Syria, it set its sights on the strategic northern Syrian town of Kobane. Just a few kilometers from the Turkish border, Kobane held great geographical and symbolic significance for the group.

On September 13, 2014, ISIS launched a full-scale assault on the city, using heavy weaponry and tanks in an attempt to seize control. But they were met with fierce resistance. Fighters from the YPG and YPJ, supported internationally, waged a months-long struggle. Over time, Kobane became more than just a battlefield — it became a symbol of resistance and hope.

The conflict left the city in ruins. Thousands of residents were forced to flee. What remained was a silent, shattered Kobane.

When the war ended and people slowly began returning to their homes, they were met with a heartbreaking sight. Amid the rubble, some wall clocks remained fixed to the crumbling walls still hanging, untouched by time. Yet each clock displayed a different hour.

Some had stopped at 5 a.m., others at 1 a.m. Some were frozen in the heat of noon, others at dusk. It was as if each one had stopped at the exact moment of an explosion, a gunshot, or a building’s collapse. Time had halted in every home at a different moment. Each clock became a silent witness to a moment of pain, loss, or escape.

This haunting image became one of the most powerful symbols of the tragedy Kobane endured. These clocks were not just mechanical devices they were quiet storytellers, showing how time had frozen under the weight of destruction and sorrow. Each seemed to have recorded a final memory: a child’s last smile, a mother’s final prayer, a father’s parting glance.

Today, Kobane is more than just a city. It stands as a place where time stopped but resistance never did.