Maaret al-Numan (Syria) (AFP) - Once the throbbing heart of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, Maaret al-Numan is an eerie ghost town where few buildings have been spared by nine years of war.
![In former Syria rebel stronghold, nothing was spared](http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/6c4fe8c519dac6ac7592e192e7ef48e40d3782fe.jpg)
Following a major ground offensive, the Syrian army captured the town in the northwestern province of Idlib on Wednesday, a key prize in its push to reconquer the country's last rebel enclave.
Majed Marahesh, 27, remembers the day he first visited Maaret al-Numan 13 years ago with his classmates and teacher.