'Going back is impossible' Syrians face shaky future, whatever the final result

Reclining in a leather chair framed by shelves of colourful shampoo bottles, washing powder and jars of deep golden honey, Rakkan Talib surveys the small business he has made his own

- Ruth Michaelson and Husam Hezaber

Talib, 26, arrived in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep in 2014 after fleeing Islamic State’s advance on his home town of Deir ez-Zor, determined to transform his fortunes after abandoning his dream of becoming a doctor. He worked his way up until he bought his corner shop two years ago.

“I lost my education, and my future. I lost everything to come here and live in safety and dignity. Now they’re talking about restoring relations with Bashar al-Assad and deporting us to Syria,” he said. “These election results will be fateful for me, and for all Syrians in Turkey.”

An estimated 4 million Syrians live in Turkey and their relationship to their adopted home deepened over the past decade despite an increasingly hostile climate. When polled, at least 80% of Turks say they want Syrians to return.

This sentiment has found an increasing home across the political spectrum in Turkey, amid a rise in openly anti-immigrant xenophobic parties and where a broad coalition trying to unseat the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has attacked him from the right on immigration.