Thousands of Syrians gathered on Friday in Damascus's historic main mosque and in the capital’s largest square to celebrate the ousting of Bashar al-Assad.
The jubilant scenes were a major symbolic moment since the downfall of the Syrian dictator, coinciding with the first Muslim Friday prayers since he fled the country for Russia.
Huge crowds, including some insurgents, packed Damascus' historic Umayyad Mosque in the capital's old city, many waving the rebel opposition flag which has replaced the Assad-era flag.
According to Arab TV stations, the Friday sermon was delivered by Mohammed al-Bashir, the interim prime minister installed by HTS, the rebel group which seized control of Damascus and other major cities.
The square, a major symbol of Syria, had often been a site of brutal repression under Assad after rallies broke out in 2011.
The crowd chanted calls for a free Syria, while others shouted slurs against Assad and his late father, whose tomb was set alight by rebels earlier this week.
One man in the crowd, 51-year-old Khaled Abu Chahine, originally from the southern province of Daraa, where the 2011 uprising first erupted, said he hoped for "freedom and coexistence between all Syrians, Alawites, Sunnis, Shiites and Druze."
"The former government was a government of crime and executions," he told the AP news agency, calling on foreign nations "hosting these gangs to bring them to justice and those who are in Syria and committed crimes should face justice."
The main insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has been working to establish security and start a political transition after seizing Damascus early Sunday.
The group has tried to reassure a public both stunned by Assad's fall and concerned over extremist jihadis among the rebels.
The insurgents' leadership says it has broken with its extremist past, having started as an off-shoot of Al Qaeda.
HTS is still labeled a terrorist group by the UK, the United States and major European countries.
HTS's leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared in a video message Friday congratulating "the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution."
"I invite them to head to the squares to show their happiness without shooting bullets and scaring people," he said. "And then after we will work to build this country and as I said in the beginning, we will be victorious by the help of God."
It comes as Syrians began exploring the abandoned homes of the former dictator, including the family’s massive summer resort in Burj Islam, overlooking the Mediterranean.
The property lay in disrepair on Friday after heavy looting and damage, with shattered windows and broken fixtures.
Following Assad's toppling, locals, mostly Syrian Turkmen driven out to nearby villages during the construction of the resort, entered the area for the first time since the Assad family built it 50 years ago.
Assad is said to have removed his valuables from the villa by sea using small boats.
