About two decades ago, the residents of Homs, a city in Western Syria, could not imagine burying their dead in the al-Kateeb cemetery. A few remaining places in the cemetery grounds were reserved then for the region's most prominent personalities. They were the lucky ones who had the rare honour of sharing the burial ground with companions of the Prophet Mohammed, laid to rest there centuries earlier. But the rare honour of burial at the most revered Muslim cemetery in the city was acceded to 12 people who died on April 18, 2011 for they had given up their lives for their country. It was at the beginning of the Syrian revolution. Over two and half years later, a lot had changed, although not for the better. Today finding a grave to bury the dead in Syria has become an apparent luxury.

In a narrative in Syria Deeply - an independent digital media project by journalists and technologists exploring a new model of storytelling around a global crisis - Yazan al-Homsy writes about the 12 freedom fighters. He recounts that for months after the funeral procession of the 12 people, members of the Syrian opposition were hunted down across the country by the forces of Bashar al-Assad and his shahiha, or loyalist gunmen.

Raids by regime forces, ended in capture, torture or death and very soon the graveyards of Syria were overcrowded. In Homs, the Tal al-Nasr cemetery is the only place with space left to accommodate the dead.

At the beginning of the revolution, funeral processions proved to be a major rallying point for people opposed to Assad. It was a solemn opportunity for them to renew their pledge to topple the regime. As Yazan al-Homsy writes, a funeral ceremony would begin with a prayer at the local mosque and attendees would carry the coffins to the cemetery. Nowadays, all that has changed.

Mass gathering, like the ones at the beginning of the revolution, has given way to small assemblies, where people still promise to follow the path of revolution.

Mass funeral processions are often infiltrated by loyalist gunmen who massacred people. Most funerals today are brief affairs with only a handful of attendees. With the army bombarding graveyard compounds, even those attending funeral ceremonies are at great risk.

With the death toll mounting, the best solution people found was to convert mosque yards and public parks, into cemeteries. Now with these places full, residents have begun burying the dead in the community neighbourhoods, next to their homes.

As military operations continue to capture rebellious neighbourhoods, people wonder about their own fate.

"Will there be anyone left to give them a proper burial and say the final prayers? You might not find anyone to bury you," are remarks commonly heard among residents living under siege.

Lucky are those who died before, they believe, at least they had someone to give them a proper burial and mark their graves.