Washington’s Kalorama district shows how global politics can change the look of a neighborhood. Several foreign embassies remain empty, locked, and slowly decaying due to diplomatic rifts. The Syrian Embassy recently saw its long-neglected garden finally cut back as the country’s flag returned after 11 years. The US shut the building in 2014 during the Syrian civil war.
Its reopening followed the visit of Syria’s new president Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House in November. Former Syrian diplomat Bassam Barabandi said the building needs major repairs. He explained that parts of the structure were unusable even before he left his role in 2013.
Nearby, the Afghan Embassy has remained closed since 2022. Diplomats stayed on after the Taliban seized Kabul but soon lost salaries and access to bank accounts. The US State Department eventually asked them to hand over the keys. Former deputy ambassador Abdul Hadi Nejrabi supervised the closure as State Department officials inspected each room.
Russia also lost access to multiple buildings in Washington, San Francisco, Seattle, and Maryland after diplomatic retaliation in 2016. Moscow calls the move illegal and claims the US blocked its diplomats from even inspecting the properties.
Iran’s embassy, empty since 1980, still stands untouched as tensions continue.
