All roads leading to Sabeh Bahrat ("Seven Seas") square in Damascus were cut off by police armed with batons, as men, women and children raised Syrian flags and pictures of Assad and his father, late president Hafez al-Assad.

"The people want Bashar al-Assad," they chanted in unison, under a massive picture of their blue-eyed president that had been hoisted on Syria's central bank.

"We are here to show the real will of the Syrian people, and that is to protect and supporter their president, may God protect him," said a young woman named Raghad, who turned out early for the rally with her sisters.

"This rally is to stop the plot to destroy Syrian unity," said a man who identified himself as Abu Khodr.

"Bashar al-Assad is the spine of Syria. Without him, our country will be pushed into chaos."

The rally comes after a pledge by the authorities to lift the state of emergency in force since the ruling Baath party took power in 1963, sparked by two weeks of increasingly violent protests against the rule of Assad.

Assad, who came to power in 2000, is expected to address his people in the days to come and announce a string of reforms.