Famous Syrian Men

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 1 
Ignatius of Antioch
(Syrian Bishop)
Ignatius of Antioch
6
Birthplace: Roman Syria
Died: 0108 AD

Ignatius of Antioch went down in history as a man who was arrested and executed for his non-allegiance to Roman gods. The seven letters he wrote while being escorted from Antioch to Rome as a prisoner later served as a mirror that reflected his concern for Christianity, against false teachings.

 2 
Amin al-Hafiz
(Former President of Syria)
Amin al-Hafiz
0
Birthdate: November 12, 1921
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Aleppo, Syria
Died: December 17, 2009
Amin al-Hafiz was a Syrian politician best remembered for his service as the President of Syria from 1963 to 1966. An important politician, al-Hafiz also served as the Prime Minister of Syria on two separate occasions; from 1963 to 1964 and again from 1964 to 1965. In the 2019 TV series The Spy, Amin al-Hafiz was played by Waleed Zuaiter.  
 3 
Bashar al-Assad
(President of Syria)
Bashar al-Assad
67
Birthdate: September 11, 1965
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Damascus

Bashar al-Assad is the current president of Syria and has been serving in this position since 17 July 2000. Over the years, he has also had a major impact on Syria as the commander-in-chief of the country's Armed Forces. In 2011, his decision to impose military sieges on protesters participating in the Arab Spring resulted in the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

 4 
Moustapha Akkad
(For producing the original series of Halloween films and directing The Message and Lion of the Desert)
Moustapha Akkad
1
Birthdate: July 1, 1930
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Aleppo, Syria
Died: November 11, 2005
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 5 
Baibars
(Sultan of Egypt)
Baibars
2
Birthdate: July 19, 1223
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cumania
Died: July 1, 1277
 6 
John of Damascus
(Saint, Best Known for His Strong Defence of 'Icons')
John of Damascus
0
Birthdate: 0676 AD
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
Died: December 4, 0749

John of Damascus was a Christian apologist, priest, and monk. A polymath, John contributed to various fields, such as philosophy, theology, law, and music. He also wrote several works explaining the Christian faith. The hymns which he composed are still used in Eastern Christian practice as well as in western Lutheranism.

 7 
Jacob in Islam
(Islamic Prophet)
Jacob in Islam
0
Birthplace: Syria, Syria
 8 
Nizar Qabbani
(Diplomat)
Nizar Qabbani
5
Birthdate: March 21, 1923
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Damascus
Died: April 30, 1998

Nizar Qabbani was a Syrian writer, diplomat, publisher, and poet. Renowned for incorporating themes like eroticism, religion, love, feminism, and Arab nationalism into his poetry, Qabbani's poems have achieved worldwide acclaim; they have been translated into many languages, including English and Russian. Regarded as Syria's National Poet, Qabbani is also one of the most respected poets in the Arab world.

 9 
St. Simeon Stylites
(Saint)
St. Simeon Stylites
0
Birthdate: 0390 AD
Birthplace: Kozan, Turkey
Died: September 2, 0459
 10 
Ibn an-Nafīs
(Polymath)
Ibn an-Nafīs
0
Birthdate: 1213 AD
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
Died: December 17, 1288
 11 
Jacob
(Religious leader)
Jacob
0
Birthplace: Canaan
 12 
Ananias of Damascus
(Syrian Priest)
Ananias of Damascus
0
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
 13 
Abd al-Rahman I
(Ruler)
Abd al-Rahman I
1
Birthdate: 0731 AD
Birthplace: Palmyra, Syria
Died: August 31, 0788
 14 
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
(The 10th Umayyad Caliph Who Built Many Palaces and Reformed His Kingdom's Taxation System)
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
0
Birthdate: 0691 AD
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
Died: February 6, 0743

The 10th Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik reigned during a relatively calm period. His main goal was to defend the vast empire that he had inherited. He built countless castles and palaces in Syria. He is also believed to have reformed the agricultural taxation system of his kingdom.

 15 
Hafez al-Assad
(18th President of Syria)
Hafez al-Assad
13
Birthdate: October 6, 1930
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Al Qardahah, Syria
Died: June 10, 2000
Hafez al-Assad was the Syrian president from 1971 to 2000. He also served as the country’s prime minister from 1970 to 1971. The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party leader was part of the 1963 coup that dethroned President Nazim al-Kudsi and the 1966 coup which made him the Syrian defense minister.
 16 
Odaenathus
(King)
Odaenathus
0
Birthdate: 0220 AD
Birthplace: Palmyra, Syria
Died: 0267 AD
 17 
Maron
(Saint)
Maron
0
Birthplace: Syria Prima
Died: 0410 AD
 18 
Antiochus I Soter
(King)
Antiochus I Soter
0
Birthdate: 0324 BC
Birthplace: Macedonia
Died: 0261 BC
 19 
Saints Sergius and Bacchus
(Christian Saint)
Saints Sergius and Bacchus
4
Birthplace: Syria
 20 
Yazid I
(Second Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate)
Yazid I
7
Birthdate: July 20, 0646
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rif-Dimashq Governorate, Syria
Died: November 12, 0683

Yazid I reigned as the caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate from 680 until his death in 683. The second caliph of the caliphate, Yazid's appointment was the first succession based on hereditary in the history of Islam. His caliphate was marked by the commencement of the Second Fitna, a period of military and political disorder in the Islamic community.

 21 
Feras Antoon
(Syrian-Canadian Pornographer & Co-owner and CEO of 'Mindgeek', the World's Largest Pornography Company)
Feras Antoon
7
Birthdate: June 29, 1975
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria

Canadian pornographer Feras Antoon is best known as co-founder and CEO of the privately held Canadian company called MindGeek that mainly focuses on pornography. It is considered to be the largest pornography company across the world and runs many popular pornographic video sharing websites like Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube, and also adult film production companies like Brazzers and Reality Kings.

 22 
Al-Ma'arri
(One of the Best Classical Arabic Poets of All Time)
Al-Ma'arri
1
Birthdate: 0973
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Ma`arat al-Nu`man, Syria
Died: April 30, 1057

Al-Ma'arri was an Arab poet, philosopher, and writer. Counted among the best classical Arabic poets of all time, Al-Ma'arri was also regarded as a controversial rationalist. He advocated social justice and opposed all forms of violence. Some of his best known works include The Tinder Spark, The Epistle of Forgiveness, and Unnecessary Necessity.
 

 23 
Michel Aflaq
(Philosopher)
Michel Aflaq
2
Birthdate: January 9, 1909
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Ḥamāh, Syria
Died: June 23, 1989
 24 
Imad ad-Din Zengi
(Ruler)
Imad ad-Din Zengi
0
Birthdate: 1085 AD
Birthplace: Aleppo, Syria
Died: September 14, 1146
 25 
Shukri al-Quwatli
(The First President of Post-Independence Syria)
Shukri al-Quwatli
1
Birthdate: May 6, 1891
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
Died: June 30, 1967

Shukri al-Quwatli was not just the 8th president of Syria but also its first president post-independence. He was part of the National Bloc and also led the Syrian anti-colonialist movement. He was overthrown by a coup, imprisoned, and exiled. Re-elected later, he was merely a nominal head.

 26 
Dündar Aliosman
(Ruler)
Dündar Aliosman
3
Birthdate: December 30, 1930
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
 27 
Publilius Syrus
(Latin Writer Best Remembered for His Sententiae, a Collection of Brief Moral Sayings)
Publilius Syrus
1
Birthdate: 0085 BC
Died: 0043 BC

Publilius Syrus was a Latin writer best remembered for his sententiae, a collection of brief moral sayings. He was also a popular mime artist who drew the attention of famous political figures like Julius Caesar. Publilius Syrus' work, especially his sententiae, has inspired people like Seneca the Younger and William Shakespeare.
 

 28 
Ibn Kathīr
(Historian)
Ibn Kathīr
2
Birthdate: 1301 AD
Birthplace: Busra, Syria
Died: February 13, 1373
 29 
Rifaat al-Assad
(Syrian General Who Supposedly Supervised ‘Hama Massacre’ and Later Served as the Vice President of Syria)
Rifaat al-Assad
1
Birthdate: August 22, 1937
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Al Qardahah, Syria

Syrian politician and former military personnel Rifaat Ali al-Assad, brother of late President of Syria, Hafez Assad, and uncle of current President Bashar al-Assad, served as Vice President of Syria from March 1984 to February 1998. According to some sources, he allegedly supervised Hama massacre (1982), carried out by the Syrian Army, resulting in suppression of Islamist insurgency in Syria.

 30 
Hashim al-Atassi
(Three-Time President of Syria Who Was Known for His Affinity to Constitutional Rule)
Hashim al-Atassi
1
Birthdate: January 11, 1875
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Homs, Syria
Died: December 5, 1960

Three-time president of Syria, Hashim al-Atassi was a nationalist. Born into a landowning family, he began his political career serving as the governors of places such as Hama, Anatolia, and Baalbek. Known for his adherence to constitutional means of governance, he was respected by his opponents, too.

 31 
Tatian
(Assyrian Writer and Theologian)
Tatian
0
Birthdate: 0120 AD
Died: 0180 AD
Tatian was an Assyrian writer and theologian. He is best remembered for his attempt to merge the texts of all four gospels into a single narrative of Jesus Christ's life and death; his work came to be known as the Diatessaron. The Syriac-speaking churches adopted the Diatessaron as the standard text of the four gospels until the 5th century.
 32 
Sophronius of Jerusalem
(Patriarch of Jerusalem)
Sophronius of Jerusalem
1
Birthdate: 0560 AD
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
Died: March 11, 0638
Sophronius of Jerusalem served as the Patriarch of Jerusalem from 634 to 638. He is revered as a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Prior to his rise to the primacy of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Sophronius of Jerusalem served as a theologian and monk.
 33 
Muhammed Faris
4
Birthdate: May 26, 1951
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Aleppo

Muhammed Faris is a Syrian aviator who became the first Syrian to spend time in space. He also played an important role in the Syrian Civil War. In 1987, Faris was honored with the Hero of the Soviet Union title. In September 2017, he was appointed as the Syrian Interim Government's defense minister.

 34 
Theophilus Of Antioch
(Apologist and Patriarch of Antioch)
Theophilus Of Antioch
0
Birthplace: Mesopotamia, Iraq
Died: 0184 AD
Theophilus of Antioch was the Apologist and Patriarch of Antioch from 169 to 182. He made immense contributions to Christian literature, exegetics, apologetics, and polemics. Theophilus of Antioch is also credited with writing a series of books titled Apology to Autolycus, which defends Christianity.
 35 
Salah Jadid
(Syrian General and Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party Leader)
Salah Jadid
1
Birthdate: 1926 AD
Birthplace: Dwaer Baabda, Syria
Died: August 19, 1993

Syrian general Salah Jadid was a prominent leader of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party of Syria, also known as the Syrian Regional Branch, which he led as its Assistant Regional Secretary. He became the de facto ruler of Syria but was eventually ousted by the Corrective Revolution of Hafez al-Assad.

 36 
Seleucus IV Philopator
(Ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, reigned from 187 BC to 175 BC)
Seleucus IV Philopator
0
Birthdate: 0218 AD
Birthplace: Syria
Died: September 3, 0175
 37 
Iamblichus
(Philosopher)
Iamblichus
1
Birthdate: 0245 AD
Birthplace: Qinnasrin, Syria
Died: 0325 AD
 38 
Omar Bakri Muhammad
(Syrian Sunni Islamist Cleric Who Supported Terrorist Organizations in the UK)
Omar Bakri Muhammad
2
Birthdate: 1958 AD
Birthplace: Aleppo, Syria

A prominent Sunni Islamist cleric from Syria, Omar Bakri Muhammad had a significant contribution to the development of the pan-Islamist fundamental organization Hizb ut-Tahrir in the UK. He later switched to the Saudi Arabia-based militant group Al-Muhajiroun. He eventually fled to Lebanon, where he was sentenced to prison for terrorism.

 39 
Demetrius I Soter
(Ruler)
Demetrius I Soter
0
Birthdate: 0187 BC
Birthplace: Syria
Died: 0150 BC
 40 
Damascius
(Last Scholarch of the 'School of Athens')
Damascius
0
Birthdate: 0458 AD
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
Died: 0538 AD
One of the pagan philosophers oppressed by Emperor Justinian I, Damascius was a scholarch of the School of Athens. Among his extant works are commentaries on the works of Greek philosopher, Plato. Damascius started his career as a professor of rhetoric and went on to serve as the principal of the School of Athens.
 41 
Numerian
(Emperor)
Numerian
1
Birthdate: 0254 AD
Died: November 20, 0284
 42 
Mustafa Hamsho
(Boxer)
Mustafa Hamsho
0
Birthdate: October 10, 1953
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Latakia, Syria
 43 
Thaddeus of Edessa
(Priest)
Thaddeus of Edessa
0
Birthplace: Edessa, Turkey
Died: 0050 AD
 44 
Sabbas the Sanctified
(Saint)
Sabbas the Sanctified
0
Birthdate: 0439 AD
Birthplace: Kayseri, Turkey
Died: December 5, 0532
 45 
Al-Walid II
(Caliph)
Al-Walid II
1
Birthdate: 0709 AD
Birthplace: Syria
Died: April 7, 0744
 46 
Demetrius II Nicator
(King of Syria)
Demetrius II Nicator
0
Birthdate: 0160 BC
Birthplace: Syria
Died: 0125 BC
 47 
Alexander Balas
(Second Century BC King of Syria Who Reigned over the Seleucid Empire)
Alexander Balas
0
Birthplace: Smyrna, Turkey
Died: July 31, 0145

Second century BC king of Syria Alexander Balas ruled over the Seleucid Empire. He made Jonathan Maccabeus the Jewish governor, thus appeasing Palestine. He was helped by the Roman Senate and the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty during his reign but was killed in combat against Demetrius II Nicator.

 48 
Muawiya II
(3rd Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate)
Muawiya II
1
Birthdate: March 28, 0664
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Syria
Died: 0684 AD
 49 
Seleucus VI Epiphanes
(Seleucid Monarch Who Ruthlessly Imposed Heavy Taxes to Fund His Wars)
Seleucus VI Epiphanes
0
Died: 0094 BC

Hellenistic Seleucid monarch Seleucus VI Epiphanes grew up amid a civil war between his father, Antiochus VIII, and his uncle, Antiochus IX, and seized power after killing his uncle in a battle. Known for his ruthlessness, he taxed his people heavily to support his wars. He was apparently burnt alive by rioters.

 50 
Mustafa Tlass
(Senior officer)
Mustafa Tlass
2
Birthdate: May 11, 1932
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rastan, Syria
Died: June 27, 2017

Mustafa Tlass, who had been the Syrian defense minister, was also a lover of Syrian literature and had launched a publishing house named Tlass Books. However, he was criticized for publishing anti-Semitic content. He also once claimed that Gina Lollobrigida and Princess Diana had both expressed their love for him.