Famous Syrian Leaders

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 1 
Hafez al-Assad
(18th President of Syria)
Hafez al-Assad
12
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.
 2 
Yazid I
(Second Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate)
Yazid I
5
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.

 3 
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.  
 4 
Bashar al-Assad
(President of Syria)
Bashar al-Assad
48
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.

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 5 
Rifaat al-Assad
(Syrian General Who Supposedly Supervised ‘Hama Massacre’ and Later Served as the Vice President of Syria)
Rifaat al-Assad
3
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.

 6 
Salah Jadid
(Syrian General and Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party Leader)
Salah Jadid
3
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.

 7 
Shukri al-Quwatli
(The First President of Post-Independence Syria)
Shukri al-Quwatli
2
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.

 8 
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.

 9 
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.

 10 
Hashim al-Atassi
(Three-Time President of Syria Who Was Known for His Affinity to Constitutional Rule)
Hashim al-Atassi
2
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.

 11 
Salah al-Din Bitar
(Syrian Politician and Co-founder of ‘Arab Ba'ath Party’ Who Served as Prime Minister)
Salah al-Din Bitar
2
Birthdate: January 1, 1912
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
Died: July 21, 1980

Syrian politician Salah al-Din al-Bitar, a noted theorist of Arab democratic nationalism, co-founded the Arab Ba'ath Party that espoused Baʿathism. al-Bitar served thrice as Prime Minister of Syria in Ba'athist governments, but later had differences with younger members of the party that grew more radical. He left Syria, lived in exile, however remained politically active till his assassination in 1980.

 12 
Seleucus VI Epiphanes
(Seleucid Monarch Who Ruthlessly Imposed Heavy Taxes to Fund His Wars)
Seleucus VI Epiphanes
1
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.

 13 
Adib Shishakli
(Syrian Army Officer Who Launched Coups to Start a Military Presidency)
Adib Shishakli
2
Birthdate: 1909 AD
Birthplace: Ḥamāh, Syria
Died: September 27, 1964

Syrian army officer and president Adib Shishakli is known for opposing the union of Syria and Iraq after World War II. He arranged 2 coups and got the prime minister arrested during the 2nd coup. He suppressed all political parties and later launched his own party, the Arab Liberation Movement. He was eventually overthrown.

 14 
Sultan al-Atrash
(Syrian Nationalist Who Led the Jabal Druze Revolt against the French)
Sultan al-Atrash
2
Birthdate: March 5, 1891
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Al Qrayya, Syria
Died: March 26, 1982

Syrian nationalist and Syrian Revolution commander Sultan al-Atrash led the Jabal Druze revolt against the French rule in Syria. His political activities led him to live in exile for many years, until he was granted French amnesty in May 1937. He participated in the Levant Crisis and supported the union of Syria and Egypt.

 15 
Abu Abbas
(Palestine Liberation Front Founder Who Masterminded the 1985 Achille Lauro Hijacking)
Abu Abbas
2
Birthdate: December 10, 1948
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Safed
Died: March 8, 2004

Guerrilla leader and Palestine Liberation Front founder Abu Abbas is remembered for his role in the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro. He fled to Iraq, where he was sheltered by Saddam Hussein. He was captured during the US’s Iraq War and reportedly died in custody.

 16 
Akram al-Hawrani
(Nationalist Syrian Politician Who Contributed to the Formation of the Ba'ath Party)
Akram al-Hawrani
1
Birthdate: November 4, 1911
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Hama, Syria
Died: February 24, 1996

Radical Syrian politician Akram al-Hawrani was a major figure of the nationalist movement in Syria and also contributed to the development of the Ba'ath Party. He stood up against the exploitation of peasants and later fled to Lebanon. He also played a role in the political union of Syria and Egypt.

 17 
Khalid Bakdash
(Syrian Communist Party Leader Who Was the First Communist Deputy of the Arab World)
Khalid Bakdash
1
Birthdate: November 15, 1912
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
Died: July 15, 1995

Expelled from law school due to illegal political activities, Syrian politician Khalid Bakdash later joined the Communist Party. He was jailed by the French but eventually emerged as the first Communist leader to be elected to an Arab parliament. He later had a tiff with fellow Communist leader Yusuf Faisal.

 18 
Ibn al-Ash'ath
(Umayyad General Remembered for His Campaign against al-Hajjaj)
Ibn al-Ash'ath
1
Birthplace: Syrian
Died: 0704 AD

Arab Umayyad general Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath, also known as Ibn al-Ashʿath, is remembered for his campaign against al-Mukhtar. He also led campaigns against Shabib ibn Yazid al-Shaybani and the Zunbil. His fight against al-Hajjaj ended in him either committing suicide or being murdered.

 19 
Nazim al-Qudsi
(Syrian Lawyer Who Led the Country as its President)
Nazim al-Qudsi
1
Birthdate: February 14, 1906
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Aleppo, Syria
Died: February 6, 1998

Initially a lawyer, Nazim al-Kudsi later stepped into politics, joining the National Bloc and then the People's Party. He went from being the Speaker of the Syrian Parliament to being the Syrian ambassador to the US, and eventually leading the nation as the prime minister and then as the president.

 20 
Mahmud az-Zuʿbi
(Prime Minister of Syria Who Was Involved in the Airbus Deal Scandal)
Mahmud az-Zuʿbi
1
Birthdate: 1935 AD
Birthplace: Khirbat al-Ghazalah, Syria
Died: May 21, 2000

Mahmoud Al-Zoubi was an Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party leader who rose to be the prime minister of Syria. His administration witnessed a major currency crisis in Syria. He was expelled from the Ba'ath Party for his involvement in a bribery scandal involving the French aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

 21 
Khalid al-Qasri
(Umayyad Governor of Iraq Who Contributed to the Agricultural Improvement of Iraq)
Khalid al-Qasri
0
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
Died: 0743 AD

Umayyad governor of Iraq, Khalid al-Qasri began his career as the governor of Mecca. Later, as the governor of Iraq, he made efforts to develop the agricultural prosperity of his kingdom. He also built a church, his mother being a Christian. He was later jailed for embezzlement and eventually executed.

 22 
Badr Khānī Jāladat
(Kurdish Nationalist Leader Who Served as the First President of the 'Kurdish National League')
Badr Khānī Jāladat
0
Birthdate: 1893 AD
Birthplace: Maktala, Syria
Died: 1951 AD

Badr Khānī Jāladat was a Kurdish nationalist leader who served as the first president of the Kurdish National League. He was also a renowned editor and served as the first editor of Ḥawār, which along with Runahi, contributed to the development of a Kurdish popular literature.
 

 23 
Abdul-Salam Ojeili
(Syrian Doctor, Novelist, and Politician Who Held Portfolios Such as the Culture and Foreign Ministries)
Abdul-Salam Ojeili
0
Birthdate: 1918 AD
Birthplace: Ar Raqqah, Syria
Died: April 5, 2006

Syrian novelist and politician Abdul-Salam Ojeili was also a doctor. Apart from teaching at institutes such as Damascus University, he wrote iconic novels and short story collections, such as Hearts on Wires and Land of the Lords. As a politician, he held major portfolios, such as the foreign and cultural ministries.

 24 
Ahmed Al-Qadri
(Syrian Politician and Agricultural Engineer)
Ahmed Al-Qadri
0
Birthdate: June 9, 1956
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria
Died: September 3, 2020
Ahmed Al-Qadri was a Syrian politician and agricultural engineer. A member of the Syrian Ba'ath Party, Al-Qadri is best remembered for his service as the Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform from 9 February 2013 to 30 August 2020. Ahmed Al-Qadri died during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming the first government official from Syria to die from COVID-19.