abdul rahman shahbandar

Abdul Rahman Shahbandar with his comrades during the Syrian Revolt of 1925-1927
Abdul Rahman Shahbandar, leader of the nationalist movement under the French Mandate, with his comrades during the Syrian Revolt of 1925-1927. Shabandar is first from left.

Abdul Rahman Shahbandar in prison at the Damascus Citadel in 1922
Shahbandar was charged with coordinating with the US to topple the French Mandate in Syria. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison

Sultan Pasha al-Atrash and Abdul Rahman Shahbandar during the Syrian Revolt of 1925
Sultan al-Atrash (third from left in front row) and Abdul Rahman Shahbandar (first from left) in the Arab Mountain during the Syrian Revolt of 1925

Abdul Rahman Shahbandar with Syrian rebels during the revolt of 1925
Abdul Rahman Shahbandar (second from left) with Syrian rebels during the Great Syrian Revolt of 1925

A poster from the Great Syrian Revolt of 1925
A poster from the Great Syrian Revolt of 1925 carrying the photos of its commander Sultan Pasha al-Atrash and his deputy, Abdul Rahman Shahbandar

A drawing of Abdul Rahman Shahbandar and his colleagues when they were arrested in 1922
They were charged with recieving money from the US to topple the French Mandate in Syria. Shahbandar (center) was sentenced to 22 years. Hasan al-Hakim (left) was sentenced to 10 and so was Said Haidar (right) also sentenced to 10.

Abdul Rahman Shahbandar, carried in a parade, upon his return to Damascus in 1937
Abdul Rahman Shahbandar, carried in a parade, upon his return to Damascus in 1937.

Abdul Rahman Shahbandar, with notables welcoming him back to Damascus in 1937
From left to right: Lutfi al-Haffar, Nazih Muayyad al-Azm, Shahbandar, Hasan al-Hakim, Nasib al-Bakri, and Fakri al-Barudi

The two nationalist leaders Abdul Rahman Shahbandar and Sultan al-Atrash, re-united after 10 years in 1937
The two nationalist leaders Abdul Rahman Shahbandar and Sultan al-Atrash, re-united after 10 years in 1937. They two men had co-planned the Great Syrian Revolt of 1925-1927. They remained good friends and loyal allies until Shahbandar was killed by the French in 1941.

The court hearing in the murder of Syria's nationalist leader Abdul Rahman Shahbandar in 1940
The court hearing in the murder of Syria's nationalist leader Abdul Rahman Shahbandar in 1940. The court was held in Parliament, the judges are seated in the section reserved for the Speaker, and the defendants are surrounded by officers, in the section reserved for the press. The accused were convicted murder and executed in Damascus. This was the first and last time that the Syrian Chamber was transformed from a political body into a judicial one. Originally the trial was supposed to take place at the Grand Masonic Lodge of Damascus, but because of space reasons, it was moved to the Syrian Parliament.

A rare photo of National Bloc President Hashem al-Atasi with People's Party President Abdul Rahman Shahbandar in Cairo in 1934
From left to right: Sheikh Rashid Rida, a Saudi official, Hashem al-Atasi, Abdul Rahman Shahbandar. Standing in the back row (behind Shahbandar)is Kareem Thabet, the media advisor to King Ahmad Fouad I. The photo was taken during a reception at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo, honoring Hashem al-Atasi on July 12, 1934. Shahbandar was a Syrian exile living in Cairo since the mid-1920s. In 1920, Shahbandar had served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Atasi. The two men headed the first organized political opposition to the French Mandate in Syria. The two political parties quarelled politically in the 1930s, and when Shahbandar was killed in 1940, members of the National Bloc were accused of his murder. Despite the political tension, Atasi and Shahbandar remained close friends and had tremendous respect for each other.