Syrian History photos

An exchange of letters between US President John F. Kennedy and President Nazem al-Qudsi on occasion of the New Year in 1961
From the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

A letter from President Nazem al-Qudsi to US President John F. Kennedy appointing celebrated poet Omar Abu Risheh as Syria's ambassador to Washington DC - January 19, 1961
This was first Syria's diplomatic posting to the US after break-up of the Syrian-Egyptian Union, known as the United Arab Republic (UAR). Omar Abu Risheh was a celebrated Syrian poet and veteran official at the Foreign Ministry. From the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

The entrance requirements and fees for the Faculty of Medicine at Damascus University in 1945 - Page I
From the archives of Jamil Murad

The entrance requirements and fees for studying at the Faculty of Medicine at Damascus University in 1945 - Page II
From the archive of Jamil Murad

The staff and student body of the Faculty of Medicine at Damascus University, with its first female graduate, in 1930
This class was important because in it was the first woman medical doctor in Syria, Laurice Maher. She stands in the last row (second from left) wearing glasses and a hat. Front row (left to right) are the Faculty: Abdul Qader Siri, Mustapha Shawki, Sami al-Sati, Taher al-Jazairi, University President Rida Said, ex-University President Adbul Qader al-Azm, a French professor, Michel Shamandi, Ahmad Munif al-Aidi. Second row (also faculty): Abdul Wahab Qanawati, Rashid al-Satti, Ali Rida al-Jundi, Husni Sabah, Ahmad Shawkat al-Shatti, Nazmi Qabbani. Back row (third from right) is Izzat Murayden, who became Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in the 1950s.

Pioneer Syrian writer Maqbula al-Shalak, the first female graduate from the Faculty of Law at Damascus University, in 1944.
Maqbula al-Shalak was born in Damascus in 1921 and was the fourth woman to graduate from Damascus University. She studied law unveiled and graduated in 1944. After graduation, she established herself as a leading short-story writer and children novelist, in addition to writing political articles in the periodical al-Tariq. During The Second World War she had lobbied heavily against Nazism, calling on women to leave their homes to stand up to Hitler, accusing him of being ‘an enemy of women, freedom, and culture.’ Shalak circulated the communist-backed Stockholm Peace Petition, calling for a ban on atomic weapons, gathering more than 60,000 signatures. She lobbied against US hegemony over the Arab world in the 1950s, clashing with the US Embassy in Damascus. She died in Damascus at the age of 65 in 1986.

President Gamal Abdul Nasser with Syrian women activists at the Presidential Palace in 1958
Standing third from left is Maqbula al-Shalak, a poet, novelist, and women's right activist who was the first female graduate from the Faculty of Law at Damascus University in 1944

The Flayfel brothers composing Syria's national anthem before presenting it to Parliament Speaker Fares al-Khury in 1938
Born in the Ashrafiyeh neighborhood of Beirut, the Flayfel brothers Mohammad (1899) and Ahmad (1903), were behind all patriotic anthems composed from the 1920s to the 1950s. In 1938, the Syrian government called for a competition to find lyrics for the anthem, “Humat al-Diyar” (Guardians of the Homeland) that was written by Syrian poet Khalil Mardam Bey. Over 60 composers applied, including the Flayfel Brothers. The jury refused to even grant them an audience, as they were competing with big names in the music industry. They appealed to Fares al-Khury, the Speaker of Parliament, who liked the music, but told them that it was “too early” to adopt it as an official anthem, advising them instead to “teach it to school children.” As a result, the anthem became very popular in Syrian schools throughout the early 1940s. In 1945, Fares al-Khury headed Syria’s mission to the founding conference of the United Nations. From there he advocated for Syria’s independence from the French Mandate and announced that “Humat al-Diyar” would become Syria’s official National Anthem. When independence was achieved on April 17, 1946 it was played officially by Syria’s military parade in a military ceremony attended by Khury and President Shukri al-Quwatli. It has been Syria’s official anthem ever since.