Syrian History photos

The King-Crane Commission meeting with notables in Damascus in 1919
Charles R. Crane is seated second from left, next to Henry King (fourth from left). The commission was sent to Syria by US President Woodrow Wilson after the Paris Peace Conference, charged with inquiring if the people of Syria wanted a French Mandate or not. Their findings, which only saw the light after Wilson left office, said that a French Mandate is completely refused by the people of Syria. The only world power acceptable to the people of Syria, the report added, was the United States, thanks to the 14-Points of President Wilson, which called for "self-determination."

Syrian singer Farid al-Atrash as a baby shortly after his birth on October 10, 1910
Farid al-Atrash's parents were Emir Fahd al-Atrash, a notable from the Druze Mountain, and Alia al-Munzer, a singer who introduced her son and daughter Amal (Asmahan) to music during their stay in Cairo.

President Nur al-Din al-Atasi attending the political satire play, Masrah al-Shawk in 1969.
President Atasi is being greeted by the play's lead actor Duraid Lahham. Members of the Baath Party Command wanted to arrest Lahham and his colleagues for their criticism of Syrian politics in the 1960s.

Shukri al-Asali one of the martyrs of May 6, 1916 who was hanged by Jamal Pasha in Marjeh Square in Damascus.
Shukri al-Asali was born in Damascus in 1868 and studied at the American University of Beirut, serving as senior inspector in the Ottoman government, in addition to being a ranking member of the Council of Notables. When Sultan Abdulhamid II restored the Ottoman Parliament, Asali became an MP for Damascus in 1908. He became an outspoken critic of Ottoman policies and an ardent critic of Zionist aspirations in Palestine. He was arrested for his views and summarily executed in Marjeh Square in Damascus on May 6, 1916.

The entrance ticket to the Syrian musical "Damascus Wedding" at the Meridian Hotel in 1982
Among the stars featured in the show are Syria's tenor Sabah Fakhri, Syrian singers Naim Hamdi, Duraid Awada and Muwafak Bahjat,and Lebanese singers Salwa Katrib and Azar Habib. Among the Syrian stars acting in the show are Abdul Latiff Fathi, one of the pioneers of Syrian theatre, Abdulsalam al-Tayyeb, and Adib Shehadeh.

Promotional material for the 1st Damascus International Fair in 1954
The annual fair, which has been held ever since in Damascus, was held under patronage of President Hashem al-Atasi.