4/15/2005

Humble Home


President Shukri Al-Quwatli (1892-1967), one of the heroes of Syrian independence, lived in this humble rented apartment in Al-Jisr Al-Abiyad neighborhood. Al-Quwatli was the most prominent leader of the National Bloc that led political resistance against the French mandate. He served as President in the periods 1943-1949 and 1955-1958, which were the golden years of Syrian democracy. Al-Quwatli left Syria after the military coup by Baath Party in 1963. He lived in Geneva then in Beirut until his death on June 30, 1967, only twenty days after Syria's disastrous defeat in the Six Day War and the loss of the Golan Heights to Israel.

6 comments:

x said...

well written

Anonymous said...

If only we had more leaders like this who showed honesty and integrity and ruled in the interests of the common man and woman. Unfortunately we are cursed with rulers who practise favouritism, nepotism, cronyism, elitism, corruption etc. and are only interested in themselves, their families and friends and their yes-men! This is one of the causes of our downfall!

Anonymous said...

Thanks ,courageous words...

Rafeed said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Rafeed said...

Dear Friend Ayman ..
I would like to thank you .. for this post that coincide with the 56th anniversary of Aljala'... Thank you for refreshing our rusty memories ... which forgot such patriotic figures ...
there are some people who tried ON PURPOSE or not to wash our minds ... e.g HAMMAM ALQISHANI which mal-presented that stage of Syrian history , stage of First and Real Democracy in the Arab World .
I hereby and with all respect and esteem want also to mention our great hero ... Yousef Ala'azmeh ... another Patriotic figure whom all Arab defense - ministers does not share with him anything more than the title .
may Allah Mercy be upon both of them .
Thank you Ayman for this nice ,and courageous Post .
Mohammad Rafeed

Rafeed said...

By the way Ayman ...
Thanks for mentioning the connection between his death date and 1967 war .