Abdul Hamid Sarraj | |
|---|---|
عبد الحميد السراج | |
 Sarraj in 1958 | |
| Chairman of theExecutive Council of the Northern Region of theUnited Arab Republic | |
| In office 20 September 1960 – 16 August 1961 | |
| Prime Minister | Gamal Abdel Nasser |
| Preceded by | Nur al-Din Kahala |
| Succeeded by | Maamun al-Kuzbari |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 1925 Hama,State of Syria |
| Died | 23 September 2013 (aged 87–88) Cairo,Egypt |
| Political party | National Union |
| Occupation | Military Intelligence (1954-1958) Minister of Interior (1958–1961) Vice-president (1961) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | .svg) First Syrian Republic (1946–1950)Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958) United Arab Republic (1958–1961) |
| Branch/service |  Syrian Army |
| Years of service | 1946–1961 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | First Arab-Israeli War |
Abdul Hamid Sarraj (Arabic:عبد الحميد السراج, September 1925 – 23 September 2013) was a Syrian military officer and politician. When theUnited Arab Republic (the union between Egypt and Syria) was declared, Sarraj, a staunch Arab nationalist and supporter of Egyptian presidentGamal Abdel Nasser, played a key role in the leadership of the Syrian region of the UAR. Due to the repression by the UAR of the Syrian communists he was nicknamedSultan Abdul Hamid referring to the Ottoman sultanAbdul Hamid II.[1]
Sarraj was born inHama in September 1925 to a conservativeSunni Muslim family ofKurdish descent.[2][3][4] He joined theHoms Military Academy and was one of the first officers in the army after Syria's independence from France.[5] Sarraj participated in the1948 Arab-Israeli War[6] as a volunteer in theArab Liberation Army.[5] He led a detachment of six armoured vehicles to surroundSafad.[7]
He played a role in the 1949 coup that removedHusni al-Zaim from power[8] and took over the personnel department ofAdib Shishakli's government in 1952. When Shishakli was ousted, Sarraj was temporarily sent toParis as an assistant military attaché. In February 1954, he was appointed head of the Syrian military intelligence. From this position, he was able to play a crucial role in preventing conspiracies against the government. Sarraj did not join any political parties, but cooperated with the ones in power, in particular against theBa'ath.[6] In September 1957, he helped negotiate the landing of 4,000Egyptian troops inLatakia as part of defence pact made between the two countries.[9]
When the union between Egypt and Syria was declared, Sarraj, a staunch supporter of Egyptian presidentGamal Abdel Nasser, was handed a key position in the cabinet as Minister of the Interior. His position was elevated when the Syrian gendarmerie, the desert patrol, and the Department of General Security were transferred to his jurisdiction on 13 March 1958.[10] Following the resignation ofBa'ath party ministers from the UAR government, Sarraj was given the additional appointments of Minister of Social Affairs and Minister ofAwqaf on 1 January 1960.[11]
On 20 September 1960, he was appointed President of the Syrian Executive Council (SEC). Sarraj, at age 35, became the most powerful Syrian official in the UAR.[6] Besides being interior minister and president of the SEC, he also headed the Syrian branch of Nasser's National Union party and was chairman of the Syrian economic foundation established in March 1960. A British official visitingDamascus described him as the "Viceroy of Syria".[6] However, his use of police methods, which were seen as ruthless, and his considerable power made him unpopular in Syria. Nonetheless, he was known to be an impeccableArab nationalist who could "get things done." Pressure was exerted on Nasser to remove Sarraj from power, but he refused, feeling that there was no one more fit to run Syria on his behalf. Eventually, in August 1961, Nasser decided to appoint him vice-president, relocating him toCairo and thus heralding his downfall as Syria's de facto leader.[12]
On 18 September, when Nasser merged the two branches of the National Union, therefore depriving Sarraj of his position as Secretary-General of the Syrian branch and when Egyptian vice-presidentAbdel Hakim Amer dismissed one of his closest associates, Sarraj submitted his resignation. The UAR's state minister, Abdel Qadir Hatem, was sent to mediate between Sarraj and Amer, but failed and the former began mobilising his forces on 19–20 September. Realising an operation against Nasser was unlikely to succeed, he agreed to meet Nasser and Amer in Cairo. Although Nasser condemned Sarraj for his ambition to be sole ruler of Syria, he replaced Amer as Minister of Syrian Affairs withMahmoud Riad. Resuming his post as Syria's vice president, Sarraj also headed a ministerial committee for UAR administrative reform. However, he suddenly submitted a second resignation on 26 September and Nasser accepted it, sending Amer to replace him.[13]
On 28 September 1961, a coup by disaffected officers occurred in Syria, dissolving the UAR. Sarraj was arrested and jailed in theMezzeh Prison in Damascus.[14] He escaped from the prison and left Syria forBeirut, Lebanon. In 1964 theSyrian Socialist Nationalist Party (SSNP) attempted to assassinate Sarraj, prompting his flight to Egypt where he made amends with Nasser.[15] Sarraj lived in Cairo as a private citizen,[16] serving as a director of social security. In 2004 he was reportedly still living in Cairo.[15] However, former defence ministerMustafa Tlass had been lobbying the Syrian government for the return of Sarraj to Syria. According toal-Ahram Weekly, he was expected to return in late 2005.[14]
However, Sarraj did not return to Syria and died in Cairo on 23 September 2013. He had requested to be buried in Syria, but due to the unstable security condition of the country due to thecivil war, he was buried in Cairo.[5]
Sarraj Syria Kurd.
| Arab Kingdom of Syria (1920) | .svg) |
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| French mandate (1920–1930) | |
| First Syrian Republic (1930–1950) | |
| Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958) | |
| United Arab Republic (1958–1961) | |
| Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963) | |
| Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) | |
| Transitional government (2024–present) | |
* acting | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
%2c_Flag_of_Syria_(1980%25E2%2580%25932024).svg)
