This is a list of heads of state of Syria since 1920.
Ancient monarchies
Mamluk Sultanate
Ottoman Syria
Military administrators OETA South chief administrators The area was divided into four districts: Jerusalem, Jaffa, Majdal and Beersheba, each under a military governor. Both of the first two British administrators, Generals Money and Watson, were removed by London for not favouring the Zionists over the Arabs; when the OETA administration ended, Liberal party politician (and former British Home Secretary) Herbert Samuel was installed as the first civilian administrator. Samuel recorded his acceptance of the role, and the end of military administration, in an often-quoted document: "Received from Major-General Sir Louis J. Bols K.C.B.—One Palestine, complete." Portrait Name Term of office Took office Left office Time in office 1 Major GeneralArthur Wigram Money June 1918 June 1919 2 Major GeneralHarry Davis Watson June 1919 December 1919 3 Lieutenant GeneralLouis Bols January 1920 July 1920
OETA East administrators OETA East was a joint Arab-British military administration. The Arab and British armies entered Damascus on 1 October 1918, and on 3 October 1918 Ali Rida al-Rikabi was appointed Military Governor of OETA East. Prince Faisal son of King Hussain of Mecca entered Damascus as on 4 October and appointed Rikabi Chief of the Council of Directors (i.e. prime minister) of Syria.
The boundary definition of OETA East left uncertainties to the south and east, leading to competing claims from the Kingdom of Hejaz and Occupied Iraq respectively – see Occupation of Ma'an and Occupation of Zor for further details. Rida al-Rikabi (3 October 1918 – 26 November 1919)
OETA North (West) administrators Marie Antoine de Piépape (7 October 1918 – 19 November 1918) Jules Camille Hamelin (19 November 1918 – 21 November 1919) François Georges Barb (21 November 1919 – 1 September 1920)
OETA North (Cilicia) administrators Édouard Brémond
High Commissioners of France in the Levant Syria or French Syria (1920–1946) (French Mandate of Syria) Portrait Name Term of office Notes Took office Left office Time in office Henri Gouraud 9 October 1919 23 November 1922 Robert de Caix 23 November 1922 19 April 1923 Acting Maxime Weygand 19 April 1923 29 November 1924 Maurice Sarrail 29 November 1924 23 December 1925 Henry de Jouvenel 23 December 1925 23 June 1926 Henri Ponsot August 1926 13 July 1933 Damien de Martel 16 July 1933 January 1939 Gabriel Puaux January 1939 November 1940 Jean Chiappe 24 November 1940 27 November 1940 Died on flight to take office. Henri Dentz 6 December 1940 14 July 1941 Dentz was repatriated to Metropolitan France following the Armistice of Saint Jean d'Acre.
General Delegates of Free France in the Levant Portrait Name Term of office Notes Took office Left office Time in office Georges Catroux 24 June 1941 7 June 1943 Catroux was also Chief of Free French Forces in Levant states. Jean Helleu 7 June 1943 23 November 1943 Yves Chataigneau 23 November 1943 23 January 1944 Paul Beynet 23 January 1944 1 September 1946
Governors of Jabal Druze State Amir Salim Pasha al-Atrash (1 May 1921 – 15 September 1923) Trenga (provisional) (September 1923 – 6 March 1924) Gabriel Marie Victor Carbillet (6 March 1924 – 14 October 1925), provisional to 1 October 1924 Sultan Pasha al-Atrash (18 July 1925 – 1 June 1927), chief of state; in dissidence Charles Andréa (15 October 1925 – 1927) Marie Joseph Léon Augustin Henry (1927) Abel Jean Ernest Clément-Grancourt (1927–1932) Claude-Gabriel-Renaud Massiet (3 February 1932 – 28 January 1934) Justin-Antoine Devicq (1934–1935) Pierre-Joseph-François Tarrit (1935 – 2 December 1936)
Governors of Hatay State Hatay State (; ; ), also known informally as the Republic of Hatay (), was a transitional political entity that existed from 7 September 1938 to 29 June 1939, being located in the territory of the Sanjak of Alexandretta of the French Mandate of Syria. The state was transformed de facto into the Hatay Province of Turkey on 7 July 1939, de jure joining the country on 23 July 1939.
Governors of Alawite State The Alawite State was run by a succession of French governors from 1920 to 1936: 2 September 1920 – 1921: Colonel Marie Joseph Émile Niéger (b. 1874; d. 1951) 1921–1922: Gaston Henri Gustave Billotte (b. 1875; d. 1940) 1922–1925: Léon Henri Charles Cayla (b. 1881; d. 1965) 1925 – 5 December 1936: Ernest Marie Hubert Schoeffler (b. 1877; d. 1952)
The Sunni landowners, primarily living in the province's cities, were supporters of Syrian unity; however, the French were supported by the rural Alawite communities to whom they catered.
In 1930 the Alawite State was renamed as the Government of Latakia, the only concession by the French to Arab nationalists until 1936.
Heads of state of Syria Name Portrait Took office Left office Party PositionOccupied Enemy Territory Administration (1918–1920) 17 September 1918 30 September 1918Head of Government Ali Rida Pasha al-Rikabi 30 September 1918 5 October 1918 Faisal I 5 October 1918 8 March 1920Arab Kingdom of Syria (1920) Faisal I 8 March 1920 24 July 1920 King Ali Rida Pasha al-Rikabi 8 March 1920 3 May 1920Prime Minister Hashim al-Atassi 3 May 1920 28 July 1920Federation of the Autonomous States of Syria (1920–1924)(Part of the French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon) Vice President of Syria Subhi Bay Barakat al-Khalidi 28 June 1922 31 December 1924 Independent PresidentState of Syria (1925–1930)(Part of the French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon) Subhi Bay Barakat al-Khalidi 1 January 1925 21 December 1925 Independent President François Pierre-Alype 9 February 1926 28 April 1926 Independent Envoy Extraordinary of the High CommissionerActing President Ahmad Nami 28 April 1926 15 February 1928 Independent President Taj al-Din al-Hasani 15 February 1928 14 May 1930 Independent Prime MinisterActing PresidentSyrian Republic (1930–1936)(Part of the French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon) Taj al-Din al-Hasani 14 May 1930 19 November 1931 Independent Prime MinisterActing President Léon Solomiac 19 November 1931 11 June 1932 Independent High CommissionerActing President Muhammad Ali al-Abid 11 June 1932 27 September 1936 Independent PresidentSyrian Republic (1936–1946)(Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence signed but not ratified) Muhammad Ali al-Abid 27 September 1936 21 December 1936 Independent President Hashim al-Atassi(1st time) 21 December 1936 7 July 1939 National Bloc Bahij al-Khatib 10 July 1939 4 April 1941 Independent President of the Council of Directors General Khalid al-Azm 4 April 1941 16 September 1941 Independent Prime MinisterActing President Taj al-Din al-Hasani 16 September 1941 17 January 1943 Independent President Jamil al-Ulshi 17 January 1943 25 March 1943 Independent Prime MinisterActing President Ata al-Ayyubi 25 March 1943 17 August 1943 Independent Shukri al-Quwatli(1st time) 17 August 1943 17 April 1946 National Bloc PresidentSyrian Republic (1946–1958) Shukri al-Quwatli(1st time) 17 April 1946 30 March 1949 National BlocNational Party President Husni al-Za'im 30 March 1949 26 June 1949 MilitarySyrian Social Nationalist Party Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Armed Forces 26 June 1949 14 August 1949 President Sami al-Hinnawi 14 August 1949 15 August 1949 Military Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Armed Forces Hashim al-Atassi(2nd time) 15 August 1949 5 September 1950 People's Party Head of State 5 September 1950 2 December 1951 President Adib Shishakli 2 December 1951 3 December 1951 MilitarySyrian Social Nationalist Party Chairman of the General StaffPresident of the Supreme Military Council Fawzi Selu 3 December 1951 11 July 1953 Military Head of State Adib Shishakli 11 July 1953 25 February 1954 MilitaryArab Liberation Movement President Maamun al-Kuzbari 26 February 1954 28 February 1954 Independent Vice PresidentActing President Hashim al-Atassi(3rd time) 28 February 1954 6 September 1955 People's Party President Shukri al-Quwatli(2nd time) 6 September 1955 22 February 1958 National PartyUnited Arab Republic (1958–1961) Gamal Abdel Nasser 22 February 1958 29 September 1961 National Union PresidentSyrian Arab Republic (1961–1963) Maamun al-Kuzbari 29 September 1961 20 November 1961 IndependentPrime MinisterActing President Izzat al-Nuss 20 November 1961 14 December 1961 Independent Nazim al-Kudsi 14 December 1961 8 March 1963 People's Party PresidentSyrian Arab Republic (1963–2024) Luai al-Atassi 9 March 1963 27 July 1963 MilitaryBa'ath PartyPresidents of the National Council for the Revolutionary Command Amin al-Hafiz 27 July 1963 13 May 1964 MilitaryBa'ath Party 13 May 1964 23 February 1966 President of the Presidential Council Nureddin al-Atassi 25 February 1966 18 November 1970 MilitarySyrian Ba'ath Party Head of State Ahmad al-Khatib 18 November 1970 12 March 1971 Syrian Ba'ath Party Acting Head of State Hafez al-Assad 12 March 1971 10 June 2000 MilitarySyrian Ba'ath Party President Abdul Halim Khaddam 10 June 2000 17 July 2000 Syrian Ba'ath Party Vice PresidentActing President Bashar al-Assad 17 July 2000 8 December 2024 Syrian Ba'ath Party PresidentSyrian Arab Republic (2024–present)(Transitional period) Ahmed al-Sharaa 8 December 2024 29 January 2025Hay'at Tahrir al-ShamDe facto Leader 29 January 2025 Incumbent Independent President
Timeline
See also List of presidents of Syria List of Vice Presidents of Syria List of Prime Ministers of Syria List of Presidents of Parliament of Syria List of foreign ministers of Syria President of Syria Vice President of Syria Prime Minister of Syria
Speaker of the People's Assembly of Syria
References