Anisa Makhlouf
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Anisa (or Aniseh) Makhlouf ( ar, أَنِيسَةُ مَخْلُوفٍ, ʾAnīsah Maḵlūf, 5 November 1930 – 6 February 2016)One source cites 1934 as her year of birth (see p. 26)
onpcsb.ro; accessed 9 July 2017.
was the matriarch of the Syrian
Al-Assad family The al-Assad family ( ar, عَائِلَة الْأَسَد '), also known as the Assad dynasty, has ruled Syria since General Hafez al-Assad became President of Syria in 1971 under the Ba'ath Party. After his death, in June 2000, he was suc ...
, which has ruled the country since 1971. The wife of the late Syrian President
Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 1 ...
, Makhlouf held the position of
First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...
of Syria from 1971 until 2000. Her son
Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...
has been the
President of Syria The president of Syria, officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: رئيس سوريا) is the head of state of the Syrian Arab Republic. They are vested with sweeping powers that may be delegated, at their sole discretion, to ...
since 2000.


Biography

Makhlouf was born in
Latakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...
,
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, to the Makhloufs, an influential family from
Bustan al-Basha Bustan al-Basha ( ar, بستان الباشا, also spelled Bistan al-Basha; translation: "the Governor's Garden") is a village located along the Mediterranean coastline in northern Syria, part of the Latakia Governorate. It is situated southeast ...
,
Latakia Governorate Latakia Governorate, also transliterated as Ladhakia Governorate, ( ar, مُحافظة اللاذقية / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat al-Lādhiqīyah'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in western Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay ...
. She was daughter of Ahmed Makhlouf and Saada Sulayman al-Assad, Hafez al-Assad's aunt. She married Hafez al-Assad, an officer of the Syrian Arab Air Force, in 1957. They had five children: Bushra (b. 1960),
Bassel al-Assad Bassel al-Assad ( ar, بَاسِلُ حَافِظِ ٱلْأَسَدِ, translit=Bāsil Ḥāfiẓ al-ʾAsad; 23 March 1962 – 21 January 1994) was a Syrian engineer, colonel, equestrian and politician who was the eldest son of Syrian Presiden ...
(1962–1994), Bashar al-Assad (b. 1965), Majd al-Assad (1966–2009), and
Maher al-Assad Maher al-Assad ( ar, مَاهِرُ ٱلْأَسَدِ, Māhir al-ʾAsad, born 8 December 1967) is a Syrian general and commander of the Republican Guard and the army's elite Fourth Armoured Division, which together with Syria's secret police ...
(b. 1967). Her marriage to Hafez al-Assad elevated the status and wealth of the Makhlouf family. Her relatives were awarded lucrative contracts within the country's banking, oil and telecommunication sectors. One nephew,
Rami Makhlouf Rami Makhlouf ( ar, رَامِي مَخْلُوف, Rāmī Maḫlūf; born 10 July 1969) is a Syrian businessman and the maternal cousin of president Bashar al-Assad. At the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Syrian Civil War in 2011, he was con ...
, is believed to be the wealthiest man in Syria, with a net worth of US$5 billion, as of 2012. According to the Tlass family, Hafez was never particularly fond of the staid and withdrawn Anisa, and had seriously considered divorcing her, or having a second wife used to entertain world leaders. One whose company he enjoyed more than Anisa was the more outgoing and affable Lamia Tlass, wife of Mustafa Tlass, who was also considering divorce due to his repeated infidelity.Following the death of Bassel al-Assad in 1994, Makhlouf favoured Maher al-Assad, her youngest son and a Syrian general, as a possible successor for her husband. Instead, Bashar al-Assad returned from London, joined the military, and succeeded his father as President of Syria in 2000. ''The Economist'' described Anisa Makhlouf as "a formidable figure" within the al-Assad family and the Ba'athist government. A highly influential member of the government, she was one of the few people with whom Bashar al-Assad regularly consulted during the Syrian Civil War. She is believed to have advocated for a heavy, military crackdown on Syrian protesters and rebels during the ongoing Civil War. In 2012, Makhlouf, as well as other members of the Al-Assad family, were sanctioned by the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
amid the country's civil war and attacks on protesters by the Syrian government. The EU sanctions included a travel ban and the freezing of her assets. Prior to the travel ban, she had reportedly made frequent trips to Germany for medical treatments for an undisclosed illness.


Death

Anisa Makhlouf died in
Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...
on 6 February 2016 from undisclosed causes.


Bibliography

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References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makhlouf, Anisa Year of birth uncertain Date of birth unknown 1930 births 2016 deaths Disease-related deaths in Syria First Ladies of Syria Assad family Syrian Alawites Syrian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates People from Latakia People of the Syrian civil war Syrian schoolteachers