Adil Arslân (1880 – 23 January 1954) () was a Lebanese Druze politician, writer and poet. He was the older brother of the two princes Shakib Arslan and Nasib Arslan. He was a deputy for Lebanon in the Ottoman Parliament, Deputy Governor General in Syria (1918-1919) and adviser to King Faisal of Iraq and Syria (1919-1920).

Early life

Adil was born to a

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

family in 1880 in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

a city which was then under Ottoman rule. His father, Prince Hammoud bin Hassan Arslan, was descended from the princes of

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon (, ; , ; ) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It is about long and averages above in elevation, with its peak at . The range provides a typical alpine climate year-round. Mount Lebanon is well-known for its snow-covered mountains, ...

. Adil's brothers are Prince Nassib, Prince Shakib and Prince Hassan. He attended the American school of Choueifat where he was taught by the writer Boutros Al-Bustani. Later, he would settle again in his native

, where he studied in his higher education. After which he traveled to the capital of the Ottoman Empire,

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, where he enrolled the Faculty of Law and Public Administration.

Career

Ottoman Empire

Between 1908 and 1912, he was appointed as a member of the Council of Ottoman Representatives for

which made him the youngest member of the board. After which he will be appointed in 1913 1st Secretary attached to the Ministry of the Interior of Istanbul, then responsible for immigration for Syria in 1914, the equivalent of the Ministry the Interior. In 1915, he was appointed deputy mayor of the

Chouf Chouf (also spelled Shouf, Shuf or Chuf; ) is a historic region of Lebanon, as well as an administrative district in the governorate ( muhafazat) of Mount Lebanon. Geography Located south-east of Beirut, the region comprises a narrow coastal stri ...

region in

and in 1916

Kaymakam Kaymakam, also known by #Names, many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been reta ...

appointed by the

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

. In context of the Great Arab Revolt he then joined the Young Arab Society where he engage in secret organizations to demand the independence of

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

countries and the establishment of a United Arab State.

Syria

He assisted in the establishment in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

in King Faisal's government, of which he was appointed as a 'special secretary'. Then he was appointed administrative assistant to the Prime Minister until the prince's forfeiture. In 1925, Arslan joined the Syrian revolutionaries alongside Sultan Pasha al-Atrash to participate in the

Great Syrian Revolt The Great Syrian Revolt (), also known as the Revolt of 1925, was a general uprising across the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria and Greater Lebanon during the period of 1925 to 1927. The leading rebel forces initially comprised figh ...

against French colonialism. But after the failure of 1926, he was forced to flee Syria, pursued by the French and sentenced to death in absentia. In 1937, he was appointed head of the delegation of the Arab High Committee which sits in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. After Syria's independence in 1946, he returned to

and was appointed into several governments as

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

, Health and Social Affairs in 1948, and as Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs. In 1948, he was elected representative of the Golan and Vice-president of Syria. He was then appointed

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

and

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

11 under the government of Hosni al-Zaeem.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arslan, Adil Lebanese Druze people Syrian Druze people Druze people from the Ottoman Empire 1880 births 1954 deaths Ottoman Arab nationalists Ministers of education of Syria Ministers of health of Syria Ministers of social affairs and labour of Syria Ministers of defense of Syria

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates (Syria) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates () is a Cabinet of Syria, cabinet ministry of Syria, responsible for conducting Foreign relations of Syria, foreign relations of the country. The ministry oversees the expression of Syrian foreign polic ...

Deputy prime ministers of Syria