Anbara Al-Salam Al-Khalidi (; 4 August 1897 – May 1986) was a Lebanese feminist, translator and author, who significantly contributed to the emancipation of Arab women.

Early life and education

Khalidi was born into an eminent Lebanese family 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 ...

in 1897. She was the daughter of

Salim Ali Salam Salim Ali Al-Salam (, also known as Abu Ali Salam; 1868–1938) was a prominent figure in Beirut at the turn of the 20th century who held numerous public positions, including deputy from Beirut to the Ottoman Parliament, President of the Munici ...

, a deputy in the Ottoman parliament and a merchant, and her mother was a member of the leading families, namely the Barbir and Aghars. Her brother

Saeb Salam Saeb Salam (17 January 1905 – 21 January 2000) () was a Lebanese politician, who served as Prime Minister six times between 1952 and 1973. Following his death, the Lebanese daily ''As-Safir'' described Salam as "most successful in dealing ...

served as the prime minister. Two of her brothers also held cabinet posts. In 1913 during the First Arab Congress in Paris Khalidi, along with two other women, sent a telegram to the congress. This telegram was the first message that was read aloud. She received a modern education and learned French. She and her siblings attended the Anglican Syrian College in

Ras Beirut Ras Beirut () is an upscale residential neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon. It has a mixed population of Christians, Muslims and Druze, and is associated with nonsectarian relations between members of thee groupings. Ras Beirut is home to some of ...

, which is the predecessor of the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

. From 1925 to 1927 she studied in

the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Activities

After returning to Beirut, Khalidi joined the pioneering women's movement called Society for Women's Renaissance. She worked there on advancing women's role in society and politics, on encouraging national Lebanese products of textiles and fashion, and on establishing schools for women and advocating for women education. She was the first to translate

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

's ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'' and

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

's ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...

'' into

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

. Her memoir was published in 1978 with the title of ''Jawalah fil Dhikrayat Baynah Lubnan Wa Filastin'' (Arabic: ''A Tour of Memories of Lebanon and Palestine''). It was translated into English in 2013 under the title of ''Memoirs of an Early Arab Feminist''. In her memoir, Khalidi emphasized the negative effects the activities of

Jamal Pasha Ahmed Djemal (; ; 6 May 1872 – 21 July 1922), also known as Djemal Pasha or Cemâl Pasha, was an Ottoman military leader and one of the Three Pashas that ruled the Ottoman Empire during World War I. As an officer of the II Corps, he was ...

, Ottoman ruler of Syria, had on her family and her childhood.

Personal life and death

Anbara Salam married a

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

educator, Ahmad Samih Al Khalidi (died 1951) in 1929. It was his second marriage. He was the principal of the Arab College in Jerusalem in

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

. They settled in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and then in Beirut. She died in Beirut in May 1986.

Dedication

Anbara Salam Khalidi was the subject of a

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on 4 August 2018, the 121st anniversary of her birth.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khalidi, Anbara Salam 20th-century Lebanese writers 20th-century Lebanese poets 20th-century translators 20th-century women writers 1897 births 1986 deaths American University of Beirut alumni Khalidi family Lebanese feminists Lebanese Sunni Muslims Lebanese translators Lebanese women activists Lebanese women writers Salam family Writers from Beirut Lebanese women memoirists