Anwar Ali Hussein Sabbah, also spelled Anwar Ali Sabah (10 September 1933 – 7 July 2024) was a Lebanese politician. He held a variety of government ministerial posts throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including Minister of Economy and Trade from 1972 to 1973, Minister of Energy and Water from 1979 to 1980, and Minister of Industry from 1979 to 1980.

Biography

Early life

Sabbah was born on 10 September 1933 in

Nabatieh Nabatieh (, ', Syriac-Aramaic: ܐܠܢܒܛܝܥ), or Nabatîyé (), is a city of the Nabatieh Governorate, in southern Lebanon. History Nabateans The most accepted theory is related to the Nabateans (spelled النبطي), an ancient Arab ...

, Lebanon. His grandfather, Hussein al-Sabbah, had served as the mayor of Nabatieh beginning in 1922. Sabbah's father immigrated to Mexico before later returning to Lebanon. Sabbah attended primary school in Nabatieh and graduated from the American School of Art in

Sidon Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...

in 1952. Following his graduation, Sabbah enrolled in the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

in the United States beginning in 1952 and received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

in 1956. He married Asmaa Najib Nassar, with whom he had five children, Sadiq, Mirna, Rima, Shirin, and Ali.

Career

He returned to Lebanon in 1956, where he worked as an engineer. Sabbah was appointed to the national Lebanese Construction Authority in 1956, where he helped with reconstruction efforts following the 1956 Chim earthquake. He then headed the maintenance department for the

Trans-Arabian Pipeline The Trans-Arabian Pipeline (Tapline), was an oil pipeline from Qaisumah in Saudi Arabia to Sidon in Lebanon, active 1950–1976. In its heyday, it was an important factor in the global trade of petroleum, as well as in American–Middle Eastern ...

(Tapline), which connected

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

and

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, until 1961. Together with his brothers, Sabbah established the Lebanese Egyptian Film Production Company in 1962, which produced more than 500 Egyptian films.

Political career

He entered politics in 1964. That year, Sabbah, a political independent ran for the Lebanese Parliament with the support of Kamel al-Assaad, the leader of the Lebanese Social Democratic Party. Sabbah won the parliamentary seat representing his hometown of Nabatieh in the

1964 Lebanese general election General elections were held in Lebanon between 5 April and 3 May 1964. Independent candidates won the majority of seats. Voter turnout was 53.0%.Nohlen et al., p184 Results References Lebanon General A general officer is an Officer (a ...

. He was further appointed chairman of the

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of the Southern Council in 1970. Sabbah won a seat in parliament again during the

1972 Lebanese general election General elections were held in Lebanon between 16 and 30 April 1972. Independent candidates won a majority of seats, although most of them were considered members of various blocs. Voter turnout was 54.4%. Background According to the 1960 constit ...

and was appointed Minister of Economy and Trade from 1972 to 1973 by Prime Minister Salim Al-Huss. He also served as the concurrent Minister of Energy and Water and Minister of Industry from July 1979 to October 1980, also in Prime Minister Salim Al-Huss's cabinet. Sabbah then held the portfolio of Minister of Energy and Water under Prime Minister

Shafik Wazzan Shafik Al-Wazzan (, January 16, 1925 – July 8, 1999) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 27th Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1980 until 1984. In December 1991, Wazzan was wounded when a car bomb exploded in the Beirut neighborhood of Ba ...

's government from 1980 to 1981. In 1981, Sabbah resigned from Wazzan's government to protest the decision not to send troops to

southern Lebanon Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa districts, the southernmost distr ...

during the ongoing South Lebanon conflict. Anwar Sabbah later participated in the 1989 Taif Agreement negotiations, which contributed to the end of the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

. Sabbah also supported the establishment of the new

Nabatieh Governorate Nabatieh Governorate (, ') is one of the nine governorates of Lebanon. The area of this governorate is 1,058 km2. The capital is Nabatieh. Districts The governorate is divided into four districts (Aqdiya, singular qadaa) containing 130 mu ...

and opened several schools in southern Lebanon. Sabbah died on 7 July 2024, at the age of 90. He was buried in his hometown of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabbah, Anwar 1933 births 2024 deaths University of Oklahoma alumni Members of the Parliament of Lebanon Economy and Trade ministers of Lebanon Energy ministers of Lebanon Water ministers of Lebanon industry ministers of Lebanon Lebanese engineers Lebanese film producers People from Nabatieh