Hrant Maloyan (; 29 November 1896 – 1978), also known as Hrant Bek, was a

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

military serviceman who became the general officer of the Syrian army and was appointed General Command of the Internal Security Forces in Syria.

Life and career

Hrant Maloyan was born in

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 ...

on 29 November 1896 to an Armenian Catholic family. From 1905 to 1907, Maloyan received his education in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

at the

San Lazzaro degli Armeni San Lazzaro degli Armeni (, "Saint Lazarus of the Armenians"; sometimes called Saint Lazarus Island in English; ) is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon which has been home to the monastery of the Mekhitarists, an Armenian Catholic congregati ...

. He then attended the

Marist Brothers The Marist Brothers of the Schools, commonly known as simply the Marist Brothers, is an international community of Catholic Church, Catholic religious institute of Religious brother, brothers. In 1817, Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from Fr ...

educational facility and graduated from there in 1912. After studying in a year at a Turkish school, he studied law at the Constantinople's College of Law from 1913 to 1914. He then attended the

Ottoman Military Academy The Turkish Military Academy () or as it is known historically and popularly Harbiye is a four-year co-educational military academy and part of the National Defence University. It is located in the center of Ankara, Turkey. Its mission is ...

and graduated from there in 1916. Hrant Maloyan 1

During World War I, Hrant Maloyan was conscripted to the Ottoman army and was sent to the

Suez Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...

but was captured by British forces. In 1918, after being freed by the British, Maloyan went to

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 ...

and allied himself with King Faysal I. In 1920, he joined the French army and participated in the

French Armenian Legion The Armenian Legion () was a volunteer unit that was raised by the Allied Powers to serve in the Middle East Theatre during World War I. Trained and led by French army commanders, the ''Légion d'Orient'' (Eastern Legion), as the unit was orig ...

. Fluent in five languages, Maloyan was assigned as a translator, but was also assigned as a commander to the gendarmerie. Among the battles he participated were the battles of Marash and Amanos. Due to his relative success, Maloyan was appointed as a commissioned officer in 1922. In 1945, he was appointed by president

Shukri al-Quwatli Shukri al-Quwatli (; 6 May 189130 June 1967) was a Syrian politician and statesman who was the first president of post-independence Syria, in 1943. He began his career as a dissident working towards the independence and unity of the Ottoman Em ...

as the General Command of the Internal Security Forces in Syria and served this position until 1949. His appointment was heralded by the Syrian press who demonstrated how accommodating Syrian society was towards its diverse population. It is also believed that this is the highest position an Armenian in Syria has ever held. Maloyan would eventually be known to modernize the Syrian police ranks and improve discipline of the task force in the country. The members of the police task force doubled to 9,751 members by the time his post finished in 1949. In 1946,

Salman al-Murshid Salman al-Murshid (1907 – 16 December 1946) was a Syrian Alawite religious figure who reunited the Ghassanid clan, that later was called al-Murshidiyeen of the Alawites. Early beginnings Salman al-Murshid was born to an Alawite family in the vil ...

, a religious Syrian figure, was organizing a separatist movement. Maloyan had him arrested and ultimately tried and executed in November 1946. During his time at the Head of Internal Security Forces, the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 began. Maloyan proclaimed martial law and set curfews. Meanwhile, he then restrained public disorder and prevented riots. Having retired in August 1949, he worked for

British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...

in Damascus. He then moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and settled in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where he died in 1978. His funeral was attended by veteran soldiers, politicians, officers, and a large number of fans. Hrant Maloyan has been decorated with medals from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and France.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maloyan, Hrant 1896 births 1978 deaths Military personnel from Istanbul Syrian people of Armenian descent Syrian Eastern Catholics Ottoman Military Academy alumni Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni San Lazzaro degli Armeni alumni Syrian generals 20th-century Armenian military personnel Armenians from the Ottoman Empire Armenian politicians Expatriates from the Ottoman Empire in Italy Members of the Armenian Catholic Church 20th-century Syrian politicians

Life and career

See also

References