Sabah Qabbani (; June 5, 1928 – January 1, 2015) was appointed ambassador of

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 ...

to the United States by President

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad (6 October 193010 June 2000) was a Syrian politician and military officer who was the president of Syria from 1971 until Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad, his death in 2000. He was previously the Prime Minister of Syria ...

in 1974. The post had been vacant since 1967 when diplomatic relations between

and the United States were severed following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Prior to his posting in Washington, D.C. he was Syria's envoy to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

and Syria's consul in New York.

Background

Qabbani received a degree in law from

Damascus University Damascus University () is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus, with campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 as the Syrian University () through the merger of the Faculty of Medicine of Dama ...

in 1949 and a PhD in International Law from

Paris-Sorbonne University Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; ) was a public university, public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Paris. In 2018, it m ...

in Paris in 1952. Moubayed, Sami; Steel & silk: men and women who shaped Syria 1900–2000, p. 417 After returning to Syria, he joined the Ministry of Culture and became director of the Syrian Radio programs in 1953. He helped promote Arab stars such as Abdel Halim Hafez and Doreid Lahham. Then on July 23, 1960, Qabbani became the director of Syrian Television during the Egyptian-Syrian union. In 1962, Qabbani joined the Ministry of Foreign affairs and became Syria's consul in New York. After returning to Syria in 1966, he became director of press and media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He remained at his post until becoming Syria's envoy to Indonesia in 1968. In 1973, Qabbani returned to Syria and became director of the US desk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was later appointed ambassador to the United States from 1974 until 1980. After the completion of his post, Qabbani returned to Syria and resumed his activities as director of the US desk at the foreign ministry until 1982. Upon Qabbani's retirement from the Foreign Ministry in 1982, he began devoting his time to writing and photography.

Personal life

Qabbani was born in the Syrian capital of

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 ...

to a middle class merchant family. He was raised in Mi'thnah Al-Shahm, one of the neighborhoods of old Damascus. Sabah Qabbani's father, Tawfiq Qabbani was a prominent merchant and a member of the National Bloc during the Syrian Mandate years. His mother, ''Faiza Akbik'', was of Turkish descent. In 1956, he was married to Maha Naamani, the niece of Said al-Ghazzi, former Prime Minister of Syria. His brother is the Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani. Sabah Qabbani's daughter is the writer Rana Kabbani and thus he is the grandfather of her daughter Yasmine Seale. Qabbani's great uncle, Abu Khalil Qabbani, was one of the leading innovators in

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 ...

dramatic literature. Qabbani died on January 1, 2015, at the age of 86.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qabbani, Sabah 1928 births 2015 deaths Syrian people of Turkish descent Ambassadors of Syria to the United States Ambassadors of Syria to Indonesia Damascus University alumni People from Damascus Paris-Sorbonne University alumni Qabbani family