Takieddin el-Solh (also Takieddin Solh, Takieddin as-Solh; ) (1908 – 27 November 1988) was a
Lebanese politician who served as the
Prime Minister of Lebanon
The prime minister of Lebanon, officially the president of the Council of Ministers, is the head of government and the head of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon. The prime minister is appointed by the president of Lebanon, with the consen ...
from 1973 to 1974, and again briefly in 1980.
El-Solh was born 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 ...
,
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 ...
. A
Sunni Muslim
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...
, he was a legislator representing the
Beqaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...
from 1957–1960 and 1964–1968. In 1964–1965 he was Minister of the Interior in the Government of
Hussein al-Oweini. In 1973, President
Suleiman Frangieh
Suleiman Kabalan Frangieh (15 June 1910 – 23 July 1992) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 5th president of Lebanon from 1970 to 1976.
Early life and education
Suleiman Frangieh was a scion of one of the leading Maronites, Maronite f ...
named him Prime Minister and
Minister for Finance. He served as Prime Minister until 1974, when he was succeeded by
Rachid Solh. In July 1980, President
Elias Sarkis
Elias ( ; ) is the hellenized version for the name of Elijah (; ; , or ), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy books. Due to Elias' role in the scriptures and to many later associated tradit ...
asked el-Solh to form a government, but he was unable to do so and resigned in October.
His wife was Fadwa Barazi El-Solh.
Takieddin was known for wearing the
tarboush. He was faced with extensive objection by the Syrians and was told to leave Lebanon. He spent his last days in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, where he died of a heart attack, aged 80.
In art and culture
The mansion Takieddin el-Solh and Fadwa Barazi El-Solh had inhabited was the subject of an installation displaying photographs, newspapers, films, texts and drawings in the exhibition of
Gregory Buchakjian
Gregory Buchakjian (born 1971, in Beirut, Lebanon) is a Lebanese photographer, filmmaker and art historian. He studied at the Paris-Sorbonne University. He is the director of the School of Visual Arts at Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts ALBA a ...
, Abandoned Dwellings of Beirut, that took place at the
Villa Empain
The Villa Empain is a former private residence in Brussels, Belgium, which currently serves as a cultural centre and exhibition space. Built in 1930–1934 in Art Deco style by the Swiss-Belgian architect Michel Polak, the villa was commission ...
in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, 2019.
References
External links
*
New York Times obituary, 30 November 1988Takieddin el-Solh's mansion, beirut.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solh, Takieddin
1908 births
1988 deaths
Finance ministers of Lebanon
Interior ministers of Lebanon
Lebanese Sunni politicians
Members of the Parliament of Lebanon
People from Sidon
Prime ministers of Lebanon
Al Solh family