15 Nations Global Tour: SYRIA (Stop #11)

Question

After a fascinating trip to the rapidly developing nation of Estonia, we are now headed to the Middle East and the war-torn nation of Syria. Ancient Syria comprised what is now modern Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. The country was engulfed for many decades by the Ottoman Empire before becoming a protectorate of France in 1920. The Syrian Republic gained independence in 1946, and since 1970 has been under the rule of the al-Assad family. Syria's recent history has been quite tragic as we will discover as we uncover the personal stories of each of this stop's fifteen notables. 

To learn more about Syria and discover the fifteen notables we'll be meeting during our visit, head over to the 15 Nations: Syria Page by clicking the link here, or by stopping first at the 15 Nations Global Tour Page and clicking the link in the table. Then be sure to return here to share whatever discoveries you make. Good luck!

Comments

WikiTree Summer Games Opening Ceremonies, Monday, 21 Aug, 8am EDT.

Syria Wrap-up, Monday 21 Aug, 6pm EDT.

Answer 1

Wow, I can't believe we are already coming to the end of our Syria tour. Our official wrap-up show will be held Monday evening, 6pm eastern time. As usual, we'll talk about what we discovered in Syria and I'll be introducing you to the notables we will be meeting on our next stop.

 However, there will be a bit a change to our usual wrap-up protocol, as I will actually be announcing our next stop earlier in the day at the Summer Games Opening Ceremonies. So, if you want to be among the first to hear where we are heading next, tune in to the morning ceremonies, then join me again in the evening to get all the details.  

I'll have links posted soon for both the Summer Games and the Syria Wrap Up.

Comments

WikiTree Summer Games Opening Ceremonies - Monday, 21 Aug, 8am EDT.

Syria Wrap-up - Monday, 21 Aug, 6pm EDT.

Answer 2

My great grandparents were both from Homs, Syria (near present day Lebanon).  

It's unlikely I'd be able to trace them back further in Syria, though at some point want to research some "Narchi" immigrants to Brazil, also from Homs and potentially related.

Comments

Brazil is home to more than 1 million Syrians, which is far more than any other country in the world. In comparison, the United States has less than 300k.

Tracing you ancestors back more than a few generations in Syria could be quite a challenge. But by adding as many of your Syrian ancestors to Wiki tree you'll pave the way for possible future connections down the road.

Answer 3

With relatively little effort, I've connected the Pashtun family of Suraiya Tarzi to existing profiles of the Osman Dynasty (who ruled the Ottoman Empire). The genealogies of the Afghan noble families are actually quite well-researched,  but little of that information has been put on WikiTree to-date, so I shall likely continue building out her lines. Not the most difficult project, but I don't feel like handling any much higher-hanging fruit right this second.

Comments

I'm actually thrilled that you are tasking on that low-hanging fruit. Two often we make a connection and move on and those "easy" ones never wind up making it to the tree. It will also be great to increase Afghanistan's WikiTree footprint.

Congratulations on the connection!

Answer 4

Paul Gierszewski has just connected Syria's national poet, Nizar Qabbani to the Global Tree. Apparently, Qabbani also connects to Palestine's national poet, Mahmoud Darwish. 

Answer 5

I periodically like to remind the team that when we move our focus from one country to the next, the prior country's page remains open for those who wish to venture back and finish any work that may have been left uncompleted during our allotted three weeks.

Today, I was informed by Paul Gierszewski that Sorojini Naidu, the poet known famously as The Golden Nightengale and the first woman to head the Indian National Congress, has now been connected. Even better, four of her notable kin were also connected in the process. That's fantastic!

I also know that several members have continued working on our Estonian notables even while making new connections in Syria. Keep up the great work everyone!

Answer 6

Did anyone happen to notice that Norah Jones is one of this week's featured Connection Finder profiles? You'll recall that it was the 15 Nations Tour that connected Norah to the Global Tree back in January. Norah is the daughter of famed Indian sitar virtuoso and composer Ravi Shankar. Very cool!

Answer 7

Moustafa Akkad has been connected through his American first wife.

Answer 8

'Izz ad-Din seems to have many living relatives, described in detail by his granddaughter here (in Arabic, use translator).

The family is spread out across Syria, Lebanon, & Palestine, among other places. I'm not sure I have the energy to try to trace all of the living relatives to look for a connection, but if anyone cares to do so, this is a good starting place. Otherwise I've added all of 'Izz ad-Din's ancestors, siblings, & children that I could find mention of, though many could use dates & further details. If anyone finds a way to contact one of the members of the family, it'd probably be the most useful way of expanding this line.

Answer 9

I posted this in the Discord, but just in case anyone wants it, the Library of Congress has a good standard for transliterating Arabic, which you can find here. It takes some getting used to, but I think it's one of the better ways of rendering standard names, in addition to mentioning renderings found in English sources, especially for those trying to make sure we have the original-language renderings of names in the first place. & if anyone is looking at all for help with transliteration, they can feel free to ask me, as I've been doing it for all the profiles I've been creating.

Do keep in mind that at least two of our notables do not come from Arab families: Suraiya Tarzi, whose family were Pashtun & spoke Pashto; & Jean Carzou, who was Armenian.

Answer 10

Maryana Marash has just become our fourth notable Syrian to be connected to the Global Tree. Even better, she has two notables brothers who are also now connected to the Tree. Brother Francis was a Syrian scholar, poet of the Arab Renaissance, and physician known for his scientific writings. Brother Abdallah was a writer who wrote for Arab-language newspapers in London and Paris.

Answer 11

Asmahan, notable singer, is now connected.

Comments

Congratulations once again, Paul. Ater a quick glance at Asmahan's tree, it looks like you traced her line through an Egyptian branch and famed belly dancer (Samia Gamal) who made her way to Hollywood and married a Texas millionaire. Quite a journey!

(Actually, make that two famed belly dancers!)

Answer 12

Announcement: This Friday, August 18, at 12 Noon (Eastern Time), I will be joining Sandy Patak for Friday Night Bingo. During this 15 Nations themed event, we'll be reminiscing about each of our prior adventures, sharing some of the challenges we've faced, the discoveries we've made, and the people we've met. If you haven't joined a Bingo session yet, it's a great deal if fun. We'll play two 15 Nations themed Bingo games and you'll have the opportunity to win a free WikiTree T-shirt,  mug, or other cool merchandise.

Then, that same evening, at 7pm,  I'll be back with Sandy for another episode of Bingo, this time with a huge Global Surprise! Yes, I will finally be making the grand announcement as to what will be replacing the 15 Nations Tour as we inch our way towards 2024. I think you'll be quite impressed.