Faisal I

Faisal ibn Hussein was born in 1883 CE in Mecca, the son of Sharif Hussein of Mecca and brother of Abdullah I (later King of Transjordan). He led, with his father, the Great Arab Revolt (1916–1918) against Ottoman rule with British support.

In October 1918 Arab forces entered Damascus, and Faisal proclaimed himself King of Syria on 8 March 1920, after the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Hussein–McMahon Correspondence that had promised an independent Arab state.

Faisal ruled Syria for only 14 months. He established a short-lived Arab government and tried to reconcile French demands (the Mandate) with Syrian aspirations (full independence). On 24 July 1920 the French defeated the Syrian army at the Battle of Maysalun (Defence Minister Yusuf al-Azma was killed), and occupied Damascus. Faisal was exiled to Europe and then to Iraq, where he was crowned king in 1921, ruled for 12 years, and secured Iraqi independence in 1932.

Faisal died on 8 September 1933 in Bern (Switzerland). Despite his short rule over Syria, he remains a symbol of the first Arab state in national memory.