3eed al-Jala2
April 17th. National Independence Day.
The last French forces depart from Syria in 1946 and President Shukri al-Quwatli declares Syria independent from the French Mandate. Quwatli makes the day the national “Independence Day” of Syria, formally ending 26-years of the French Mandate. The first celebration of independence was marked with grand festivities all throughout Syria. At 9:300 am on April 17, 1946, a 21-gun salute was fired from all the castles surrounding Damascus, indicating that the last French troops had formally evacuated. Before the thousands that assembled in front of government headquarters in the Marjeh Square, President Quwatli appeared with Arab officials and Syrian nationalists who came to celebrate Syria’s Independence Day. By his side was former President Hashim al-Atasi, who had led the nationalist movement during the years of the Mandate, and ruled Syria in 1936-1939. The first secretary-general of the Arab League, Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha, was also present, and so was Lebanese Prime Minister Sami al-Sulh, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faysal (later king) Ibn Abdul-Aziz, and King Farouk’s special envoy Abdul-Latif Talaat Pasha. The long awaited Syrian Army paraded through the streets of Damascus, and was accompanied by troops from the Lebanese, Egyptian, Saudi Arabian, and Iraqi armies. Following the Syrian Army came the Syrian Boy Scouts, then the Maysaloun Troops, carrying a huge portrait of General Yusuf al-Azma, the Minister of War who had died while fighting the French when they entered Damascus in 1920. Representatives of every Syrian city came to Quwatli and presented him with a small silk sack containing the soil of every Syrian province, telling him that he was the leader of all of Syria and not only Damascus. Quwatli led the procession to Maysaloun, the site where Yusuf al-Azma had been killed in 1920. Collectively, they commemorated him as the first Syrian official to fall while fighting the French Army.
Source: Syrian History.
April 17th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
you know, how important is to know this details, independence day is related in our mind with one party and one person, so it become just another event on the calendar similar to march and may… which is wrong, we have to revive all this political heritage that we have got, so we can believe that there is actually hope!
April 17th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Nice post Yazan. I’ll really celebrate when Syrian people are able to freely express their minds or views without being harrased or arrested by the Mukhabarat and when Syria allow people to leave with dignity and hope.
Free Michel Kilo, Dr. Aref Dalila, Dr. Kamal Labwani, Anwar Al Bunni and all the others arrested for speaking up their mind or for just mere suspicion.
April 17th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
so Yazen, How about putting the flag of independent, not the Ba’athy flag?
April 17th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Yazan I just realized I was taken off Syria Planet!!!! without my knowledge or any explanation!!!! I hope it was a simple mistake because I remember I was told all Political opinions are accepted!!!!
April 17th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Its a bit more than a baathy flag jon,
its the flag of the unity for those who believe in arabism, [I dont... but regardless]
Its the flag of Syria that I am attached to it.
Maybe ur right symbolically, but, I am personally attached to this flag.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:48 am
great post yazan.
this simple account is one of the most significant events in Syria’s modern history.
April 18th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Yazan, you are right, I was personally attached to this flag until recently I realized how much free voice did they jailed and tortured under the name of this flag, so I started losing my attachment, it is like a love relationship, it faint after some time, that that way i am kind of unattached to the current flag, even my brother have a huge flag-wall size-in his room.
but you are right, this flag still represent the Syrian Arab Republic…
April 23rd, 2007 at 5:29 am
Thanks for you work and have a good week.
The languages cannot continue to divide the peoples and to give to origin the one that the tyrants lie. We have that to exceed the barrier of the languages. We cannot continue to be been deceptive by outlaws. We go to defend this thesis in the whole world all together