Salih al-Ali

Salih al-Ali^[a] (1883 – 13 April 1950) was a Syrian Alawite military commander who led the Alawite revolt of 1919–1921 against the French mandate of Syria.

Salih al-Ali صالح العلي
Al-Ali during the rebellion of 1919
Born	1883 Al-Shaykh Badr, Syria vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died	13 April 1950 (aged 65–66) Tartus, Syrian Republic
Known for	Commander of the Syrian Revolt of 1919

Background

Salih al-Ali was born in 1883 to a family of Alawite notables from al-Shaykh Badr, in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range in northwest. He reportedly clashed with the Ottomans in 1918 before their withdrawal from Syria,^[1] killing two Ottoman soldiers who were harassing a wife of his father. This act gained him a local reputation as a rebel. After his father's death, he built a shrine for him and reportedly performed miracles at the site, according to local legend.^[2]

Rebellion against the French

Main article: Syrian Revolt of 1919

Start of the rebellion

See also: Franco-Syrian War

Organizing the rebellion

Seated from left to right: Shukri al-Quwatli (future president), Saadallah al-Jabiri (future prime minister), Rida al-Shurbaji (co-founder of the National Bloc), Sheikh Salih al-Ali, commander of the Syrian Coastal Revolt of 1919. Standing are Hajj Adib Kheir (left) and Ibrahim Hananu, commander of the Aleppo Revolt

Final stages

The balance of power began to shift in favor of the French after they conquered Damascus, defeating a makeshift army at the Battle of Maysalun on 24 July 1920. Around this time al-Ali began collaborating, through Ibrahim Hananu's meditation, with Turkish Kemalist forces fighting the French occupation in southern Anatolia. A letter addressed directly to Mustafa Kemal in January 1921 asking for weapons for their common "jihad" against the French is preserved in the Turkish ATASE military archives in Ankara.^[3]

Later years

Salih al-Ali

Al-Ali remained in hiding until General Gouraud issued a general amnesty in 1922. He returned to his home and abstained from all political activity until his death on 13 April 1950 in Tartus.^[4]

Legacy

Salih al-Ali became a celebrated figure after the Syria's independence. Al-Ali, in his first public appearance since 1922, was a guest of honor of president Shukri al-Quwatli at the Evacuation Day celebrations on 17 April 1946.^[4]

Notes

1. Arabic: صالح العلي, romanized: Ṣāliḥ al-ʿAlī