Person

Husni al-Za'im

1897–1949 · 20th century

Husni al-Za'im was a Syrian army officer who led the first military coup in Syria's history in March 1949, overthrowing President Shukri al-Quwatli after the defeat in the 1948 war with Israel. He made himself president, signed an armistice with Israel and introduced some reforms, but alienated his allies and was overthrown and executed by Sami al-Hinnawi in August 1949.

Husni al-Za'im
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Syrian Republic

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Husni al-Za'im. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/husni-al-zaim
MLA
“Husni al-Za'im.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/husni-al-zaim. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Husni al-Za'im.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/husni-al-zaim.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Husni al-Za'im’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/husni-al-zaim (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻