Ayyash Al-Haj Hussein Al-Jassim (Arabic: عياش الحاج حسين الجاسم) was a Syrian revolutionary who led the armed struggle against the French in Deir al-Zour Governorate in 1925 during the Great Syrian Revolt. He was sent into exile to Jableh in western Syria with his family after they were convicted of planning and carrying out future rebellions against the French. They also sentenced his eldest son Mohammed to 20 years in prison on the island of Arwad, and executed his son Mahmoud by shooting with several other revolutionaries.[1][2][3][4]
Shortly after Al-Haj and his family were sent to Jableh, he was assassinated by the French authorities in a café outside of the city by poisoning his coffee, and prevented the transfer of his body to his hometown in Deir Ez-zor for reasons of public security. He was buried in Jableh in the cemetery of Sultan Ibrahim ibn Adham Mosque where the absent prayers held for the spirit of this martyr mujahid in all the Syrian cities.[5][6][7]
Ayyash Al-haj grew up in a national family that contributed to the struggle against the Colonizers throughout history, Therefore, Ayyash liked his city and his homeland, and that is why he devoted most of his life to the service and protection of his city.[10][11][12][13] When the Ottomans left Deir ez-Zor, Ayyash Al-Haj contributed to protecting the people of Deir ez-Zor from the chaos and the absence of security left by the departure of the Ottoman authority. He formed a local government known as Haj Fadel Government with the dignitaries of Deir ez-Zor, headed by his cousin from the Abu Obaid clan, Fadel Al-Aboud in 1918.[14]
He established a national army from the people of the city with Mr. Omar Al-'Abd Al-'Aziz and Mr. Khalaf Al-'Abd Al-Hamid to counter the invasion of the English and fought with them at the site of Salhiya in 1919.
Ayyash Al-Haj also contributed to resolving many conflicts and revolutions between the people of Deir ez-Zor and the people of the countryside due to his good relations with the BaggaraTribes, his cousins and close friends of the Albu Saraya clan, who later participated with his sons in the formation of armed revolutionary groups against the French forces.[15][16]
The French sentenced him to exile in the city of Jableh with his family members in 1925; they also sentenced his eldest son Mohammad to 20 years of imprisonment and executed his son Mahmoud by firing squad after being convicted of planning and carrying out several military operations against French forces in Syria, the most recent of which was the epic battle of Ain Bou Juma in 1925.[17][18]
Ayyash and his family left for their exile in the city of Jableh where the people of the city embraced and respected them for their struggle and virtues.[19][20][21][22]
Sons
Ayyash ِAl-Haj was married to Ms. Qmorh Al Aboud (Sister of Fadel Al-Aboud, head of the Deir Ezzor government), he has seven sons and three daughters, and each of his sons has a prominent place in Deir Ezzor, among his sons:
Mohammed Al-Ayyash
Mohammed Bey Al-AyyashAhmed Al-Ayyash
Politician, a writer and a symbol of sovereignty and leadership in Deir Ezzor, born in Deir Ez-Zor in 1894, early engaged in the political activity, where he founded the national movement against French colonialism and demanded the independence of Syria with some of his friends such as Sheikh Mohammed Said Al-Arafi and Thabit Azzawi. He was in constant contact with patriots and revolutionaries in all Syrian cities such as Dr. Abdul Rahman Shahbandar, who agreed with him to start armed operations in Deir Ezzor city coinciding with the start of the Great Syrian Revolution in Jabal al-Arab and Ghouta of Damascus. He founded a revolutionary group in Deir ez-Zorgovernorate that carried out several armed operations against the French forces, the most prominent of which was the epic battle of Ain Albu Juma.[23][24][25]
Sentenced by the French in 1925 to 20 years imprisonment where he was imprisoned on the island of Arwad, was released after the issuance of the French amnesty in 1937, and died in Deir Ezzor in 1944.[26][27][28]
Mahmoud Al-Ayyash (Abu Stita)
He was born in Deir Ezzor in 1898 and was known for his dignity and manhood; the people of Deir Ezzor called him "Abu Stita," Formed a revolutionary group with some of his companions, carried out many military operations against the French forces, most notably the epic battle of Ain Albu Juma, or what modern writers call "Denshway Euphrates."
He was an example of sacrifice, recorded great tournaments in the national struggle record to raise the national flag high, On 5 September 1925, Mahmud Al-Ayyash was executed along with 12 revolutionaries, The execution by the French military court was carried out by firing squad in northern Aleppo.[29]
Ahmed Al-Ayyash
Patriot, Ahmed was characterized by a strong personality, generosity and magnanimity; he was elected president of the Workers Union in 1932 following the "Al Meera" incident, where he led a group of men, broke locks, and opened grain stores for people, that were monopolized by France, he was leading demonstrations against the French and was imprisoned more than once for his nationalist positions.
He founded the Cultural House Club in Deir Ezzor in 1944, where he gave his literary and historical lectures and invited most of the Euphrates intellectuals at that time, among the guests was the great poet Mohammed Al-Furati. The club was closed during the era of President Hosni Al-Zaim in 1948, although it was owned by Mr. Abdul Qader Al-Ayyash who covered its expenses with his own money.[33][34][35]
In 1945 he published the Voice of the Euphrates magazine at his own expense, the first monthly cultural magazine in Deir Ezzor, its articles were limited to the definition of the civilization of the Euphrates Valley and the history of its cities and describe its economy and codify and highlight its famous heritage.[36]
He founded the first museum in the city of Deir al-Zour in 1957 known as the Museum of Folk Traditions, the current Deir ez-Zor Museum still contains many archaeological collections of Mr. Al-Ayyash, which he bought from his own money and Donated to the museum. The SyrianMinistry of Culture published a dictionary of Syrian authors which was written by Abdul Qader Al-Ayyash in 1982, and the Ministry of Folklore also issued three books were written by him.[38][39][40]
He died in Deir Ezzor in 1974 after he enriched the Arab Library with more than 117 books in the field of history, folklore and literature, President Hafez al-Assad described him in his condolence message sent to his relative as "Lost of the homeland".[41][42][43]
There were contacts between the leaders of the Great Syrian Revolution and some patriots of Syrian East area as Mohammed Al-Ayyash, who met in Damascus with Dr. Abdul Rahman Shahbandar, leader of the People's Party, and discussed with him the issue of extending the revolution to the Euphrates region and opened a front against the French to disperse their forces and ease the pressure on the rebels of Ghouta and Jabal al-Arab, after the returning of Mohammed Al-Ayyash from Damascus he started to raise the enthusiasm of the people of Deir Ezzor and invited them to fight, he agreed with his brother Mahmoud to go to the villages of the Albu Saraya clan who resided on the West of Deir ez-Zor and had a strong friendship with his father Ayyash Al-Haj, to form a revolutionary group with them to strike the French forces.[44][45][46]
Mohammed Al-Ayyash managed to form a revolutionary group of thirteen armed men who were ready to take any military action against the French forces, they were:[47]
Some people worked with the French at translation centers and other fields. Still, they were at the service of the revolutionaries, they were bringing news to Mohammed Al-Ayyash about the situation and movements of the French and their activities and the timing of their military operations and Mohammed Al-Ayyash guided the revolutionaries to strike the French forces.
In early June 1925, the translators informed Mohammed Bey ِAl-Ayyash that a military vehicle carrying four French officers who had come from France to inspect the French military construction departments in Syria and Lebanon, accompanied by their French driver, would leave Deir Ezzor on its way to Aleppo. He instructed his brother Mahmoud to set up an ambush in the area of Ain Albu Gomaa on the road to Deir EzzorAl-Raqqa, where the highway runs through a profound valley and has a narrow stone bridge.[48]
When the military vehicle arrived, the revolutionaries attacked and arrested the officers and took them with their car to a desert called "Al-Aksiyya," and threw them with their driver in one of the abandoned wells where they died.[49]
The French were mad for losing contact with their officers and began an extensive campaign including planes to search for them, and when they found their bodies and inquired about the names of the revolutionaries, they sent a sizeable military force equipped with Heavy guns and planes to attack Albu Saraya clan and blockade it.
If each of the criminals, who committed this terrible offense deserve dying once, the gang leader Mohammed Al-Ayyash deserves hanging twice.
French planes began bombing the villages of the clan, it was a horrific and devastating bombardment where the houses were destroyed with children and women and killed the livestock and burned their farms and crops, Some civilians were killed and many were wounded by bullets and shrapnel from planebombs, All of this was to pressure the people to surrender the revolutionaries.
When the French were convinced that the bombing did not work, they resorted to despicable means where they threatened to arrest the women of the revolutionaries, their mothers and sisters until the revolutionaries surrendered themselves to the French, when the news arrived at the revolutionaries, they emerged from their hideouts and surrendered themselves to avoid arresting their women.[51]
Revolutionaries were tried in Aleppo, where the family of Ayyash Al-Haj appointed lawyer Fathallah Al-Saqqal to defend them, the court heard (Officer Bono) head of the French intelligence in Deir Ezzor, who said: If each of the criminals, who committed this terrible offense deserve dying once, the gang leader Mohammed Al-Ayyash deserves hanging twice.[52]
The French High Commissioner in Beirut, Maurice Sarrail, issued Decision No. 49S / 5 in August 1925, which ordered the exile of all members of the Ayyash Al-Haj family to the city of Jableh, Mahmoud Al-Ayyash and 12 of his companions were sentenced to death. The execution was carried out by firing squad on 15 September 1925 in Aleppo. Muhammad Al-Ayyash was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment on the island of Arwad in Tartous city.[53]
Death
Shortly after Ayyash al-Haj family's living in Jableh, The French authorities assassinated Ayyash Al-Haj in a café outside the city by poisoning his coffee and prevented the transfer of his body to Deir Ezzor city for reasons of public security, He was buried in Jableh in the cemetery of sultan Ibrahim ibn Adham mosque, the absent prayers held for the spirit of this martyr mujahid in all the Syrian cities, He was lamented by many poets of Deir Ezzor, as the great poet Mohammed Al-Furati.[54][55][56]
