Rashid Baqdones… one of the founders of the Arab Academy of Damascus

Rashid Baqdones is  one of the founders of  the Arab Academy of   Damascus  and a prominent resistance figure who opposed the Ottoman and French occupations combining the glory of knowledge and the greatness of resistance.

In documenting the life of this militant and intellectual, the Damascus History Foundation has published on the pages of the global Wikipedia site  his biography documented with pictures and information.

The Damascus History Foundation  indicated  that   Bqdones was born in the Salihiya quarter  of Damascus in 1875. In 1913, a group of Syrian citizens participated in the founding of the “Al-Ahed”  Association, which called for the independence of the Arab countries from the Ottoman occupation and sought to publish National awareness among Arab youths  until the secret of its activity became public, and the Ottoman occupation authorities dissolved it. 

The resistance fighter Baqdones , who witnessed  the crimes  carried out by  the Ottoman occupation against  the Arabs   and spreading disorder  during his military service, joined in 1916  Sharif Hussein’s  forces against the Ottoman occupation army. 

Upon  the evacuation of the Ottoman occupation ,  Baqdones  worked in the Aleppo Shura Court of  the King Faisal’s government. He also participated in organizing and training the young Syrian army. 

Baqdones translated a number of military books into Arabic and worked as a history teacher at the Anbar school .

He  participated with the scholar Muhammad Kord Ali in  founding  the Arab Academy of Damascus in 1919 and chaired  the  scientific terms committee which  included members of the Arab Academy of Damascus ,  the Syrian University and the University of Baghdad.

After the Battle of Maysaloon and the occupation of Damascus by General Gouraud’s army, Rashid  Baqdones  retired from military life and devoted himself to fighting the French colonists with his ideas and writings. 

He  participated in  the national forces in organizing their gatherings and in the national resistance until 1922, when he left Damascus after a martial order issued to arrest him for ten years on charges of inciting rebellion against the French occupation authorities.

During his stay outside Damascus, Baqdones worked as a teacher of Arab history and civilization  at  Salt Schools in Jordan and Haifa in Palestine   until he returned to Damascus in 1928 and died at the age of 68  in 1943.

Among the most important books of Baqdones , in addition to translated military works, are the books of  general history, ancient history as well as the books  of medieval history and the history of recent centuries.

He left   manuscripts , which   have  not been published, including the history of the church ,  the effects of the Arabs and the medicine of the Arabs.

The resistance fighter Baqdones fully mastered the Turkish, French, Greek, and Persian languages, and he had  books in the Greek language. However, the outbreak of the Second World War and his death prevented their issuance. He was also a donator in many civil and charitable societies..

Rawaa Ghanam