place_of_death maarouf al-dawalibi
___MASK80___ (/ ALA - LC : "") is a city in ___MASK42___ , serving as the capital of the ___MASK80___ Governorate , the most populous Syrian governorate . With an official population of 2 , 132 , 100 ( 2004 census ), ___MASK80___ was the largest Syrian city before the Syrian Civil War ; however , now ___MASK80___ is likely the second - largest city in ___MASK42___ after the capital Damascus . ___MASK45___ , officially known as the State of ___MASK45___ , is a country in the ___MASK34___ , on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean ___MASK70___ and the northern shore of the Red ___MASK70___ . It has land borders with ___MASK75___ to the north , Syria to the northeast , Jordan on the east , the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west , respectively , and Egypt to the southwest . The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area . ___MASK45___ ' s financial and technology center is Tel Aviv , while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem , although the state ' s sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem is internationally unrecognized . ___MASK43___ (, or ; '; '), officially known as the Republic of ___MASK43___ ('; ') is a country in Western ___MASK15___ , bordered by Turkey to the north , Iran to the east , Kuwait to the southeast , ___MASK29___ to the south , Jordan to the southwest , and Syria to the west . The capital , and largest city , is Baghdad . The main ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds ; others include Assyrians , Turkmen , Shabakis , Yazidis , Armenians , Mandeans , Circassians , and Kawliya . Around 95 % of the country ' s 36 million citizens are Muslims , with Christianity , Yarsan , Yezidism , and Mandeanism also present . The official languages of ___MASK43___ are Arabic and Kurdish . Maarouf al - Dawalibi ( Arabic :    ) ( March 29 , 1909 -- January 15 , 2004 ) , was a Syrian politician and was twice the prime minister of ___MASK42___ . He was born in Aleppo , and held a Ph . D . in Law . He served as a minister of economy between 1949 and 1950 , and was elected speaker of the parliament in 1951 . He also served as minister of defense between 1954 and 1955 . After the Ba ' ath party came to power in 1963 , he was imprisoned and later exiled , serving as an adviser to several Saudi kings . His son , Nofal al - Dawalibi , is involved in the Syrian Opposition . ___MASK75___ , officially known as the Lebanese Republic , is a sovereign state in Western ___MASK15___ . It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south , while Cyprus is west across the Mediterranean Sea . ___MASK75___ ' s location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity . At just 10 , 452 km ( 4 , 036 sq . mi .), it is the smallest recognized country on the entire mainland Asian continent . ___MASK80___ Governorate (/ ALA - LC : " Mufaat alab " / ) is one of the fourteen governorates of ___MASK42___ . It is the most populous governorate in ___MASK42___ with a population of more than 4 , 868 , 000 ( 2011 Est .), almost 23 % of the total population of ___MASK42___ . The governorate is the fifth in area with an area of 18 , 482 km² , about 10 % of the total area of ___MASK42___ . The capital is the city of ___MASK80___ . The governorate is represented by 52 deputies in the parliament ( out of 250 ), of whom 20 come from the city of ___MASK80___ . The Mediterranean ___MASK70___ ( pronounced ) is a ___MASK70___ connected to the ___MASK40___ , surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land : on the north by Southern Europe and Anatolia , on the south by North Africa , and on the east by the Levant . The ___MASK70___ is sometimes considered a part of the ___MASK40___ , although it is usually identified as a separate body of water . Jordan ('), officially The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan ('), is an Arab kingdom in Western ___MASK15___ , on the East Bank of the Jordan River . Jordan is bordered by ___MASK29___ to the east and south , Iraq to the north - east , Syria to the north , Israel , ___MASK62___ and the Dead Sea to the west and the Red Sea in its extreme south - west . Jordan is strategically located at the crossroads of ___MASK15___ , Africa and Europe . The capital , Amman , is Jordan ' s most populous city as well as the country ' s economic , political and cultural centre . ___MASK95___ , officially the Republic of ___MASK95___ ( Turkish : ), is a transcontinental country in Eurasia , mainly in Anatolia in Western ___MASK15___ , with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe . ___MASK95___ is a democratic , secular , unitary , parliamentary republic with a diverse cultural heritage . ___MASK95___ is bordered by eight countries : Greece to the west ; Bulgaria to the northwest ; Georgia to the northeast ; Armenia , the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran to the east ; and Iraq and Syria to the south . The Aegean Sea is to the west , the Black Sea to the north , and the Mediterranean Sea to the south . The Bosphorus , the Sea of Marmara , and the Dardanelles , which together form the Turkish Straits , divide Thrace and Anatolia ; they also separate Europe and ___MASK15___ . ___MASK95___ ' s location has given it geopolitical and strategic importance throughout history . Western ___MASK15___ , West ___MASK15___ , Southwestern ___MASK15___ or Southwest ___MASK15___ is the westernmost subregion of ___MASK15___ . The concept is in limited use , as it significantly overlaps with the Middle East ( or Near East ), the main difference being the exclusion of Egypt ( which would be counted as part of North Africa ). The term is sometimes used for the purposes of grouping countries in statistics . ___MASK89___ (' ) is the capital and likely the largest city of ___MASK42___ , following the decline in population of Aleppo due to the ongoing battle for the city . It is commonly known in ___MASK42___ as " ash - Sham " (') and nicknamed as the " City of Jasmine " (""). In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world , ___MASK89___ is a major cultural and religious centre of the Levant . The city has an estimated population of 1 , 711 , 000 . ___MASK42___ , officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic (""), is a country in Western ___MASK15___ , bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west , Turkey to the north , Iraq to the east , Jordan to the south , and Israel to the southwest . ___MASK42___ ' s capital and largest city is Damascus .