The merchant of Syria: a history of survival

The mercantile tradition

An Ottoman inheritance

The patriarchal society

A brief childhood

The French Mandate and the Great Syrian Revolt

Marriage, divorce and remarriage

Syrian independence and the rise of the Ba'ath party

Early business ventures and politics

The Lebanon effect

Expansion into London

The commercial climate under Hafez al-Assad

Emigration to Britain

Bashar al-Assad and the beginnings of economic liberalisation

A Syrian merchant in London

The Syrian revolution and the war economy

Return to Homs and final displacement

The merchant legacy and the future of Syria.