Latifa al-Droubi
Latifa al-Droubi | |
|---|---|
| لطيفة الدروبي | |
| First Lady of Syria | |
Current | |
| Assumed role 29 January 2025 | |
| President | Ahmed al-Sharaa |
| Preceded by | Asma al-Assad[a] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Latifa al-Droubi 1984 (age 40–41) Al-Qaryatayn, Homs, Syria |
| Spouse | Ahmed al-Sharaa |
| Children | 3 |
| ^ Role vacant from 8 December 2024 to 29 January 2025. | |
Latifa al-Droubi (Arabic: لَطيْفةُ الدُّروبيِّ; born 1984) is the First Lady of Syria, having assumed the role since 2025 as the wife of Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was appointed president for the transitional period in the country following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.[1][2]
Early and personal life
[edit]Latifa al-Droubi was born in 1984 in Al-Qaryatayn, a rural town in Syria's Homs Governorate.[3] She holds a Master's degree in Arabic language and literature.[4] In Turkish media, it has been claimed that her grandfather, Aladdin al-Droubi, who served as the second Prime Minister of Syria from 26 July until his assassination on 21 August 1920, was also the personal doctor of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II.[5] Her family includes well-known religious figures, such as Sheikh Abdul Ghaffar al-Droubi who was a renowned Quran reciter from Syria who passed away in Jeddah in 2009.[6][7]
Al-Droubi had maintained a private life away from the public eye, despite her husband's media presence. In a meeting with a delegation of Syrian women residing in the United States, Ahmed al-Sharaa introduced her as his wife, dismissing social media rumors about having multiple spouses. He affirmed that she is his only wife.[1] The couple have three children.[8][9][10]
First Lady of Syria
[edit]Reports indicated that she wears the traditional Syrian attire for hijabi women and does not wear niqab, contrary to previous speculation.[11] Those reports were confirmed on 3 February 2025, as social media platforms circulated footage of her performing the Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca alongside her husband during his first official visit to Saudi Arabia.[12][13] On 4 February, Emine Erdoğan posted a photo with al-Droubi as she had arrived in Turkey alongside her husband as part of a state visit.[14]
On 31 March, she appeared alongside her husband at the Presidential Palace in Damascus in celebration of Eid al-Fitr to congratulate the children of martyrs.[15]
On 11 April, she appeared alongside her husband while attending the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, in its fourth edition. She met with Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan and discussed potential areas of joint work concerning women and children in Syria. Following the meeting, al-Droubi signed the Global Goodwill Declaration of the "Zero Waste Project".[16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "وحدة ما فيه غيرها.. "لطيفة" زوجة الشرع وحياته تشغل التواصل" [Only One Wife.. "Latifa", Al-Sharaa's Wife and His Life Spark Social Media Buzz]. Al Arabiya (in Arabic). 31 January 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ Sally Shakkour (4 February 2025). "Who is Latifa, wife of Ahmed al-Sharaa?". Al-Bawaba. Archived from the original on 5 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ "Latifa Al-Droubi: The Secretive First Lady of Syria Who Just Shocked the World with Her Royal Appearances!". News of Kashmir. 7 February 2025. Archived from the original on 12 February 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ "Who is Latifa al-Daroubi, wife of Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa?". The New Arab. 4 February 2025. Archived from the original on 8 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ "Ahmed Şara'nın eşinin dedesi Abdülhamid'in doktoru çıktı!" [Ahmed al-Sharaa's wife's grandfather turned out to be Abdulhamid's doctor!]. Sözcü (in Turkish). 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ Carroll, Rosaleen (4 February 2025). "Sharaa's wife, Latifa Droubi, makes first appearance outside Syria: What we know". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 9 February 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ^ "لطیفہ الدروبی: 'معروف مذہبی خاندان' سے تعلق رکھنے والی شام کی خاتونِ اول" [Latifa al-Droubi: The First Lady of Syria from a 'Well-Known Religious Family']. BBC Urdu (in Urdu). 7 February 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ^ "القصة الكاملة لسيدة سوريا الأولى.. لطيفة الدروبي تجذب الأنظار إليها بمكة.. وصفها أحمد الشرع بزوجته الوحيدة التي يحبها كثيرًا.. أنجبت 3 أبناء.. وولدت في حمص لأسرة عريقة" [The full story of the first lady of Syria.. Latifa al-Droubi attracts attention to her in Mecca.. Ahmed al-Sharaa described her as his only wife whom he loves very much.. She gave birth to 3 children.. and was born in Homs to a prominent family]. Veto (in Arabic). 4 February 2025. Archived from the original on 12 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ "من هي لطيفة الشرع؟ زوجة قائد الإدارة السورية الجديدة تخطف الأنظار في أول ظهور لها" [Who is Latifa al-Sharaa? The wife of the leader of the new Syrian administration steals the spotlight in her first appearance]. WatanSerb (in Arabic). 30 January 2025. Archived from the original on 31 January 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Alastair; Stewart, Rory (10 February 2025). "New President of Syria: Ahmed al-Sharaa". Leading (Podcast). Gallagher Podcasts. Event occurs at 20:02. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ^ "زوجة أحمد الشرع من تكون؟ جدل واسع على مواقع التواصل" [Who is Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Wife? Widespread Debate on Social Media]. Al-Arab (in Arabic). 31 January 2025. Archived from the original on 15 February 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ "Watch: The First Public Appearance of Ahmad al-Sharaa's Wife". MTV Lebanon. Archived from the original on 15 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ "Video reveals first public appearance of Latifa al-Daroubi, wife of Syrias Ahmed al-Sharaa". LBCIV7. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ "First image emerges of Ahmed Al-Sharaa's wife in Turkey". The New Arab. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ^ "President al-Sharaa and his wife congratulate the children of martyrs on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr". Syrian Arab News Agency. 31 March 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "أمينة أردوغان تلتقي بعقيلة الرئيس السوري" [Emine Erdoğan meets with the wife of the Syrian president]. Anadolu Agency (in Arabic). 11 April 2025. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.