317:. A year after his return, he served as Chief Medical Officer for the Hijazi Railway and soon after appointed Director of the Syrian Railways. In 1917 he was elected as Mayor of Damascus during a period of significant and historical world events such as World War I which began in 1914 in addition to the beginning of the Arab Renaissance, which had been expanding and gaining traction since the beginning of the last century. During the period Said served as Mayor, Damascus suffered a great famine lasting many years and as Mayor worked hard to ease the suffering of the people.
487:. In 1925, Said returned to his position as President of the University, and continued his efforts to gain recognition of the Syrian secondary certificate (which was eventually recognised in 1929) as well as the French baccalaureate as a condition of entry to the university. His great ambition was to strengthen and raise the level of the Syrian University, especially in the field of medicine, to compete with the French and American medical institutes in Beirut.
345:(modern-day Damascus University) in 1923 and became its first President. He worked on the qualification of its scientific and administrative staff and opened the way to the establishment of the Institute of Law, becoming the first academic law school department in the Arab world. The University persisted in teaching in Arabic, despite academic and political difficulties, thus making it the first and only university in the world to study science in Arabic.
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338:—one of the most important references of Ophthalmology at the time. In addition to this, he continued to push the teaching team to "arabise" medical terms. Most importantly, Said succeeded in persuading the French occupation authorities not to close the Institute and began to work on its expansion, defying the difficult political, economic and military conditions of the occupation.
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Said died on 28 October 1945 in
Damascus and was buried there. Syria bid farewell to a scientific and patriotic figure, who earned enormous respect for his great achievements including his efforts to establish the Syrian University. Years later the Syrian University placed his name on the main street
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neighborhood, which had been closed due to the circumstances of the war. Faisal accepted their request and ordered the institute to reopen on
January 23, 1919, after its name changed to become the Institute of Arab Medicine. A small committee of prominent doctors was formed, with the aim of Arabizing
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jurist Abd al-Latif Salah to the
Deanship of the Institute of Law, which opened its doors to Syrian students in September 1919, that is, a year after the Ottoman forces had evacuated from Damascus. On the day he assumed the deanship, Said searched for local doctors to fill the gap in the educational
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took office in Syria, Said met with the King in Aleppo and endeavoured to convince him to reopen all scientific institutes closed because of the war. This was agreed and In 1919, he was able to establish the first medical school in
Damascus and the world that teaches in Arabic which in 1920 became
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Born in
Damascus in 1876 to a well off family, Said's primary and secondary education was at Rashidiya Military School in Damascus. He continued his education at the Military Medical School in Istanbul where after graduating in 1902 and was appointed assistant to the Professor of Ophthalmology. He
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Said launched new medical departments at the institute, including a department for the study of nursing and midwifery; with further departments established soon after for pharmacy and dentistry, thus creating the building blocks of an
Academic School in Damascus. He also presented to students and
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He continued his medical practice as an ophthalmologist all his life. After serving as
Minister of Education and as President of Damascus University his ground-breaking reforms caused him to be widely known as "the founder of modern education in Syria".
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After being awarded with a degree and winning a research fellowship as a "Moniteur" Said’s abilities were regarded as so exceptional that
Lapersonne appointed him to be his Principal Assistant in all his eye surgery operations.
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staff, given the travel of all
Turkish doctors, so Dr. Mustafa Shawqi (who later became the dean of the Faculty of Medicine) came and appointed him as a teacher of
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against the
Ottomans. The prince met with a delegation of Syrian doctors, who asked him to reopen the Ottoman Medical Institute in the
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course was assigned to Murshid Khatir. As for Dr. Sami as-Satti (who also became the dean of the faculty after years), he taught
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In 1924, Said took over the Ministry of Education in the first Syrian government, formed under the French mandate by President
534:, the Majidi Medal, the Ottoman War Medal, the Iron Crown Medal from the Government of Austria, the Paris Medal in the French
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was then promoted to Head of Medical Ward in 1908 with the rank of Agassi, or "Major" in the army of the Ottoman Empire.
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and the Commandor Medal, the Egyptian Medal of Knowledge, the Red Cross Medal and the Syrian Order of Excellence.
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He returned to Damascus in 1913, and started practicing as an ophthalmologist, which at that time was called a
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eye surgeon and ophthalmologist and the leading educational reformer of Syria in the early 20th century. After
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and the withdrawal of the Ottoman forces from Damascus, an Arab government was formed headed by Prince
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During his life and career, he was awarded many honours and medals including the Ottoman
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282:(modern-day Damascus University) in 1923, becoming its first President.
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known as the Arab Medical Institute to which he was elected dean.
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Riḍā Saʻīd: muʼassis al-Ǧāmiʻa as-Sūrīya raǧul li-kull al-aqdār
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adjacent to Damascus University in the centre of the capital.
431:, and he assigned his friend Dr. Ahmad Munif al-Aidi to teach
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His son is the international businessman and philanthropist
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Minister of Education and President of the Syrian University
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in Paris where he studied for his degree under Professor
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In 1936, Said requested from the first president of the
614:. Beirut: Riad Najeeb Al-Rayes House. pp. 159–160.
599:. Beirut: Riad Najeeb Al-Rayes House. pp. 159–160.
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specialists a translation from a French book entitled
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Arabization of the Institute of Medicine in Damascus
418:of the Institute of Arab Medicine and assigned the
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
447:, and Dr. Ibrahim as-Satti became a specialist in
522:Rida Said Conference Centre was named after him.
306:who was head of the Department of Ophthalmology.
402:, one of the prominent Damascene doctors in the
382:. Said chaired this committee, which included
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633:(in Arabic). Ǧadāwil li-n-Našr wa-'t-Tauziʻ.
577:Syrian Order of Merit, of the excellent class
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483:but he resigned after the beginning of the
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
553:Iron Crown Medal from the Government of
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374:curricula and converting them from the
336:Research in Ophthalmology for Trainees
206:Chief physician of the Syrian Railways
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47:adding citations to reliable sources
648:الجامعية, مدينة الشهيد باسل الأسد.
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410:Dean of the Arab Medical Institute
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612:The Forgotten History of Damascus
597:The Forgotten History of Damascus
341:He succeeded in establishing the
258:; 1876 – 28 October 1945), was a
329:Contribution to Syrian education
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34:needs additional citations for
610:Marawan Mubayed, Sami (2015).
595:Marawan Mubayed, Sami (2015).
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698:Syrian Ministers of Education
559:Medal of Paris in the French
459:. Dr. Michel Shamandi taught
388:American University of Beirut
298:In 1909, he was sent to the
650:"مركز جامعة دمشق للمؤتمرات"
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229:Plaque in honor of Said at
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654:damascusuniversity.edu.sy
492:Mandatory Syrian Republic
184:Mandatory Syrian Republic
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16:Syrian doctor (1876–1945)
749:Abd al-Rahman al-Kayyali
568:Egyptian Knowledge Medal
496:Muhammad Ali Bey al-Abid
384:Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar
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830:Syrian ophthalmologists
629:Kabbani, Sabah (2011).
392:Saint Joseph University
543:Ottoman Order of Merit
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359:Faisal bin al-Hussein
353:After the end of the
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825:People from Damascus
779:Abd al-Wahhab Hawmad
518:Memorials and honors
386:, a graduate of the
365:, the leader of the
255:Riḍā Saʻīd al-Aytūnī
237:Rida Said al-Aytouni
43:improve this article
485:Great Syrian Revolt
414:Said was appointed
304:Félix de Lapersonne
278:, Said founded the
268:Arab Medical School
231:Damascus University
547:Medal Majidi, the
266:he reinstated the
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774:Maamun al-Kuzbari
739:Nasuhi al-Bukhari
734:Khalil Mardam Bey
709:Muhammad Kurd Ali
549:Ottoman War Medal
481:Subhi Bey Barakat
465:Pasteur Institute
445:internal medicine
367:Great Arab Revolt
343:Syrian University
280:Syrian University
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245:رضا سعيد الأيتوني
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203:Mayor of Damascus
199:Syrian University
197:President of the
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724:Haqqi al-Azm
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41:Please help
36:verification
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820:1945 deaths
815:1876 births
789:Sami Droubi
526:Decorations
453:dermatology
420:Palestinian
355:World War I
264:World War I
191:Occupations
58:"Rida Said"
809:Categories
659:2022-10-24
582:References
512:Wafic Said
449:gynecology
437:physiology
433:pediatrics
300:Hôtel-Dieu
290:Early life
218:Wafic Said
182:Damascus,
69:newspapers
714:Rida Said
572:Red Cross
467:, taught
457:Chemistry
441:pathology
425:histology
125:Rida Said
371:Baramkeh
322:Faisal I
272:Damascus
214:Children
161:Damascus
132:رضا سعيد
99:May 2021
555:Austria
429:anatomy
152: (
83:scholar
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439:. The
396:Beirut
380:Arabic
320:After
315:kaḥḥāl
260:Syrian
249:ALA-LC
241:Arabic
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502:Death
404:Hijaz
378:into
90:JSTOR
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435:and
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416:Dean
172:Died
154:1876
150:1876
147:Born
62:news
394:in
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