Syria.
قصص مصورة
Syria
1929
قصص مصورة
Syrian comics grew out of satirical cartooning: Habib Kahaleh's weekly Al-Mudhik al-Mubki, published from 1929 to 1966, made caricature a fixture of the Damascus press.
In 1969 the Ministry of Culture launched the children's magazine Usama, where Mumtaz al-Bahra drew the picture serials that shaped Syrian comics for children. Ali Farzat carried the political tradition into his satirical paper Al-Domari in 2001, and the war after 2011 pushed artists into exile, producing graphic novels such as Hamid Sulaiman's Freedom Hospital.
12
6
1929
1920s
Artists from Syria in the archive.
Comics from Syria in the archive.
Al-Mudhik al-Mubki, the earliest comic from Syria in the archive.
The decade when the most new comics from Syria began.
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Syria in 4 chapters
A short history you can leaf through. Click a page, use the arrow keys, or press Turn the page to read on.
Syria.
قصص مصورة
4 chapters
Chapter 1
1929
to 1966
Al-Mudhik al-Mubki and the satirical press
1929
to 1966
Chapter 01
Al-Mudhik al-Mubki and the satirical press
Under French rule Habib Kahaleh launched Al-Mudhik al-Mubki, a weekly political magazine that gave whole pages to caricature, with covers by the pioneer Tawfiq Tariq. It was suspended several times, stopped in 1956 and returned in 1962.
1955
to 1980
Chapter 02
Press caricature and Usama
Mumtaz al-Bahra began drawing press cartoons in 1955 and co-founded the half-monthly children's magazine Usama, first issued on 1 February 1969, where he created characters such as Usama and Shantir. Ali Farzat started drawing for the daily al-Thawra in 1969 and later for Tishreen.
1980
to 2003
Chapter 03
Syrian artists across the Arab world
Syrian artists drew for regional children's magazines, such as Fares Qarabet from 1986 and Ahmad Taisir with his series Abu al-Zarfa in Majid. In April 2001 Ali Farzat launched Al-Domari, the first privately owned Syrian paper since 1963, which ran until 2003.
2011
to today
Chapter 04
War and exile
Farzat was beaten by masked gunmen in August 2011, and cartoonist Akram Raslan died in government detention in 2013. Exiled and diaspora artists turned to graphic novels, including Hamid Sulaiman's Freedom Hospital (2016) and Riad Sattouf's The Arab of the Future (2014 to 2022).
The comics to know
- Al-Mudhik al-Mubkiالمضحك المبكي1929 · comics magazineHabib Kahaleh. Weekly satirical cartoon magazine, published until 1966.
- Usamaأسامة1969 · comics magazineMumtaz al-Bahra, Saadallah Wannous and Zakaria Tamer. Children's comics magazine of the Ministry of Culture.
- Abu al-Zarfaأبو الظرفاءcomic book seriesAhmad Taisir. Comic series published in the UAE magazine Majid.
- Al-Domariالدومري2001 · comics magazineAli Farzat. Satirical tabloid, the first private Syrian paper since 1963.
- The Arab of the FutureL'Arabe du futur2014 · comic book seriesRiad Sattouf. Six-volume graphic memoir of a childhood partly spent in Syria.
- Freedom Hospital2016 · graphic novelHamid Sulaiman. Graphic novel about a clandestine hospital in Syria.
The people to know
- Habib Kahalehحبيب كحالة1898 to 1965Founder of Al-Mudhik al-Mubki and of satirical journalism in Syria.
- Mumtaz al-Bahraممتاز البحرة1938 to 2017Founding artist of Usama and creator of its best known characters.
- Ali Farzatعلي فرزاتBorn 1951Syria's most famous political cartoonist; founder of Al-Domari.
- Akram Raslan1974 to 2013Political cartoonist who died in detention in 2013.
- Hamid Sulaimanحميد سليمانBorn 1986Damascus-born artist of the graphic novel Freedom Hospital.
- Riad SattoufBorn 1978French-Syrian author of The Arab of the Future.