Faisal I of Iraq
King of Syria
Died when: 50 years 111 days (603 months)Star Sign: Taurus
Faisal I bin Al-Hussein bin Ali Al-Hashemi (Arabic: ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ???????, Faysal el-Evvel bin al-?usayn bin Ali el-Hâsimî; 20 May 1885 – 8 September 1933) was King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria or Greater Syria in 1920, and was King of Iraq from 23 August 1921 until his death.
He was the third son of Hussein bin Ali, the Grand Emir and Sharif of Mecca, who was proclaimed as King of the Arabs in June 1916.
He was a 38th-generation direct descendant of Muhammad, as he belonged to the Hashemite family. Faisal fostered unity between Sunni and Shiite Muslims to encourage common loyalty and promote pan-Arabism in the goal of creating an Arab state that would include Iraq, Syria and the rest of the Fertile Crescent.
While in power, Faisal tried to diversify his administration by including different ethnic and religious groups in offices. However, Faisal's attempt at pan-Arab nationalism possibly contributed to the isolation of certain groups.