Sharaa family

Genealogy

Hussein al-Sharaa stated that the Sharaa family traces its origins to the village of Jibeen, near Fiq, the capital of the al-Zawiya region, in southern Quneitra Governorate in the Golan Heights, Syria.^[4] According to family tradition, the family traced their ancestry back to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.^[5] According to The New York Times, the family discussed politics at home but had no record of involvement in Islamic extremism.^[6]

In August 2025, Hussein al-Sharaa told SyriaTV that his family traces its roots to Hauran, Palestine, and the Damascus area, descending from noble ancestry and the Hashemites. He added that they have kinship ties with the Ruqaybat clan, which lives along the shores of the Sea of Galilee and also extends across the northern Beni Kenana region.^[7][8] Hussein explained that the name Sharaa originated after one of their grandfathers went to Al-Azhar al-Sharif in Egypt. He said that, upon his return, people came to him to resolve matters of marriage, divorce, and family disputes often saying, “The Sharia has come to you.” As a result, the nickname was eventually given to the family.^[9]

The family is a Sunni Muslim family that emphasizes education and political involvement.^[10][11]

Paternal

Hussein al-Sharaa's grandfather, Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Sharaa (1899–1932), was a key participant in the Zoya Revolution against French rule. His uncle, Talib Abdul Majeed al-Sharaa (1855–1956), was among the most prominent leaders of the Zawiya Revolution.^[23] Both were involved in resistance to French colonialism and were sentenced to death in absentia; however, the sentences were not carried out.^[24][25][26] His father, Ali al-Sharaa, was born in Fiq in the Golan Heights. His father worked in trade and was a landowner who owned much of the area. His family owned about 85% of Fiq's lands, around 600 dunums of agricultural land, belonging to his paternal grandfather.^[26]

Maher al-Sharaa

Maher al-Sharaa was born in 1973 in Damascus, Syria. He is the eldest son of the Syrian economist and writer Hussein al-Sharaa.^[29] He previously used the name "Maher al-Hussein" and kept it secret that he was Ahmed's brother.^[30] The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) stated that al-Sharaa served at Syria's Minister of Health as head of the gynecology department until 2012, when he was arrested and fled the Assad regime.^[31] According to the SSG, he worked between several regional Arab and Western countries and in northern Syria from 2022 to 2023.^[31] Based on information from Russian border authorities, al-Sharaa flew to İzmir, Turkey, in July 2022 and has not returned to Russia since. He later resurfaced in Syria as part of the Syrian caretaker government.^[32]

On 16 December 2024, he was appointed acting Minister of Health in the Syrian caretaker government. According to the Shaam News Network, the appointment was seen as nepotistic, since al-Sharaa is the brother of Syrian de facto leader (and later president) Ahmed al-Sharaa.^[33] On 5 April 2025, the Syrian Presidency appointed al-Sharaa as Secretary-General, succeeding Abdul Rahman Salama, in what was reportedly considered a high-ranking position within the Syrian state.^[34][35]

On 9 May, as part of a partial government shuffle, al-Sharaa was dismissed and replaced by former Homs Governor Abdul Rahman al-Aama as Secretary-General. Al-Aama was appointed through a presidential decree issued by Ahmed al-Sharaa.^[36][37]

Hazem al-Sharaa

Hazem al-Sharaa was born in 1975 to Hussein al-Sharaa, a prominent economist. He studied law at Damascus University and became a registered member of the Damascus Bar Association in February 2007.^[38] He later earned a master's degree in Legal and Economic Sciences from the Egyptian American International University in January 2007, followed by a doctorate in the same field from the same institution in December 2013.^[39] Al-Sharaa had held various positions in relation to management and sales, including positions at PepsiCo in Syria and Iraq.^[39] He was the Vice President of the Supreme Council for Economic Development and the older brother of Ahmed al-Sharaa.^[40][41]

On 27 February 2025, Syrian businessmen reported a meeting between the president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and a group of Syrian investors and business leaders. In their statements, some participants referred to Hazem al-Sharaa as the acting "Director of the Investment Agency" of Syria.^[42] Some reports said he was appointed as acting director of the Syrian Investment Agency, but a later investigation by Reuters in July 2025 showed he holds no official position.^[43][44] The Reuters investigation revealed that Hazem al‑Sharaa was supervising a covert economic committee tasked with restructuring Syria's economy following the fall of Ba'athist regime.^[44]

On 8 May 2026, i24NEWS reported that Hazem resigned from his role as Vice President of the Supreme Council for Economic Development.^[45]

Jamal al-Sharaa

Little is known about Jamal al-Sharaa, except that he once worked in the Information technology education field and moved to Egypt around 2013.^[46] He is the elder brother of Ahmed al-Sharaa.^[47]

The first public appearance of al-Sharaa was on 17 April 2025, when he appeared alongside Minister of Culture Mohammed Yassin Saleh at the guesthouse of Sheikh Farhan al-Marsoumi in Deir ez-Zor Governorate. The visit triggered significant controversy due to al-Marsoumi's reputation as a staunch loyalist to Iranian-backed militias and his alleged involvement in drug trafficking and serious human rights abuses against the local population. Al-Marsoumi was widely regarded as a central figure linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in eastern Syria. He played a major role in recruiting youth into the 47th Regiment, an Iranian-backed unit, and in solidifying Tehran's influence over both the military and social structures in the area. Furthermore, al-Marsoumi has reportedly overseen large-scale arms and narcotics smuggling networks, operating under the protection of the 4th Armoured Division and leveraging close ties with Maher al-Assad.^[48][49]

On 20 April 2025, the Syrian Presidency released a statement addressing the controversy surrounding the gathering at al-Marsoumi's guesthouse. In response to widespread discussion about the presence of government figures at the event, the presidency clarified that Jamal al-Sharaa does not hold any official government position or title and does not enjoy any formal privileges.^[50][51] Notably, the statement made no mention of Saleh, focusing exclusively on clarifying that Jamal al-Sharaa holds no official government position and attended the event in a personal capacity as a private citizen invited by the organizers.^[52]

On 20 August 2025, Reuters reported that Ahmed al-Sharaa rebuked more than 100 loyalists over corruption and for arriving in luxury vehicles, and on 6 October 2025, he shut down a business office owned by his brother, Jamal al-Sharaa, as part of an anti-corruption crackdown.^[53] His brother, Jamal, denied reports that the Syrian leader reprimanded officials over displays of wealth during a meeting in Idlib province, describing the claims as fabrications intended to distort the truth, while Ahmad Mohammad Deeb Tu'meh, Director of Political Affairs in Rural Damascus, also said the report contained false information, adding, "The president did not address any issue related to luxury cars abroad. I attended the entire meeting and did not hear any such remarks."^[54]

Ahmad al-Droubi

Ahmad al-Droubi, the brother-in-law of Ahmed al-Sharaa through his wife, Latifa al-Droubi, was appointed Secretary-General of the Central Bank of Syria.^[55]

Ahmad al-Droubi has ties to jihadist organizations and has had close relations with the Al-Nusra Front.^[55] Al-Droubi suddenly defected from Al-Nusra Front and joined ISIS in 2015.^[55] He was reported to have sent al-Sharaa to Iraq and had assigned al-Droubi to purchase Concourse missiles for $120,000, which was reportedly paid to him directly by al-Sharaa.^[55] He was also alleged to have transferred $120,000 to ISIS.^[55] After ISIS was defeated in Iraq, he returned to Syria, specifically to Raqqa, and later tried to enter areas controlled by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib.^[55] During this attempt, he was said to have expressed regret and requested permission, but his request was denied, and he was asked to return the embezzled funds.^[55]

Tatiana Zakirova

Tatiana Zakirova is a Russian citizen who also holds Syrian citizenship.^[62] In the 2000s, she held stakes in a vehicle inspection firm and in a landscape design company until at least 2020.^[63] She partnered with his sister, Yevgenia Zherebtsova, whose separate firm received up to 45 million rubles (US$526,000) in state landscaping contracts from the city of Voronezh.^[62][63] Tatiana Zakirova comes from a family with an extensive business presence in Russia. She is a Russian businesswoman.^[64][63]

Zakirova is the sister-in-law of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the brother of her husband, Maher al-Sharaa.^[62] The couple has three children: Rashid, Maria, and Kamel.^[62][63]