Hrant Maloyan ( hy, Հրանդ Մալոյեան; 29 November 1896 – 1978), also known as Hrant Bek, was a

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

military serviceman who became the general officer of the Syrian army and was appointed General Command of the Internal Security Forces in Syria.

Life and career

Hrant Maloyan was born in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

on 29 November 1896 to an Armenian Catholic family. From 1905 to 1907, Maloyan received his education in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

at the

San Lazzaro degli Armeni San Lazzaro degli Armeni (, "Saint Lazarus of the Armenians"; called Saint Lazarus Island in English sources; hy, Սուրբ Ղազար, Surb Ghazar) is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon which has been home to the monastery of the Mekhitar ...

. He then attended the

Marist Brothers The Marist Brothers of the Schools, commonly known as simply the Marist Brothers, is an international community of Catholic religious institute of brothers. In 1817, St. Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from France, founded the Marist Brother ...

educational facility and graduated from there in 1912. After studying in a year at a Turkish school, he studied law at the Constantinople's College of Law from 1913 to 1914. He then attended the

Ottoman Military Academy The Turkish Military Academy ( tr, Kara Harp Okulu) is a four-year co-educational military academy and part of the National Defence University. It is located in the center of Ankara, Turkey. Its mission is to develop cadets mentally and ph ...

and graduated from there in 1916. Hrant Maloyan 1

During World War I, Hrant Maloyan was conscripted to the Ottoman army and was sent to the

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boun ...

but was captured by British forces. In 1918, after being freed by the British, Maloyan went to

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

and allied himself with King Faysal I. In 1920, he joined the French army and participated in the

French Armenian Legion The Armenian Legion (french: Légion arménienne) was a volunteer unit that was raised by the Allied Powers to serve in the Middle East Theatre during World War I. Trained and led by French army commanders, the Légion d'Orient (The Eastern Le ...

. Fluent in five languages, Maloyan was assigned as a translator, but was also assigned as a commander to the gendarmerie. Among the battles he participated were the battles of Marash and Amanos. Due to his relative success, Maloyan was appointed as a commissioned officer in 1922. In 1945, he was appointed by president

Shukri al-Quwatli Shukri al-Quwatli ( ar, شكري القوّتلي, Shukrī al-Quwwatlī; 6 May 189130 June 1967) was the first president of post-independence Syria. He began his career as a dissident working towards the independence and unity of the Ottoman Emp ...

as the General Command of the Internal Security Forces in Syria and served this position until 1949. His appointment was heralded by the Syrian press who demonstrated how accommodating Syrian society was towards its diverse population. It is also believed that this is the highest position an Armenian in Syria has ever held. Maloyan would eventually be known to modernize the Syrian police ranks and improve discipline of the task force in the country. The members of the police task force doubled to 9,751 members by the time his post finished in 1949. In 1946,

Salman al-Murshid Sulayman al-Murshid ( ar, سليمان المرشد; 1907 – 16 December 1946) was a Syrian Alawi religious figure, political leader, and the founder of al-Murshidyah religious sect. Early beginnings Sulayman al-Murshid was born as Sulayman Yun ...

, a religious Syrian figure, was organizing a separatist movement. Maloyan had him arrested and ultimately tried and executed in November 1946. During his time at the Head of Internal Security Forces, the

Arab-Israeli war The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...

of 1948 began. Maloyan proclaimed martial law and set curfews. Meanwhile, he then restrained public disorder and prevented riots. Having retired in August 1949, he worked for

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...

in Damascus. He then moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and settled in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where he died in 1978. His funeral was attended by veteran soldiers, politicians, officers, and a large number of fans. Hrant Maloyan has been decorated with medals from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and France.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maloyan, Hrant 1896 births 1978 deaths Military personnel from Istanbul Syrian people of Armenian descent Syrian politicians Syrian Eastern Catholics Ottoman Military Academy alumni Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni San Lazzaro degli Armeni alumni Syrian military personnel Armenian military personnel Armenians from the Ottoman Empire Armenian politicians Expatriates from the Ottoman Empire in Italy

Life and career

See also

References