''Al-'Arus'' ( / , ) was a women's magazine which was one of the earliest feminist publications in the Middle East. It was also the first Arabic women's magazine in Syria. The magazine appeared between 1910 and 1925 with some interruptions. The founder and editor of the magazine was a Syrian woman, Mary Ajami. It was first based in Alexandria, Egypt, and then in Damascus, Syria.

History and profile

''Al-'Arus'' was established by Mary Ajami, a

Syrian Orthodox The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...

, in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

in 1910 as a 32-page women's magazine. Its first issue appeared in December that year. Ajami also edited the magazine which featured articles on history, literature, culture and medicine focusing on the problems of women. Shortly after its start, the magazine moved to

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, the hometown of Ajami. It was expanded, becoming a 40-page monthly magazine which temporarily ceased publication in 1914 when

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

began. The magazine resumed publication in Damascus after the war ended in 1918 and had 60 pages. ''Al-'Arus'' folded in 1925 due to the

Great Syrian Revolt The Great Syrian Revolt (), also known as the Revolt of 1925, was a general uprising across the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria and Greater Lebanon during the period of 1925 to 1927. The leading rebel forces initially comprised figh ...

Contributors

Notable contributors of ''Al-'Arus'' included

Kahlil Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran (January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and Visual arts, visual artist; he was also considered a philosopher, although he himself reject ...

, Mikhail Naimy, Elia Abu Madi, Maruf Al Rusafi and Abbas Mahmoud Al Aqqad.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arus 1910 establishments in Egypt 1925 establishments in Mandatory Syria Defunct Arabic-language magazines Defunct magazines published in Syria Defunct feminist magazines Magazines established in 1910 Magazines disestablished in 1925 Mass media in Alexandria Mass media in Damascus Monthly magazines Women's magazines published in Egypt Women's suffrage in Syria