Age, Biography and Wiki
Ahmed al-Sharaa was born on October 29, 1982, which makes him 42 years old as of 2025. Prior to becoming the President of Syria, he was better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, and was the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate. His rise to prominence began after leading a successful rebellion against the Assad regime in December 2024.
| Occupation | Politician |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 29 October 1982 |
| Age | 42 Years |
| Birth Place | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Horoscope | Scorpio |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is limited public information available regarding Ahmed al-Sharaa's physical attributes, such as height and weight. His focus has been largely on political and military endeavors rather than publicizing personal details.
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship status
Information about Ahmed al-Sharaa's personal relationships or marital status is not widely available. His profile is primarily known for his political and military roles.
His father, Hussein al-Sharaa, worked there as an oil engineer at the Ministry of Petroleum, and his mother was a geography teacher. The family returned to Syria in 1989, settling in the affluent Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus, where his father opened a real estate office. Whilst living in an apartment block in the Mezzeh neighbourhood in the west of the city, al-Sharaa worked part-time as a child in a grocery store owned by his father. He frequented the Shafi'i mosque in his neighbourhood, and at the age of seventeen, he became religious.
He said that, while he largely disagreed with his father ideologically, they both shared a commitment to defending the Palestinians. Besides the story of his grandfather's and his family's displacement from the Golan Heights, al-Sharaa said that the Second Intifada in 2000 had an impact on his life choices. According to an interview with Frontline in 2021, al-Sharaa stated he was radicalized by the Palestinian Second Intifada in "the early 2000s." He said: "I started thinking about how I could fulfil my duties, defending a people who are oppressed by occupiers and invaders." Asked many years later about his reaction to the 2001 9/11 attacks, al-Sharaa stated that "anyone who lived in the Islamic or Arab world at the time who tells you he wasn't happy about it would be lying", but added that he understood "regret" about the killing of innocent people.
On 12 December 2024, al-Sharaa met with Turkish officials, which marked the first diplomatic delegation since Assad's overthrow. On 14 December, al-Sharaa stressed in his statements after the fall of the Assad regime that the next phase will be an opportunity to serve the Syrians and build the future. He explained that there is no justification for any foreign intervention after the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria, considering that the "Iranian project" was harmful, and that the victory in Syria is a victory over this project. He also stressed that what happened in Syria was not a coincidence, but rather the result of long preparations. Regarding relations with Russia, he stated that the Russians began to feel frustrated with the Assad regime, and that the new leadership in Syria gave Russia an opportunity to build a new relationship. Regarding the Syrian leadership, he pointed out the need to move away from the mentality of revolution and move towards a state of law and institutions. Al-Sharaa stated to Al Jazeera Arabic that the choices of governance will be discussed among a group of experts; then, public elections would be held to make the final choice.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, Ahmed al-Sharaa has made several statements regarding Iran's involvement in Syria. For many years, Syria and Iran maintained a strategic alliance, with Damascus serving as a key component of the so-called 'Axis of Resistance'. However, with the regime's collapse, this relationship is being reassessed. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat published on 20 December 2024, al-Sharaa asserted that under Bashar al-Assad, Syria had become a platform for Iran to exert influence over major Arab capitals, expand conflicts, and destabilize Gulf nations through activities such as drug trafficking, including the distribution of Captagon. He described Iran's regional ambitions as detrimental and framed the developments in Syria as a setback for Iran's influence in the region. "What we have done and achieved with the least possible damage and losses," he stated, adding that "the Iranian project in the region has been set back 40 years." In February 2025, al-Sharaa condemned Iran and its Axis of Resistance as a "strategic threat to the entire region" and a source of "instability."
Little is known about al-Sharaa's personal life, which he is careful not to share with the media. In 2012, Time reported that in one of the meetings of prominent armed groups attended by the leaders of Ahrar al-Sham, Suqour al-Sham, Liwa al-Islam, and other brigades, al-Sharaa wore a mask, refusing to reveal his identity, and was introduced to the attendees by the Front's emirs in Aleppo and Idlib. On 29 January 2025, during a meeting with a delegation of Syrian women residing in the United States, al-Sharaa introduced his wife, Latifa al-Droubi, dismissing social media rumors about having multiple spouses. The couple has three children. In addition, al-Sharaa plays basketball.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Latifa al-Droubi |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
As a president, Ahmed al-Sharaa's net worth is not explicitly disclosed. However, his income is likely derived from his role as President of Syria. The lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria under Trump's administration has provided a significant economic boost to the country, which could indirectly affect al-Sharaa's financial situation.
Turkey, which had previously helped stabilize the province by connecting it to its electricity grid and allowing building materials to enter freely, had grown concerned about al-Sharaa's expanding influence. In response, it reduced trade through its border crossings with Idlib, affecting HTS's revenue. Reports indicated that al-Sharaa had twice attempted to take over other Turkish-administered areas in northern Syria.
Career, Business and Investments
Al-Sharaa's career has been marked by his leadership in the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). His political rise began after leading the successful overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. He has been working to stabilize Syria, establish diplomatic relations, and normalize ties with neighboring countries, including Israel.
As President, al-Sharaa has been involved in efforts to rebuild Syria's economy and infrastructure. However, specific details about his personal business investments or ventures are not available.
Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to a Syrian Sunni Muslim family from the Golan Heights, he grew up in Syria's capital, Damascus. Al-Sharaa joined al-Qaeda in Iraq shortly before the 2003 invasion of Iraq and fought for three years in the Iraqi insurgency. American forces captured and imprisoned him from 2006 to 2011. His release coincided with the Syrian Revolution against the Ba'athist dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad. Al-Sharaa created the al-Nusra Front in 2012 with the support of al-Qaeda to fight the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war. As emir of the al-Nusra Front, al-Sharaa built a stronghold in the northwestern Idlib Governorate. He resisted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's attempts to merge al-Nusra Front with the Islamic State, leading to war between the two groups. In 2016, al-Sharaa cut al-Nusra's ties with al-Qaeda. Since breaking with al-Qaeda, he has sought international legitimacy by presenting a more moderate view of himself, renouncing transnational jihadism against Western nations, and focusing on governance in Syria while vowing to protect Syria's minorities.
Al-Sharaa traveled from Damascus to Baghdad by bus just weeks before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. In 2003, al-Sharaa was detained and questioned by the Syrian Military Intelligence Directorate for his illegal departure from Syria to Iraq, but he was released after denying any affiliation to any political parties or extremist groups. Once in Iraq, al-Sharaa quickly rose through the ranks of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). The Times of Israel newspaper claimed in 2013 that al-Sharaa was a close associate of AQI leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In his 2021 interview with Frontline, al-Sharaa denied ever meeting al-Zarqawi and asserted that he served only as a regular foot-soldier under al-Qaeda against American occupation. The Economist reported in 2025 that Iraqi intelligence believed al-Sharaa was Zarqawi's deputy in 2004.
Upon his release from prison coinciding with the Syrian Revolution, al-Sharaa was tasked in August 2011 by Ayman al-Zawahiri and al-Qaeda's central command to establish al-Qaeda's mission in Syria. Al-Shara'a crossed into Syria with significant funding and a mandate to establish al-Qaeda's presence. Alongside senior operatives from al-Qaeda's central command, he formed "Jabhat al-Nusra", also known as the Al-Nusra Front, which was envisioned by al-Zawahiri as a broad coalition of Islamist militant groups led by al-Shara'a in Syria, with direct allegiance to al-Qaeda's central command. During this time, al-Sharaa went under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, which is sometimes transliterated as Joulani, Jolani, and Golani. According to one source, his "al-Julani" nisba referred to the al-Julani neighborhood of Fallujah in Iraq where he had distinguished himself.
Despite tensions with then al-Qaeda-allied leadership of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), who were content with his departure, al-Sharaa proceeded to orchestrate an agreement with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to expand al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, Jabhat al-Nusra. The group maintained this alliance with ISI the until 2013, with an arrangement between al-Sharaa and al-Baghdadi to resolve disputes through mediation by al-Qaeda Emir Ayman al-Zawahiri. Over time, al-Sharaa began distancing himself from transnational jihadist ideology, increasingly framing his faction within the context of a nationalist Syrian struggle. ISI initially provided al-Sharaa with fighters, weapons, and funding to establish the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. Al-Sharaa implemented these plans alongside ISI leaders after his release from prison.
On 24 December, al-Sharaa announced the dissolution and merger of multiple rebel factions, including the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, into the interim government's Ministry of Defense. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces were excluded from this consolidation due to ongoing conflicts with Turkish-backed rebels in northeastern Syria. The reorganization coincided with al-Sharaa's efforts to establish new state institutions, including law enforcement and security forces, amid reports of revenge killings and highway banditry. The administration established processing centers for former regime soldiers and initiated police force recruitment. In an interview with al-Arabiya on 29 December, al-Sharaa said that he expected the process of writing a new constitution of Syria to take two or three years, with elections expected after four years. On the same day, al-Sharaa announced the promotion of 42 individuals to the rank of Colonel and five to the rank of Brigadier general in the Syrian Army. Additionally, Minister of Defence Murhaf Abu Qasra and Chief of the General Staff of the Syrian Armed Forces Ali Noureddine al-Naasan, were both promoted to the rank of Major general.
In an interview with Al Arabiya, al-Sharaa spoke about his ambitions for Syria's economic development. Al-Sharaa said that Syria needs 'experts who know the country's assets and try to benefit from all the experiences of the world, so as to come up with something that suits the nature of the society.' He said that after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, there are 'major investment and economic opportunities', and that Saudi Arabia has a very large role in Syria's economic development. He also pointed to a major investment opportunity for all neighbouring countries that can implement joint economic projects with the new Syrian regime. Regarding the sanctions imposed on Syria, al-Sharaa said he had hoped the incoming U.S. administration, led by then President-elect Donald Trump, would lift them. He said one of his top priorities is to rebuild the economy by issuing a new currency after the value of the current currency is stabilised.
Social Network
Ahmed al-Sharaa's presence on social media is not as prominent as that of many other public figures. His focus has been more on diplomatic and political engagements rather than maintaining a personal social media profile.
Al-Sharaa was Syria's de facto leader of the post-revolutionary caretaker government from 8 December 2024 until 29 January 2025, when he was appointed president of Syria at the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference held in the presidential palace. As president, al-Sharaa made several official visits to other countries and signed an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces to integrate their military and civil institutions into the Syrian state. He also witnessed an ongoing Assad loyalist insurgency in western Syria and a series of massacres targeting Syrian Alawites. He signed an interim constitution establishing a five-year transition period and announced the formation of a transitional government. In 2025, Time magazine listed him as one of the world's 100 most influential people.
In late May 2015, al-Sharaa was interviewed by Ahmed Mansour on Qatari news broadcaster Al Jazeera, hiding his face. He described the Geneva peace conference as a farce and claimed that the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition did not represent the Syrian people and had no ground presence in Syria. Al-Sharaa mentioned that al-Nusra have no plans for attacking Western targets, and that their priority is focused on fighting the al-Assad Syrian government, Hezbollah, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Al-Sharaa told Al Jazeera America in 2015, "Nusra Front doesn't have any plans or directives to target the West. We received clear orders from Ayman al-Zawahiri not to use Syria as a launching pad to attack the U.S. or Europe in order to not sabotage the true mission against the regime. Maybe Al-Qaeda does that but not here in Syria. Assad forces are fighting us on one end, Hezbollah on another and ISIL on a third front. It is all about their mutual interests". When asked about Nusra's plans for post-war Syria, al-Sharaa initially stated that all factions in the country will be consulted before anyone thinks about "establishing an Islamic state," referring to Baghdadi. He also stated that Nusra would not target the country's Alawite minority despite its support for the Assad regime. He continued: "Our war is not a matter of revenge against the Alawites despite the fact that in Islam, they are considered to be heretics", he added. A commentary on this interview however states that al-Sharaa also added that Alawites would be left alone as long as they abandon elements of their faith which contradict Islam.
On 1 December 2024, the Al-Usbu' magazine reported unconfirmed allegations circulating in Arab media and social media that al-Sharaa had been killed in a Russian airstrike, but these allegations were refuted when al-Sharaa visited the Citadel of Aleppo on 4 December 2024, after its capture by his forces earlier that month. During the capture of Aleppo, al-Sharaa instructed his forces not to "scare children" and HTS channels broadcast footage of Christians in the city continuing their normal activities. Archbishop Afram Ma'lui stated that services would not be affected by the change in control. After regime forces were expelled from the city, al-Sharaa declared "diversity is a strength". HTS quickly established administrative bodies to restore basic services, including garbage collection, electricity, and water. The group's General Zakat Commission began distributing emergency bread supplies, while its General Organization for Grain Trade and Processing provided fuel to local bakeries. The Ministry of Development and Humanitarian Affairs reported delivering 65,000 loaves of bread under a campaign called "Together We Return". On 6 December, in a face-to-face interview with CNN, al-Sharaa declared that the offensive's goal was to remove Assad from power. Using his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, he explicitly pledged to protect minority groups, and outlined plans for establishing a government grounded in institutions and a "council chosen by the people". According to Dareen Khalifa of the International Crisis Group, al-Sharaa has considered dissolving HTS to strengthen civilian and military governance structures. He also expressed his intention to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homes.
On 8 December 2024, then-Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali announced that the Syrian government would hand over power to a new elected government following the departure of Assad from Damascus, and al-Sharaa announced further that al-Jalali will "supervise state institutions until they are handed over". Al-Jalali later noted to Al Arabiya that he and al-Sharaa had been in contact prior to the announcement to discuss the handover. Al-Jalali announced in a social media video that he planned to stay in Damascus and cooperate with the Syrian people while expressing hope that Syria could become "a normal country" and begin to engage in diplomacy with other nations. On the same day, al-Sharaa delivered a speech at Damascus's Umayyad Mosque, calling the fall of Assad's regime "a new chapter in the history of the region" and condemning Syria's role as "a playground for Iranian ambitions", characterized by sectarianism and corruption. In his victory speech following the fall of Damascus, he condemned Iran as a source of sectarianism and corruption, and framed the triumph as a turning point for the region.
On 30 January 2025, a day after appointing al-Sharaa as president, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani became the first head of state to visit Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime, discussing post-conflict reconstruction in Syria and other topics. and on 8 February, a delegation from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, led by Director-General Fernando Arias, visited Damascus to meet with al-Sharaa for the first time since Assad's overthrow.
Education
There is limited information available about Ahmed al-Sharaa's educational background. His rise to prominence has been more through his political and military activities rather than academic achievements.
In summary, while Ahmed al-Sharaa's personal life and financial details are not well-documented, his political career and influence in Syria are increasingly significant. His leadership role and the economic changes in Syria may impact his net worth and public stature in the future.
He enrolled at Damascus University, studying media studies and enrolling in the Faculty of Medicine for two years. Whilst being a university student, he travelled from Damascus to Aleppo on Fridays to attend the sermons of Mahmoud Gul Aghasi (Abu al-Qaqaa) there. After studying for two years, he moved to Iraq in 2003.
Under al-Sharaa's administration, Idlib had experienced significant development, becoming Syria's fastest-growing region despite being historically its poorest province. The area featured new luxury shopping malls, housing estates, and round-the-clock electricity supply surpassing that of Damascus. Educational facilities included a university with 18,000 segregated students. However, his administration faced criticism for its taxation policies, including customs taxes on goods from Turkey and checkpoint fees on smuggled goods, as well as the economic impact of the Turkish lira's depreciation, which was the main currency in the region.
During this period United States rescinded a seven-year old $10 million reward offer for information leading to al-Sharaa's capture after he met with a U.S. delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara A. Leaf. This was the first formal US diplomatic presence in Syria in over 10 years. Leaf stated that the meeting was "productive", and later said she "found him to be a very methodical thinker with a strong degree of pragmatism".
On 12 February, al-Sharaa held a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, in what was the latter's first contact with a Syrian head of state since Assad's overthrow. On the same day, al-Sharaa met with representatives of the Syrian National Coalition and the Syrian Negotiation Commission, including their respective presidents, Hadi al-Bahra and Bader Jamous, and it was announced that both organizations would dissolve within the new authorities. On 17 February, al-Sharaa made his first official trip to the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, which were former strongholds of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad, and on 21 February, he met with China's ambassador to Damascus, Shi Hongwei, which marked the first official interaction between the two nations since Assad's overthrow. On 23 February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded the complete demilitarization of southern Syria in the provinces of Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda, and the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Syrian territory south of Damascus. Al-Sharaa rejected Netanyahu's demands. Hours later, Israel conducted a wave of airstrikes in Damascus and southern Syria. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz characterized al-Sharaa as "a jihadist terrorist from the Al-Qaeda school, committing atrocities against the Alawite civilian population."
By 6 March 2025, clashes broke out in Western Syria between Assad loyalists and the Syrian caretaker government forces. It was the worst violence since rebels toppled Assad regime. In a speech addressing Syrian people on 8 March, al-Sharaa stated: "Some remnants of the fallen regime attempted to test the new Syria they do not understand. Today, they see it as united, from east to west, from north to south, ...". Condemning the attacks against police forces, hospitals and civilians by Assadist insurgents, al-Sharaa said: "You attacked all Syrians and made an unforgivable mistake. The riposte has come, and you have not been able to withstand it." He demanded that they surrender their arms "before it's too late." He stated that he would "continue to work towards monopolizing weapons in the hands of the state, and there will be no more unregulated weapons." Al-Sharaa urged pro-government fighters to "avoid any abuses" after reports emerged of massacres of Alawite civilians in Latakia. On 9 March, al-Sharaa announced the formation of an independent national committee comprising seven judges to investigate the events and violations in the Syrian coastal areas, emphasizing that the committee must submit its findings to the president within 30 days. He described the coastal violence as part of the "expected challenges." On 10 March, al-Sharaa condemned the recent mass killings of Alawite Muslims, emphasizing that such violence threatens national unity. He pledged to hold all perpetrators accountable, including those within his own ranks, stating, "We won't accept that any blood be shed unjustly, or goes without punishment or accountability, even among those closest to us." al-Sharaa attributed the initial violence to pro-Assad groups backed by foreign entities but acknowledged subsequent revenge attacks. He reiterated his commitment to uphold the rule of law and prevent the nation from descending into sectarian conflict.
* Zelin, Aaron Y. (2022). The Age of Political Jihadism: A Study of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (PDF). The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. ISBN 9798985447446.
