The Merchant of Syria A History of Survival [Hardcover]

Barely literate, and supporting his mother and sisters from the age of ten, Abu Chaker built up a business empire--despite twice losing everything he had. Diana Darke follows his tumultuous journey, from instability in Syria and civil war in Lebanon, to his arrival in England in the 1970s,where he rescued a failing Yorkshire textile mill, Hield Bros, and transformed it into a global brand.

The Merchant of Syria tells two parallel stories: the life of a cloth merchant and his resilience, and the rich history of a nation built on trade. Over millennia Syria has seen great conflict and turmoil, but like the remarkable story of Abu Chaker, it continues to survive.

Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 The Mercantile Tradition
Chapter 2 An Ottoman Inheritance
Chapter 3 The Patriarchal Society
Chapter 4 Childhood and Patriarchal Privilege
Chapter 5 The French Mandate and the Great Syrian Revolt
Chapter 6 Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage
Chapter 7 Syrian Independence and the Rise of the Ba'ath Party
Chapter 8 Early Business Ventures Thwarted by Politics
Chapter 9 The Lebanon Effect
Chapter 10 Expansion into Lebanon
Chapter 11 The Commercial Climate under Hafez al-Assad
Chapter 12 An Economic Migrant comes to Bradford
Chapter 13 Bashar al-Assad and the Beginnings of Economic Liberalisation
Chapter 14 Life in London as a Syrian Millionaire
Chapter 15 The Syrian Revolution and the War Economy
Chapter 16 Return to Homs and Final Displacement
Chapter 17 The Merchant Legacy and the Future of Syria

Darke presents a richly detailed work that contextualizes Syria's long history as a 'melting pot of civilizations' while giving an intimate view of one Syrian's extraordinary life...[she] does a magnificent job of taking what could otherwise be a dispiriting tal3%