The merchant of Syria
Subtitle: a history of survival
By: Diana Darke
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 340
ISBN-13: 9780190874858
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: Merchants; Textile industry; Biography; History
Description: "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."--Jacket flap.
Notes: Map on lining pages.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-320) and index.
Table of contents: title: The mercantile tradition; title: An Ottoman inheritance; title: The patriarchal society; title: A brief childhood; title: The French Mandate and the Great Syrian Revolt; title: Marriage, divorce and remarriage; title: Syrian independence and the rise of the Ba'ath party; title: Early business ventures and politics; title: The Lebanon effect; title: Expansion into London; title: The commercial climate under Hafez al-Assad; title: Emigration to Britain; title: Bashar al-Assad and the beginnings of economic liberalisation; title: A Syrian merchant in London; title: The Syrian revolution and the war economy; title: Return to Homs and final displacement; title: The merchant legacy and the future of Syria.