Maryana Marrash

Ottoman

Maryana bint Fathallah bin Nasrallah Marrash, also known as Maryana al-Marrash or Maryana Marrash al-Halabiyah, was a Syrian writer and poet of the Nahda or the Arab Renaissance. She revived the tradition of literary salons in the Arab world and was the first Syrian woman to publish a collection of poetry. She may have been the first woman to write in the Arabic-language daily newspapers.

Connection to Damascus

Part of the broader Syrian Nahda movement centered in Damascus and Aleppo; her work influenced Damascene literary circles.

Known for

First Syrian woman to publish a poetry collection; revived literary salon tradition.

Lifespan

1848 – 1919

Biography

Maryana bint Fathallah bin Nasrallah Marrash, also known as Maryana al-Marrash or Maryana Marrash al-Halabiyah, was a Syrian writer and poet of the Nahda or the Arab Renaissance. She revived the tradition of literary salons in the Arab world and was the first Syrian woman to publish a collection of poetry. She may have been the first woman to write in the Arabic-language daily newspapers.