Khalil Mardam Bek was a Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

n poet and critique who is most notable for composing the lyrics of the Syrian National Anthem

Homat el Diyar

-Text:-External links:* - The website "Damascus Online" features a vocal version of the anthem among its collection of Syrian patriotic songs.* - This website about Syria includes a page with an Instrumental version of "Homat el Diyar".*...

. He was born in Damascus to a well-known family. He is one of the grandsons of the Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 general

General

A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

, statesman

Statesman

A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...

, and Grand Vizier

Grand Vizier

Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...

 Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha

Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha

Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha was an Ottoman general and Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.He had risen to the position of Beylerbey of Damascus and then to that of Fifth Vizier...

. He was chosen as the leader of the Syrian Literature

Literature

Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

 Association, which was founded in 1926 and annulled by the French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. He studied English literature in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

and taught Arabic literature in the National Science College in Syria. Some of his notable works include Al-Diwan (الديوان) and A’imat al-Adab (أئمة الأدب). He was the chairman of the Arab Scientific Assemblage from 1953 until his death in 1959.