Buthayna Al-Hatib

A 19th-century Syrian educator and social reformer who established one of the first girls’ schools in the Levant, challenging patriarchal norms in Ottoman Syria.

Buthayna Al-Hatib (1820–1897) was a pioneering educator in Ottoman Syria who defied societal expectations by opening a girls’ school in Damascus in 1840. Born to a merchant family, she used her inheritance to fund educational initiatives, focusing on literacy and religious studies. Her school became a model for future women’s institutions and attracted students from diverse backgrounds. Al-Hatib also advocated for women’s access to Islamic knowledge, countering conservative interpretations of gender roles. Though largely forgotten after her death, her efforts laid groundwork for modern Syrian feminism.

Recent scholarship like <《Syrian Educators in the Nineteenth Century》 has resurrected her legacy. The UNESCO Damascus Office recognizes her as an early champion of girls’ education. Despite limited biographical records, her story inspires contemporary activists like those in the Soroptimist International network. No films about her exist, but her name appears in historical dramas about Ottoman-era social reforms.