Dr. Ali Abu Assaf is considered one of the most important archaeologists in Syria. He authored dozens of studies and research papers in Arabic and foreign languages and held various duties and positions, including Director-General of Antiquities and Museums.
Abu Assaf was born in the Sweida Governorate, in the town of Atil, on September 23, 1931. He attended primary school in his hometown, continued his preparatory studies in the city of Sweida, and then left for Damascus to continue his high school education at the National Private School.
Between 1957 and 1959, he was sent on a mission to Berlin, Germany, to study ancient Oriental archaeology, in addition to studying the Aramaic and Hebrew languages at Martin Luther University, where he obtained a master's degree in 1962. He then studied the Ugaritic language at Heidelberg University between 1962 and 1963, and obtained his doctorate from Saarland University in Germany in 1979.
He was appointed head of excavations and assistant director at the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums in 1964, then served as director of buildings at the same directorate between 1980 and 1988, and subsequently served as Director-General of Antiquities and Museums from 1988 until the end of his service in 1993.
Abu Assaf passed away on March 1, 2018, at the age of 87, leaving behind dozens of books and research papers in both Arabic and foreign languages, in addition to having conducted numerous excavation operations during his career.
