Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad

Hafez al-Assad, the 18th president of Syria, died from a heart attack on 10 June 2000 at the age of 69. His funeral was held three days later in Damascus, and he was buried in a mausoleum in his hometown Qardaha in Latakia Governorate, beside his eldest son Bassel al-Assad who died in 1994.

He was succeeded by vice president Abdul Halim Khaddam in a caretaker capacity until presidential elections were held. Several national leaders paid tribute as the leader's body lay in state in the People's Palace.

Following Assad's death, 40 days of mourning was declared in Syria and 7 days in Lebanon. Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Libya, Iran, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Kuwait and Qatar announced three days of national mourning. His funeral was held three days later.

Illness and death
President Al-Assad's health began to deteriorate in late 1983 due to his diabetes and varicose veins. He was taken to Al-Shami Hospital in Damascus and placed under intensive care. Then he transferred his powers during his absence to a committee consisting of five members from his close circle.

Dignitaries

 * States
 * 🇩🇿 Algeria President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
 * 🇧🇭 Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa
 * 🇨🇳 China President Jiang Zemin
 * 🇪🇬 Egypt President Hosni Mubarak
 * 🇪🇬 Egypt Minister of Foreign Affairs Amr Moussa
 * 🇫🇷 France President Jacques Chirac
 * 🇮🇷 Iran President Mohammad Khatami
 * 🇮🇶 Iraq Vice President Taha Muhie-eldin Marouf
 * 🇯🇵 Japan Minister of Foreign Affairs Yōhei Kōno
 * 🇯🇴 Jordan King Abdullah II
 * 🇱🇧 Lebanon President Emile Lahoud
 * 🇱🇧 Lebanon Prime Minister Selim Hoss
 * 🇱🇧 Lebanon Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri
 * 🇰🇼 Kuwait Emir Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
 * 🇲🇦 Morocco Speaker of Parliament Abdelwahed Radi
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs Jozias van Aartsen
 * Palestinian Authority Chairman Yassir Arafat
 * 🇶🇦 Qatar Prime Minister Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani
 * 🇷🇺 Russia Chairman of the State Duma Gennadiy Seleznyov
 * 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Abdullah
 * 🇸🇩 Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir
 * 🇹🇷 Turkey President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
 * UK Foreign secretary Robin Cook
 * Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
 * 🇺🇸 US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
 * 🇾🇪 Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh


 * Organizations
 * 🇪🇺 President of the European Commission Romano Prodi
 * Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah

Burial
He was buried in a mausoleum in his hometown Qardaha in Latakia Governorate, beside his eldest son Bassel al-Assad who died in 1994.