Anisa Makhlouf

Anisa (or Aniseh) Makhlouf (, 5 November 1930 – 6 February 2016) was the matriarch of the Syrian Al-Assad family, which has ruled the country since 1971. The wife of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, Makhlouf held the position of First Lady of Syria from 1971 until 2000. Her son Bashar al-Assad has been the President of Syria since 2000.