Fans and artists gathered at a Damascus hospital on Friday to pay their respects to veteran actress Huda Shaarawi, who was found dead in her home after being attacked.
Shaarawi's funeral procession, which began at the hospital, was broadcast live by the Syrian Artist’s Syndicate, which Shaarawi helped to found. Her death was announced on Thursday by state media, which said she was 88.
Born in 1938, Shaarawi was considered one of the pillars of Syrian drama and cinema. She began her acting career in the 1960s in film before moving into television dramas in the 1970s, and was twice named best artist by the Syrian Artists Association.
More recently she was best known for playing the outspoken, gun-toting character Um Zaki in the popular Syrian television series Bab Al Hara.
Shaarawi’s house maid was arrested on Thursday after she confessed to carrying out the attack and fleeing the scene, authorities said.
Investigators tracked her movements before making the arrest, Brig Gen Osama Atika, head of General Security Forces in Damascus, told Syrian state television. He said Shaarawi had been attacked with a blunt object.
Shaarawi’s grandson discovered her body after smelling something burning in her home, relatives said
“He found her lying in her bed, on her side, in a pool of blood,” Shaarawi’s son-in-law told media outlets on Thursday evening.
Damascus residents say rising crime – particularly armed robbery – is a growing challenge for the government that took over after fall of president Bashar Al Assad in December 2024. No official crime statistics are available.
A video that circulated widely on social media following Shaarawi’s death shows her some time earlier sitting in a car with a woman believed to be her maid. In the video, Shaarawi jokes: “One of these days, if she’s hungry, she’ll eat me.”
