- Source of Wealth: Politics
- Age: 54
- Birth Place: Damascus, Damascus Governorate, Syria
- Height: 6′ 2″ (1.89 m)
- Marital Status: Married (Asma al-Assad)
- Full Name: Bashar Hafez al-Assad
- Nationality: Syrian
- Date of Birth: 11 September 1965
- Ethnicity: Syrian
- Occupation: Politician, President of Syria
- Education: University of Damascus (BS Medicine), Homs Military Academy
- Children: 3 (Karim, Zein, and Hafez)
Bashar started working as an army physician after completing his graduation in medicine from the University of Damascus. After four years of serving the army, he went to the Western Eye Hospital in London for his post-graduate studies in Ophthalmology. In 1994, he was sent to a military academy in the north of Damascus. He eventually rose to the rank of Colonel in 1999. The next year, he became the President of Syria, as his father, the President at that time died. Bashar was re-elected in 2007.
But even before he became the President, Bashar was already serving as the political advisor to the president ‘Hafez-al-Assad’. He held a lot of political power. Though some people praised him, Bashar had a lot of detractors as well. He was criticized for being involved in rampant corruption. He was publically criticized and exposed for neglecting human rights, economic and corrupt scams. Ironically however, the western world and political powers initially saw Bashar as a reformer and somebody they could work with in the Middle East.
Bashar has two brothers – Bassel and Maher, and a sister, Bushra. He married a British citizen, Asma Assad in December 2000. The couple has three children – Hafez, Zein, and Karim.