Ahmed Shallal

SHALLAL DR. AHMED SHALLAL 1926 - 2010 Ahmed Shallal came to Washington DC in 1966 as the Representative for The Arab League and lived in the Washington Metropolitan area ever since. He passed away on June 19, 2010. He is survived by his wife, Suad Al-Mudallal; his sons, Yasir and Anas and his daughters, Suhair and May. He also leaves behind 13 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, as well as numerous extended family members. Ahmed Shallal received most of his formal education in Cairo, Egypt. He first attended Cairo University through an academic scholarship in 1947 and later received his PhD in Eastern Literature and Arts in 1955. He wrote the first translation of Rubaiyat Omar Khayyam as his doctoral thesis. He lectured extensively at various universities and conferences and wrote in numerous Arabic publications. He began his career as a lecturer at the University of Baghdad and later became the Acting Dean for the University in 1958. His work took him to many parts of the world representing Iraq in several international conferences, including Moscow and Beijing. He became the Cultural Attaché and head of the Cultural Office for the Iraqi Embassy in Rabat, Morocco in 1959, returning to Iraq to assume the post of Secretary General for the University of Baghdad in 1963. Before coming to the United States of America he was the Under Secretary for the Ministry of Information in Baghdad, Iraq. Ahmed Shallal was an avid chess player and founded the Baghdad Chess Club. He enjoyed playing backgammon and chess and spending time with his children and grandchildren. Services were held on Sunday, June 20, 2010.Services were held on Sunday, June 20, 2010.