Background
Many leading family members assumed prominent religious and political positions in Ottoman, French, and Independent Syria. Family traditions and documents tell us that the name al-Atassi had evolved from the word "العطاسي " (from "العطاس," meaning " the sneezer" in Arabic) which later changed to "الأطاسي" then to "الأتاسي" or Atassi. Mispronunciation of the name led to its transformation as the family moved to the non-Arabic speaking Turkey in the 16th century.
The family is of a Hashemite origin, and its members were recognized as "Ashraf", descendants of prophet Muhammad, inheriting the formal address of this class in legal court documents. The ancestors of the family had moved between Yemen, Hejaz and Turkey before eventually establishing his presence in Homs sometime in the 16th century CE.
The Atassi House of Homs has been broken into 15 branches, most still use the name Atassi as the sole surname, with three main exceptions. Al-Sayed Suleiman, Al-Asha and Majaj are three main branches that are now recognized by the additional surnames. Religious authority as Muftis of Homs, along with large land holdings in Homs formed the basis of the family's wealth and influence.
Read more about this topic: Al-Atassi Family
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