Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa was born in October 1982 in Saudi Arabia, where he spent the first seven years of his life. In a rare photograph of him as a child, found in a dossier compiled by Assad’s intelligence services, Sharaa has the same unsmiling, enigmatic expression he is often seen wearing today.

Sharaa, whose fighters led the offensive that toppled the Assad family dynasty in December, has said he will build an inclusive society in a country with a delicate sectarian and religious mix.

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a temporary constitution that will be in force for a five-year transitional period, three months after his forces led a lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government.

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Syria’s interim president has signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under Islamist rule for five years during a transitional phase

The document enshrines separation of powers and guarantees women's rights, freedom of expression and media freedom.