The hilltop structure dates back to
crusader days. During the
Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, the
French rebuilt it in 1920s and used Mezzeh to house anti-
colonial fighters and political prisoners. However, only in 1949, after the first Syrian
coup d'état, did the prison take on a central importance for Syrian political life, when coup leader
Husni al-Za'im imprisoned his predecessor in Mezzeh only to follow three and half months later when he was himself overthrown. Since then, Syrian leaders deposed in the many coups of the country have almost routinely been sent to Mezzeh prison, and it has held many political prisoners. Mezzeh prison was closed on the orders of
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in September 2000, and about 600 prisoners released. It has reportedly been converted into an institute for historical science. ==See also==