Born in 1912, to a traditional Damascene family, she was married at the age of 17. She was affected by the
French occupation of Syria (French Mandate, 1919), and educated herself by reading widely from the books in the library of her uncle, Kazem Dagestani, who was also an author. Idlibi began to write and publish stories about the area of Damascus called
Al-Salihiyah in 1954. Her books tell of strong women. She wrote about the Syrian resistance movement, especially regarding the injustice of the aggressor and people who were involved in a struggle for their lives, freedom and the independence of their country (which was already exhausted by rule of
Ottoman Empire). Later she became a lecturer and wrote novels and essays on the social position of women in the Middle East, as well as on the pressure they undergo and the suffering they endure. Idlibi emphasized the theme of women often spending time in their own, non-existent worlds. She had a daughter and two sons. She spent the last decades of her life between Damascus and Paris, where she died in 2007. == Damascus - the Smile of Sadness ==