Anisa (or Aniseh) Makhlouf (Arabic: أَنِيسَةُ مَخْلُوفٍ‎, romanized: ʾAnīsah Maḵlūf, 1930 – 6 February 2016) was the Syrian matriarch of the Al-Assad family, which has ruled the country since 1971. The wife of the late President Hafez al-Assad, Makhlouf held the position of First Lady of Syria from 1971 until 2000. Her five children include Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria since 2000. Makhlouf was born in Latakia, Syria, to the Makhloufs, an influential family from Bustan al-Basha, Latakia Governorate.