General Abdel Mun'im Riyad, Leader of October's Martyrs
Abdel Mun'im Riyad, Symbol of all Martyrs

He is Abdel Mun'im Riyad who died as a martyr on 9 March; 1969 in the frontlines of Al Ma'adia No.6 Battle. He was the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces and his exemplary attitude in the battlefield had a great impact on his soldiers. Thus, the day of his martyrdom well deserved to be a day for all martyrs.

He never witnessed the great crossing of the Suez Canal in the glorious 6th of October battle, 1973. However, other great Egyptian heroes like ar-Rifa'i, Ibrahim Abdel Fattah, Abdu Zeidan and Ahmad Abdel Rahman, followed his pace and offered their lives while defending their homeland thus soothing all Egyptians wounded pride and achieving a landslide victory.

Biography Synopsis

Riyad was born in 1919 and joined the Military School in 1936. He was graduated in 1938 and started his career as 2nd Lieutenant in the Artillery. During World War II, he worked in one of the batteries of the anti-aircraft artillery. In 1944, i.e six years after graduation, he became a Captain and obtained his Master degree in military sciences.

Riyad was a hard worker and liked learning. In the period from 19 September 1945 to 20 February 1946 he studied teaching anti-aircraft artillery in Manorpierre and in the Arts of Artillery School in Britain. During the 1948 war he worked in the Army Operations Department. After July 1952 Revolution; he headed the Anti-Aircraft Artillery School in 1952, where he became the Commander of the First Anti-Aircraft Brigade in 1953 and the Commander of Anti-Aircraft Defense in 1956.

He still yearned for more knowledge. In the period from 9 April 1958 to 31 January 1959 he completed a course in the High Military Academy in the Soviet Union. After he had become Brigadier, he started studying pure mathematics in the Faculty of Science. He was keen to keep pace with the latest in the field of his career to be able to face up to new challenges.


Thanks to his great efforts on both Egyptian and Arab levels, Riyad was decorated many orders of merit in Egypt and other Arab states.

An Honourable End for a Celebrated Leader

Riyad died as a martyr on 9 March 1969, in one of the frontline battles during the war of attrition. The story of his martyrdom unravels rare bravery and strong devotion to duty. On that day he took a helicopter with the Artillery Director and one of his officers to meet the Army Commander at a point between Suez to the south and al-Qantara to the north where fierce battles took place the preceding day. The Isreali forces could discover the meeting and bombarded around the tunnel where the Egyptian leaders were assembling, leading to Riyad's martyrdom.

Riyad's martyrdom was a shock, not only to the Egyptian Army but to all Egyptians; public, intellects and military and political leaderships. As a martyr, he was honoured by the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. He was promoted to the rank of General and was decorated the highest military order: the Military Star of Honour. He was described by one of the poets as Egypt's brave heart. He sacrificed his life for the sake of his homeland.

The Last Scene

Riyad's funeral headed by the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser was a demonstration of the people's love for Egypt, the motherland, paving the way for more devoted martyrs until the dream of the glorious October victory came true.

An Exemplary Leader Who Hailed the Potentials of Soldiers.