Muhammed Faris, who was the first cosmonaut from Syria and second Arab to fly into space, has died at the age of 72.
Faris' death on Friday (April 19) was reported by Syrian media. According to the reports, he died as a result of a long illness in Türkiye, where had been living as a refugee since 2012.
Selected in 1985 as part of the Soviet Union's Interkosmos program, Faris lifted off on his first and only spaceflight on July 22, 1987. Launching on board Soyuz TM-3 with cosmonauts Aleksandr Viktorenko and Aleksandr (Pavlovich) Aleksandrov, Faris became the 12th foreign national to fly on a Russian spaceflight and the first to visit the space station Mir.
Over the course of the week-long mission, Faris carried out observations of Syria from orbit and took part in science investigations, including material processing and biological experiments.
"We are now flying over our lovely country, Syria," said Faris in a live broadcast from Mir. "At this happy moment, I'm sending all my deepest respect and love ... to all my people everywhere."
Related: Mir space station: Testing long-term stays in space
