2011; 14 years ago (2011) (First use by theSyrian opposition) 8 December 2024; 4 months ago (8 December 2024) (First use by theSyrian caretaker government,de facto) 13 March 2025; 54 days ago (13 March 2025)
Design
A horizontaltricolour of green, white, and black; charged with three red five-pointedstars at the centre.
Since gaining full independence from France in 1946,Syria has used a number of different flags, all featuring thepan-Arab colors of green, black, white, and red. Initially a green, white and black triband charged with three red five-pointed stars, known as the independence flag, was used. InBa'athist Syria, this was replaced by theflag of the United Arab Republic with red, white and black tribands with either two or three green stars or charged with the national coat of arms. Following thefall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, the revolution flag, a modified version of the independence flag, began to be used within the country[1][2][3] by theSyrian parliament[4] and the Syrian caretaker government,[5][6] and at Syrian embassies abroad.[7][8][9] On 13 March 2025, aninterim constitution made the independence flag the primary flag.[10] However, the final text ultimately retained the revolution flag.[11]
TheOttoman flag had been used in Syria until the Ottomans left the country on 18 September 1918. In 1918, the official flag of Syria was the Faysal flag, orFlag of the Arab Revolt, the flag of the 1916–1918Arab Revolt against the Ottomans. It was officially adopted by theHashemite family on 30 September 1918 and remained in use until 8 March 1920. This was the first flag to use the green/red/white/black combination seen in most subsequent Syrian flags. The colors' symbolism has been described as follows: white for the DamasceneUmayyad period, green for theCaliph Ali, red for theKhawarij radical Islamic movement, and black for the Islamic prophetMuhammad, showing the "political use of religion" in opposition to the increasingly secularized Turkish colonial rule.[16] Alternately, it has been argued that the horizontal colors stand for theAbbasid (black), Umayyad (white) andFatimid (green)Caliphates and the red triangle to theHashemite dynasty.[17][18]
Under the Arab Kingdom of Syria, the Faisal flag was redesigned with a 7-pointed white star imposed on the red triangle, and was in use until 24 July 1920.This flag was, however, adopted by Jordan somewhat later.[19]
The Faysal flag was abandoned with the arrival of French colonials to Syria. The French High Commissioner for Syria, GeneralHenri Gouraud adopted the new flag of theFrench Mandate of Syria (blue with a white crescent, see below) on 24 July 1920. The flag was based on the flag of theShebab Emirate used between 1697 and 1842, which stood for "the love of peace".[20] Gouraud's flag was in use until 1 September 1920, after which Syria was split into separate territories, each eventually given its own flag (see below).[21][16] On 22 June 1922 Gouraud established theFederation of Syria, which used a green-white-green flag with aFrench flag canton. When this federation was consolidated into theState of Syria in 1925 the same flag continued to be used until the establishment of the republic on 14 May 1930.[22][23]
Independence flag
The Independence flag, adopted in 1930. It is similar to the revolution flag.
The flag of the newly established Syrian Republic, under the French mandate was determined by the 1930 constitution. The constitution was drafted by a parliamentary committee led by nationalist leaderIbrahim Hananu.[24] At first, French authorities refused to allow the constituent assembly to ratify the constitution, andHenri Ponsot, theHigh Commissioner of the Levant, dissolved the assembly on 5 February 1929. After a public uproar, French authorities rescinded their decision and decided to approve the draft with some changes.[25] On 14 May 1930, Ponsot issued decree number 3111, which approved the Syrian-drafted "Constitution of theSyrian Republic", and which in Article IV of Part I states:
"[The] Syrian flag will be as follows: length double width, and is divided into three parallel and equal colours, the highest green, white then black, that the white section contains in a straight line three red five-pointed stars".
— Article IV, Part I, Constitution of the Syrian Republic[26]
The flag's green colour stood for theRashidun, white represented theUmayyads and black symbolised theAbbasids. Originally, the three red stars represented the three districts of Syria: the "states" ofAleppo,Damascus, andDeir ez-Zor.[16] In 1936, theSanjak of Latakia andJebel Druze were added to Syria, and the representation of the three stars was changed, with the first representing the districts of Aleppo, Damascus and Deir ez-Zor, the second Jebel Druze, and the final star representing Sanjak of Latakia.[23] The flag was used as a symbol for the desire for autonomy, for Syrians to rally around when France reneged on its agreement to leave the country, due to the outbreak of World War II.[27][16] The symbolism was as follows: black for the dark oppressed past, white for a promising future and red for the blood to be sacrificed to move from the former to the latter.[16] The flag was adopted when Syria gained its independence on 17 April 1946.[19] The standard was used until the creation of theUnited Arab Republic, a state union of Syria andEgypt, in 1958. After the collapse of the United Arab Republic, Syria continued to use the UAR's flag until 28 September 1961, when the independence flag was restored to disassociate Syria from the former failed union.[19]
22 February 1958; 67 years ago (1958-02-22) (first used the United Arab Republic) 30 March 1980; 45 years ago (1980-03-30) (by Syrian Arab Republic)[28]
Relinquished
28 September 1961; 63 years ago (1961-09-28) (Syrian withdrawal from UAR) 8 December 2024; 4 months ago (2024-12-08)
Design
A horizontaltricolour of red, white, and black; charged with two greenstars at the centre.
Early Ba'athist Flag
Original three star Ba'athist Syrian flag.
Adopted
8 March 1963; 62 years ago (1963-03-08)
Relinquished
1972; 53 years ago (1972)
Flag of Syria between 1958 and 1961 (as part of theUAR) and during theBa'athist rule between 1980 until2024
Flag of Syria between 1963 and 1972
Flag of Syria between 1972 and 1980 (as part of theFAR between 1972 and 1977)
Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form theUnited Arab Republic (UAR).Gamal Abdel Nasser, who was thepresident of Egypt and later president of the UAR, introduced a new flag in April 1958 to replace the previous independence flag and promote Arab unity.[29][29] The new flag featured red, white, and black horizontal bands from theEgyptian revolutionary flag, with two green stars representing Egypt and Syria.[30] It was based on theArab Liberation Flag of theEgyptian Revolution of 1952, which used fourpan-Arab colours—black, green, white, and red—representing the Abbasid, Fatimid, Umayyad, and Hashemite dynasties. However, the new UAR flag had two stars to represent the two parts of the UAR.[31]
Ba'athist Syria
Following the1963 Ba'athist coup d'état,[32] a new flag was adopted by itsRevolutionary Command Council on 8 March 1963, and was used until 1 January 1972.[19] In February 1963, the Ba'athist regime came to power inIraq as well, and the two Ba'athist governments began negotiations in Cairo in order to once again form a union between Egypt, Syria and Iraq. The process failed after the Iraqi Ba'athist government was overthrown in November 1963 but both Syria and Iraq did adopt a new flag to represent the union.[33] This flag was not much different from the flag of the UAR, with only a change from two stars to three, in order to represent the addition of Iraq to the Federation.[19] The three stars represented the unity of Egypt, Syria and Iraq, as well as three pillars of Ba'athism: unity, freedom, and socialism.[34]
PresidentHafez al-Assad adopted a new flag on 1 January 1972, as Syria joined Egypt andLibya in theFederation of Arab Republics. The green stars were replaced by theHawk of Quraish (the symbol of the tribe of Muhammad).[16] The eagle held the ribbon with the name of the Federation, but unlike Egypt and Libya, Syria did not include its name on the coat of arms.[23] This flag was an official flag during theYom Kippur War in 1973.[19] The Federation was dissolved in 1977, but Syria continued to use the flag for the next three years.[23] The flag was abrogated on 29 March 1980,[19] and replaced by the two-star flag[34] in order to show Syria's commitment to Arab unity.[19]
Thenational flag ofBa'athist Syria used between 1980 until 2024 was first adopted in 1958 when Syria was part of theUnited Arab Republic, and was used until 1961. Since its first adoption, variations of the red-white-black flag have been used in various Arab Unions of Syria withEgypt,Libya,Sudan,Yemen, andIraq. Although Syria is not part of any Arab state union, the flag of the United Arab Republic was readopted to show Syria's commitment to Arab unity.[19] The usage of the flag has become disputed because it is often associated with theBa'ath Party and has come to represent parties loyal toBashar al-Assad's government in theSyrian civil war.[35] Since the victory of theSyrian revolution and subsequentfall of the Assad regime in 2024, the flag is no longer in use butloyalists of the deposed Assad regime continue to use the Ba'athist Syrian flag inparts of Western Syria.[36]
The Ba'athist Syrian flag is described in Article 6 of theConstitution of Syria. The first paragraph of the Article states:
The flag of the Syrian Arab Republic consists of four colours: red, white and black, with two green stars, of five angles each. The flag is rectangular, with its width measuring two-thirds of its length. It is divided into three rectangles of identical dimensions and have the same length as the flag. The upper one is red, the middle being white and the bottom one is black, with the two green stars in the middle of the white rectangle.
— 1st Paragraph ofArticle 6 of the Syrian Constitution[37]
Early revival of the independence flag
In 2006, Safouh Al Barazi,[38] a lifelong Syrian activist and member of a prominent family from Hama, launched a campaign in Canada advocating for the adoption of the pre-Ba'athist Syrian flag. This flag, featuring green, white, and black horizontal stripes with three red stars, was originally used by Syria following its independence from French mandate rule in 1946.
Al Barazi's efforts[38] aimed to symbolize a return to Syria's democratic roots and to unify opposition against the ruling regime. His campaign gained momentum within Syrian communities in Canada, United States (Washington[39]) and internationally, contributing to the flag's resurgence as a symbol of the Syrian opposition during the civil uprising that began in 2011.
The "Independence flag" has since been widely adopted by various opposition groups and protesters, both within Syria and among the diaspora, representing aspirations for freedom and democratic governance. Al Barazi's early advocacy[40] in Canada and in Washington played a significant role in reintroducing this historic emblem to the forefront of the Syrian opposition movement.
During theSyrian civil war, theSyrian opposition, represented by theSyrian National Council, then by theNational Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces[41] (commonly named the Syrian National Coalition) used the independence flag first used in 1932. The flag began to be used as a universal display of the protesting opposition in late 2011.[41] The opposition wanted to distinguish themselves from the Assad regime and favoured the use of the flag used when Syria gained its independence from France. The flag was mainly used in areas controlled by the Syrian opposition. The use of the modified independence flag is similar to the Libyan rebels' use of the pre-Gaddafi red-black-green-whiteLibyan flag from the era of theKingdom of Libya in opposition toMuammar Gaddafi'sgreen flag.[42]
Podeh, Elie (1999).The Decline of Arab Unity: The Rise and Fall of the United Arabic Republic. Sussex Academic Press.ISBN978-1-902210-20-9.
Schumann, Cristoph (2008).Liberal Thought in the Eastern Mediterranean: Late 19th Century Until the 1960s. BRILL.ISBN9789004165489.
Thomas, Martin (2007).Empires of Intelligence: Security Services and Colonial Disorder after 1914. University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-25117-5.
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