Portal:Syria

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Flag of Syria	Emblem of Syria

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north and northwest, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is a republic under a provisional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is the capital and largest city. With a population of 26 million across an area of 185,180 square kilometres (71,500 sq mi), it is the 56th-most populous and 87th-largest country.

Following the Arab Spring in 2011, Syria became embroiled in a multi-sided civil war with the involvement of several countries, leading to a refugee crisis in which more than 6 million refugees were displaced from the country. In response to rapid territorial gains made by the Islamic State during the civil war in 2014 and 2015, several countries intervened on behalf of various factions opposing it, leading to its territorial defeat in 2017 in both central and eastern Syria. Thereafter, three political entities—the Syrian Interim Government, Syrian Salvation Government, and the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria—emerged in Syrian territory to challenge Assad's rule. In late 2024, a series of offensives from a coalition of opposition forces led to the capture of Damascus and the fall of Assad's regime. By 2025, the war had left Syria's economy in a poor state, following years of international sanctions that were later eased. (Full article...)

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Ba'athist Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR), was the Syrian state between 1963 and 2024 under the one-party rule of the Syrian regional branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. From 1970 until its collapse in 2024, it was ruled by the Assad family, and was therefore commonly referred to as the Assad regime. Ba'athist Syria was also, until its downfall, the only state member of the "Axis of Resistance" beside Iran.

The regime emerged in 1963 following a coup d'état led by Alawite Ba'athist military officers. Another coup in 1966 led to Salah Jadid becoming the country's de facto leader while Nureddin al-Atassi assumed the presidency. In 1970, Jadid and al-Atassi were overthrown by Hafez al-Assad in the Corrective Revolution. The next year, Assad became president after winning sham elections. (Full article...)

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Temple of Baal-Shamin, Palmyra

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Did you know...

… that Syria is one of the world's oldest civilizations, dating from the Palaeolithic era (c. 800,000 BCE)
… that Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire for approximately 400 years.
… that Syria's name comes from an ancient kingdom called Assyria.
… that the Syrian cities of Damascus and Aleppo are some of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
… that the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives led to the fall of the Assad regime after more than two decades in power?

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The Kingdom of Emesa at its greatest extent

The Emesene (or Emesan) dynasty, also called the Sampsigeramids or the Sampsigerami or the House of Sampsigeramus (Arabic: آل شمسيغرام, romanized: ʾĀl Šamsīġirām), were a Roman client dynasty of Arab priest-kings known to have ruled by 46 BC from Arethusa and later from Emesa, Syria, until between 72 and 78/79, or at the latest the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161). Iamblichus, the famous Neoplatonist philosopher of the third century, was one of their descendants, as was empress Julia Domna, matriarch of the Severan dynasty. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Syria-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Syrian army column in Lebanon (from History of Syria)
Image 2Syrian tank during October war, 1973 (from History of Syria)
Image 3Palmyra, one of Roman Syria's most prospering cities (from History of Syria)
Image 4Kousa mahshi (from Culture of Syria)
Image 5Former flag of Syria (1932–58), now used by the Syrian opposition and Free Syrian militias (from History of Syria)
Image 6Alleged Syrian nuclear reactor site destroyed in air strikes by Israeli Air Force during Operation Outside the Box. (Photo from video released by the US government) (from History of Syria)
Image 7Stuck and abandoned tank of the Assad's forces on the road to Damascus, December. (from History of Syria)
Image 8Female figurine, Syria, 5000 BCE (from History of Syria)
Image 9Coin of Bambyce, c. 340–332 BC (from History of Syria)
Image 10Empress Julia Domna (from History of Syria)
Image 11The Roman Theatre at Bosra, one of Syria's best preserved monuments from Roman times. Syria's long and rich history plays a huge part in its culture. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 12A group of Syrian musicians from Aleppo (from Music of Syria)
Image 13From 1831 until 1841, Syria was governed by Egypt under Muhammad Ali (from History of Syria)
Image 14Philip the Arab, Roman Emperor (from History of Syria)
Image 15The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites near Aleppo (from History of Syria)
Image 16Syrian government forces tank. (from History of Syria)
Image 17Azm Palace, 18th century residence of Ottoman governor of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 18Map marking boundary between British and French territory (from History of Syria)
Image 19Children killed by the Assad regime in the Ghouta chemical attack, the deadliest chemical weapons attack in the 21st century (from History of Syria)
Image 20Russian planes bombing positions of the Assad's enemies. (from History of Syria)
Image 21The Roman Theatre at Bosra, one of Syria's best preserved monuments from Roman times. Syria's long and rich history plays a huge part in its culture. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 22Nizar Qabbani's style explored themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab nationalism. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 23Fattoush, an example of Syrian cuisine (from Culture of Syria)
Image 24Fattoush, an example of Syrian cuisine (from Culture of Syria)
Image 25Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex (from Culture of Syria)
Image 26Ottoman-Syrian dress in the 19th century. (from History of Syria)
Image 27Azm Palace, 18th century residence of Ottoman governor of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 28Citadel of Aleppo (from History of Syria)
Image 29Syrian opposition offensives that overthrew Assad's regime in 11 days (from History of Syria)
Image 30Roman Theatre at Bosra (from History of Syria)
Image 31Landscape of Syrian mountain. (from Music of Syria)
Image 32The States of the French Mandate (from History of Syria)
Image 33The inauguration of President Hashim al-Atassi in 1936 (from History of Syria)
Image 34Opposition demonstration in Baniyas, 29 April 2011 (from History of Syria)
Image 35Maktab Anbar in the Ancient City of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 36Israeli tanks advancing on Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. Then Defence Minister Hafez al-Assad was widely blamed for the failure of Syrian military, intensifying his rivalry with Jadid (from History of Syria)
Image 37The world's first alphabet from the ancient city-state of Ugarit, northern Syria. 15th century BCE. (from History of Syria)
Image 38Parts of Syria and neighbouring countries formed a part of the Roman Empire (from History of Syria)
Image 39Nizar Qabbani's style explored themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab nationalism. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 40Salah Jadid (right) alongside Ba'ath party founder Michel Aflaq (left) shortly after the 1963 coup. Neo-Ba'athist Military Committee led by Jadid and Hafez al-Assad later overthrew the National Command in another coup in 1966, leading to a schism within Baathist movement (from History of Syria)
Image 41Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (left) with European Council President António Costa at the Arab League summit on Gaza, in Cairo, 3 March 2025 (from History of Syria)
Image 42Maktab Anbar in the Ancient City of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 43Krak des Chevaliers from the South-West (from History of Syria)
Image 44Ottoman Syria, circa 1683 (See: list of territories) (from History of Syria)
Image 45Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex (from Culture of Syria)
Image 46The Ancient city of Apamea, Syria, one of Syria's most important commercial centres in Hellenistic times (from History of Syria)
Image 47The ancient city of Ugarit (from History of Syria)
Image 48Syrian artillery crew during Yom Kippur War against Israel (from History of Syria)
Image 49Umayyad Mosque (from History of Syria)
Image 50President Adib Shishakli (from History of Syria)
Image 51Killing of Rafic Hariri triggered a massive Intifada against Syrian occupation of Lebanon in 2005, which led to the withdrawal of Syrian military forces after global backlash (from History of Syria)
Image 52Kousa mahshi (from Culture of Syria)