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Syria

Sūriya, Syrian Arab Republic, Al-Jumhūriyyah al-Arabiyyah as-Sūriyyah

Last modified: 2007-08-18 by eugene ipavec
Keywords: syria | syrian arab republic | suriyya | al-jumhuriyya al-’arabiyya as-suriyya | president | stars: 2 (green) | ba’ath party | politics | arab league | league of arab states |
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[Syria] 2:3
image by Eugene Ipavec, 31 May 2007

Official Name: الجمهورية العربية السورية [Al-Jumhūriyyah al-Arabiyyah as-Sūriyyah], Syrian Arab Republic
Short Form: سوريا or سورية [Sūriya], Syria
Capital: Damascus
Location: Middle East
Government Type: Republic
Flag Adopted: 1958-1961, readopted 30 March 1980
Coat of Arms Adopted:
ISO Code: SY SYR 760
FIPS 10-4 Code: SY
MARC Code: sy
IOC Code: SYR
Risk of confusion with: Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan

See also:

Other sites:

Introduction

There are quite a lot of flags in Syria: not only on official buildings you always find the national flag and mostly the Ba'ath Party flag, but also on private buildings. In the Suqs there are lines with many little flags, often alternating the national flag and the Ba'ath Party flag. However, there are certainly some regional differences: In Damascus you see a lot of flags, also in the Suq; in the second-largest city, Aleppo, there are no flags in the Suq, but there are islamic writings (for example the Shahada, as in the Saudi flag) hanging from the lines just as the little flags in the Damascus Suq; in Homs you can see the little triangular flags; in the parts along the Euphrates, for example near Der-ez-Zor, I saw some national flags without stars. However, there seem to be no regional flags or city flags.

Marcus Schmöger, 01 May 1997

Meaning of the Colours

[Ed.: see also Pan-Arab Colours for a historical explanation of the colours.]

Red symbolizes the struggle and sacrifice for freedom; white signifies peace; and black stands for the dark colonial past. Source: Crampton 1985.

Jarig Bakker, 21 Jul 1999

Vertical Flag [Click on image for full size]

[Vertical Syrian flag] 4:1

Besides the normal horizontal usage of the flag you can see it displayed vertically as well, be it painted on a wall or hanging on a building. The vertical examples are usually quite long (proportions from 3:1 up to 8:1).

Marcus Schmöger, 01 May 1997

   
image by Marcus Schmöger

Flag Variants [Click on images for full size]

The national flag of Syria, as we know, is shown in a lot of different variants in Syria. There are four main variables in which individual flags can differ from one another.

  • The first variable is proportion: this should be 2:3, but you can see 1:2 as well:

    [Syrian flag variant, ratio 1:2]
     
     
    image by Marcus Schmöger
     

  • The second variable is orientation of stars: they can point upwards (as in the FOTW Syrian flag), downwards, to the hoist or to the fly:

    [Syrian flag variant, stars pointing downwards]

    [Syrian flag variant, stars pointing to the hoist]

    [Syrian flag variant, stars pointing to the fly]
     
     
     
    image by Marcus Schmöger
    image by Marcus Schmöger
    image by Marcus Schmöger
     
     
     

  • The third variable is size of stars: sometimes they have only the size of a third or a fifth of a stripe width:

    [Syrian flag variant, stars 1/3th stripe]

    [Syrian flag variant, stars 1/5rd stripe]
     
     
    image by Marcus Schmöger
    image by Marcus Schmöger
     
     

  • The fourth variable is location of stars: above they are spaced one third of the flag length from each other, but you can see them spaced a half of the flag length from each other as well:

    [Syrian flag variant, stars overspaced]
     
     
    image by Marcus Schmöger
     

  • Furthermore, I also saw flags without any stars:

    [Syrian flag variant, no stars]
     
     
    image by Marcus Schmöger
     

Marcus Schmöger, 01 May 1997

As a Syrian, please allow me to make a correction. The variation of the flag without the two stars does not exist; this would be the flag of Yemen.

Moaz Marouf, 10 Oct 2000

Presidential Flag (?)

 [Presidential Flag (Syria)]
image by Eugene Ipavec

The presidental flag of Syria is a 1:1 version of the state flag. Source: Pedersen 1973. [Ed.: This would refer to a square version of the 1972-1980 flag.]

Marcus Wendel, 15 Sep 1999

I am very sceptical regarding the Syrian presidential flag. It is quite possible that sometime in the past a square version of the national flag was used as a kind of presidential flag. However, since then the national flag has changed several times, and we don't have any new evidence of a presidential flag at all. Some time ago I had searched the web a bit for photographs of the current and former Syrian president, to find some evidence for a presidential flag. To no avail, though. The only flag visible was the national flag (usually with fringe).

Marcus Schmöger, 12 Jul 2007

Flags of Neighboring Countries