Flag of Syria: history, meaning, previous versions

The Syrian flag in some ways looks like a pattern of other Arab countries, but in some ways it is completely unique. What can both tell about the state and those and other features?

The modern look of the cloth

The now-used Syrian flag has a traditional rectangular shape with a length related to the width in the proportion of three to two. The panel is a tricolor, the stripes are equal and are arranged horizontally. On the central one, at the same distance from the edges and from the middle, there are two five-pointed stars of green color. The upper band is red, the lower one is black. Between them is white, on which stars are also marked.

Value of colors

Each shade that shows the flag of Syria has its meaning. Some of them are connected with the Arab region. For example, green is a traditional symbol of the Islamic religion and is present on the paintings of most Muslim countries in the form of images or stripes. But he also has another meaning: he represents the dynasty of the Fatimids, Caliphs, who were in power in northern Africa many centuries ago, from the end of the tenth to the middle of the twelfth century. The white line is associated with the Umayyad dynasty, which led the Damascus caliphate from the seventh to the eighth century. The black strip serves as a tribute to the memory of the Abassides. Their dynasty was next to the Umayyads and remained in power from the eighth to the twelfth century. In addition, there are separate meanings of colors, for example, the red part of the flag is a symbol of the blood shed by the martyrs for independence and freedom. Two stars, located in the center of the panel, symbolize the unity of Egypt and Syria. The peoples of these countries organized the United Arab Republic.

History of occurrence

The modern flag of Syria (its photo is presented in the review), which is used in state symbols, has its history from the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1918, the country gained independence from the Ottoman Empire and began to use the banner of the Arab uprising. This flag was a tricolor, like the current flag of Syria, the stripes ran horizontally - black from above, green in the center, white from below. A little later this cloth became the basis of the symbol of the Syrian kingdom. After the capture by the French, the country was divided and until 1936 did not use its own flags. Upon signing the treaty of independence in 1946 the Syrians returned a green-white-black flag. In 1958 the United Arab Republic was founded, as a result of which the cloth took on a modern look. For a time, the country was withdrawing from an alliance with Egypt as a result of the coup. The power was received by the Baath Party, which changed the flag of Syria. Pictures of two stars were supplemented by one more - then the same cloth used by Iraq, which allows us to judge about a possible unofficial alliance. Nevertheless, in 1980 the country returned to the UAR and again began to apply the former state symbol in the form that is customary now.

Flags of French Syria

In the history of the state, time stands out as a separate colony in the role of the French colony. The general flag of Syria then went out of use, and each territory enjoyed a separate symbolism. So, the region of Aleppo had a white cloth with a French standard on top of the shaft and three golden stars at the free edge. The territory of the Alawites on the same basis were marked with three red corners. Instead of three stars in the center was the sun. Damascus used a blue flag with a white circle in the center and a French cloth at the shaft. The Autonomous Region of Jebel Druz used the original standard with horizontal stripes of green, red, yellow, blue and white colors, complemented by a side row of gold stars.