Portal:Syria

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The Syria Portal

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 transitional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is the capital and largest city. With a population of 25 million across an area of 185,180 square kilometres (71,500 sq mi), it is the 57th-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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Following the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, Israel invaded the buffer zone in southwestern Syria (adjacent to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights) and has continued to occupy it. Israel also carried out an aerial bombing campaign to cripple the new Syrian Armed Forces, and demanded that it stay out of southern Syria. Israel's government claimed this was to thwart any "potential threat" from post-war Syria.

Israel took advantage of the power vacuum created by the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to increase the amount of territory it controlled by several hundred square miles. Israel declared the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement with Ba'athist Syria to be void. Israel initially said this new invasion would be "temporary", but later said it would hold onto the territory for an "unlimited time". Israel also launched extensive aerial and naval strikes on Syrian military targets across the country, under an operation codenamed Operation Arrow of Bashan (Hebrew: מבצע חץ הבשן, romanized: Mivtza Ḥetz HaBashan). Israel's campaign crippled Syria's military capabilities, including its army and its navy, and destroyed its chemical weapons stockpiles. (Full article...)

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Public bus near the fortress of Qalaat al-Madiq

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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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Aram Mahmoud (born 15 July 1997) is a Syrian-born Dutch badminton player.

He was selected as one of 29 members of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team (ROT) to compete at 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the first badminton player to participate at the Olympics as part of the ROT. He relocated to the Netherlands from Damascus, Syria in 2015 following unrest in his home country, and has since April 2018 been playing under the Dutch flag. He combines training with studying at the Johan Cruyff Academy and had previously won the Syrian men’s championship in 2013 and 2014, as well as the Arab Youth Championship. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1A group of Syrian musicians from Aleppo (from Music of Syria)
Image 2Roman Theatre at Bosra (from History of Syria)
Image 3The 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 4Female figurine, Syria, 5000 BCE. Ancient Orient Museum. (from History of Syria)
Image 5Former flag of Syria (1932–58), now used by the Syrian opposition and Free Syrian militias (from History of Syria)
Image 6Nizar Qabbani's style explored themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab nationalism. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 7Fattoush, an example of Syrian cuisine (from Culture of Syria)
Image 8The Umayyad Mosque, Damascus (from History of Syria)
Image 9Azm Palace, 18th century residence of Ottoman governor of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 10Krak des Chevaliers from the South-West (from History of Syria)
Image 11Killing 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 12Syrian artillery crew during Yom Kippur War against Israel. (from History of Syria)
Image 13Map marking boundary between British and French territory (from History of Syria)
Image 14Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex (from Culture of Syria)
Image 15Syrian government forces tank. (from History of Syria)
Image 16Syrian tank during October war, 1973. (from History of Syria)
Image 17Salah 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 18Palmyra, one of Roman Syria's most prospering cities (from History of Syria)
Image 19President Adib Shishakli (from History of Syria)
Image 20The world's first alphabet from the ancient city-state of Ugarit, northern Syria. 15th century BCE. (from History of Syria)
Image 21Maktab Anbar in the Ancient City of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 22Alleged 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 23The inauguration of President Hashim al-Atassi in 1936 (from History of Syria)
Image 24Syrian army column in Lebanon. (from History of Syria)
Image 25Syrian 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 26Kousa mahshi (from Culture of Syria)
Image 27The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites near Aleppo is considered to be one of the oldest surviving churches in the world (from History of Syria)
Image 28Coin of Bambyce, c. 340–332 BC (from History of Syria)
Image 29The States of the French Mandate (from History of Syria)
Image 30Israeli 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 31Azm Palace, 18th century residence of Ottoman governor of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 32Russian planes bombing positions of the Assad's enemies. (from History of Syria)
Image 33Stuck and abandoned tank of the Assad's forces on the road to Damascus, December. (from History of Syria)
Image 34Ottoman-Syrian dress in the 19th century. (from History of Syria)
Image 35Ottoman Syria, circa 1683 (See: list of territories) (from History of Syria)
Image 36Citadel of Aleppo is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world (from History of Syria)
Image 37Syrian opposition offensives that overthrew Assad's regime in 11 days (from History of Syria)
Image 38Opposition demonstration in Baniyas, 29 April 2011 (from History of Syria)
Image 39The 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 40Kousa mahshi (from Culture of Syria)
Image 41The Ancient city of Apamea, Syria, one of Syria's most important commercial centres and prospering cities in Hellenistic times (from History of Syria)
Image 42Philip the Arab, Roman Emperor (from History of Syria)
Image 43Maktab Anbar in the Ancient City of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 44Nizar Qabbani's style explored themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab nationalism. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 45Parts of Syria and neighbouring countries formed a part of the Roman Empire (from History of Syria)
Image 46Fattoush, an example of Syrian cuisine (from Culture of Syria)
Image 47Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex (from Culture of Syria)
Image 48Roman Theatre at Palmyra (from History of Syria)
Image 49Children killed by Assad regime in the Ghouta chemical attack, the deadliest chemical weapons attack in the 21st century (from History of Syria)
Image 50Empress Julia Domna (from History of Syria)
Image 51The ancient city of Ugarit (from History of Syria)
Image 52Landscape of Syrian mountain. (from Music of Syria)

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Syria topics

History

Prehistorical Syria	Levantine corridor Natufian culture Halaf culture Uruk period Abu Hureyra Aswad Yarmukian culture
Ancient Syria	Amorites Akkadian Empire Arameans Canaanites Middle Assyrian Empire Ebla Yamhad Qatna Mari Ugarit Aram-Damascus Syro-Hittite states Neo-Assyrian Empire Neo-Babylonian Empire Achaemenid Syria Seleucid Syria Roman Syria Palmyrene Empire Byzantine Syria
Medieval Syria	Muslim conquest (636) Caliphal Syria (Bilad al-Sham) Tulunid dynasty Ikhshidid dynasty Zangid dynasty Hamdanid dynasty Mirdasid dynasty Fatimid Syria Saljuqid Syria Crusader states County of Edessa Principality of Antioch County of Tripoli Ayyubid Syria (1174–1260) Mamluk Syria (1260–1516)
Early modern Syria	Ottoman Syria (1516–1918)
Modern Syria	Arab kingdom (1920) Haj Fadel Government French Mandate Syrian Federation (1922–25) State of Syria (1925–30) Mandatory Republic (1930–46) independent First Republic (1946–50) United Arab Republic (1958–1961) Second Republic (1950–1963) Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) Civil war Post-Assad Syria (2024–present)

Geography

Overview	Borders Cities Districts Governorates Rivers Volcanoes
Features	Al-Jazira Anti-Lebanon Mountains Euphrates Golan Heights Hauran Hermon Orontes Syrian Desert
Related	Syria (region) Southern Syria Fertile Crescent Levant