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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The Syrian caretaker government (Arabic: حكومة تصريف الأعمال السورية, romanized: Ḥukūmat Taṣrīf al-Aʿmāl as-Sūriyyah) was the provisional government of Syria. It was established in December 2024 by the Syrian opposition after the Syrian General Command appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as prime minister, replacing Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali on 10 December. This came after the fall of the Assad regime and the exile of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. On 8 December 2024, hours after the fall of Damascus, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, the outgoing prime minister and last head of government of the Ba'athist regime, agreed to lead the transitional government in a caretaking capacity. He then transferred power to Mohammed al-Bashir, prime minister of the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), two days later.

On 29 January 2025, Ahmed al-Sharaa was appointed President of Syria by the Syrian General Command for the transitional period during the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference in Damascus, after serving as the de facto leader following the fall of the Assad regime. As president, al-Sharaa announced plans to issue a "constitutional declaration" as a legal reference following the repeal of the 2012 constitution of Ba'athist Syria. (Full article...)

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Sheep near Krak des Chevaliers

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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 1Alleged 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 2Ottoman Syria, circa 1683 (See: list of territories) (from History of Syria)
Image 3From 1831 until 1841, Syria was governed by Egypt under Muhammad Ali (from History of Syria)
Image 4The ancient city of Ugarit (from History of Syria)
Image 5Nizar Qabbani's style explored themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab nationalism. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 6Maktab Anbar in the Ancient City of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 7Children killed by the Assad regime in the Ghouta chemical attack, the deadliest chemical weapons attack in the 21st century (from History of Syria)
Image 8Opposition demonstration in Baniyas, 29 April 2011 (from History of Syria)
Image 9The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites near Aleppo (from History of Syria)
Image 10Palmyra, one of Roman Syria's most prospering cities (from History of Syria)
Image 11Parts of Syria and neighbouring countries formed a part of the Roman Empire (from History of Syria)
Image 12Syrian 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 13Maktab Anbar in the Ancient City of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 14The Ancient city of Apamea, Syria, one of Syria's most important commercial centres in Hellenistic times (from History of Syria)
Image 15Syrian tank during October war, 1973 (from History of Syria)
Image 16Empress Julia Domna (from History of Syria)
Image 17President Adib Shishakli (from History of Syria)
Image 18Nizar Qabbani's style explored themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab nationalism. (from Culture of Syria)
Image 19Krak des Chevaliers from the South-West (from History of Syria)
Image 20Syrian artillery crew during Yom Kippur War against Israel (from History of Syria)
Image 21The inauguration of President Hashim al-Atassi in 1936 (from History of Syria)
Image 22Former flag of Syria (1932–58), now used by the Syrian opposition and Free Syrian militias (from History of Syria)
Image 23Fattoush, an example of Syrian cuisine (from Culture of Syria)
Image 24Ottoman-Syrian dress in the 19th century. (from History of Syria)
Image 25Stuck and abandoned tank of the Assad's forces on the road to Damascus, December. (from History of Syria)
Image 26Female figurine, Syria, 5000 BCE (from History of Syria)
Image 27Azm Palace, 18th century residence of Ottoman governor of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 28Map marking boundary between British and French territory (from History of Syria)
Image 29Citadel of Aleppo (from History of Syria)
Image 30The world's first alphabet from the ancient city-state of Ugarit, northern Syria. 15th century BCE. (from History of Syria)
Image 31Kousa mahshi (from Culture of Syria)
Image 32A group of Syrian musicians from Aleppo (from Music of Syria)
Image 33The 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 34Coin of Bambyce, c. 340–332 BC (from History of Syria)
Image 35Roman Theatre at Bosra (from History of Syria)
Image 36Azm Palace, 18th century residence of Ottoman governor of Damascus (from Culture of Syria)
Image 37Israeli 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 38Syrian opposition offensives that overthrew Assad's regime in 11 days (from History of Syria)
Image 39Kousa mahshi (from Culture of Syria)
Image 40Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex (from Culture of Syria)
Image 41Landscape of Syrian mountain. (from Music of Syria)
Image 42Syrian government forces tank. (from History of Syria)
Image 43Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex (from Culture of Syria)
Image 44Umayyad Mosque (from History of Syria)
Image 45Killing 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 46Russian planes bombing positions of the Assad's enemies. (from History of Syria)
Image 47Fattoush, an example of Syrian cuisine (from Culture of Syria)
Image 48Syrian army column in Lebanon (from History of Syria)
Image 49The 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 50The States of the French Mandate (from History of Syria)
Image 51Salah 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 52Philip the Arab, Roman Emperor (from History of Syria)